THE LOST HEIRESS RETURNS AFTER DIVORCE
Chapter 96: Then You Run

Chapter 96: Then You Run

Heather hesitated. "Are you—"

She stepped forward instinctively, hand stretched toward him. But she forgot the edge of the gap was uneven.

She wobbled slightly, and in that split-second, she felt Jake’s weight brace upward to push — but before she could touch him, Caius pulled her back again.

"Are you insane?" he said tightly, he moved his lips close to her ear, as if making his statement clearer.

"I was helping him."

"He doesn’t need help."

"Caius, just help him up—"

"He’s fine."

And Jake was — or at least, he made it look that way. Because he didn’t look offended or demand help. He simply reached up, as he found leverage, and lifted himself with clean effort.

The way his muscles moved, and his breath tightened, he was strong, yes, but also tired. And his eyes were locked on Caius’s.

Heather watched him with strange concern. He paused at the top, one hand pressed briefly to his chest before wiping it on his slacks — something about that small motion made her fear.

"Thanks for the assistance." he said in a polite tone, but the sarcasm underneath was so faint, it almost passed unnoticed.

"Have a good day, Heather."

That was all he said, and he didn’t wait or ask if she was alright, or if she needed anything, he just turned and walked away.

Heather stared after him in confusion. Was that it?

Was everything that happened in the elevator all just politeness to him?

Maybe that’s what he did with everyone and it didn’t mean anything.

But it had meant something to her.

She felt that tight feeling crawl up her chest, the one that used to come when she thought about her nanny, because she never said goodbye when the woman was still alive. Maybe she just needed closure.

She watched him turn at the end of the hallway, when she finally turned back around, her eyes landed on Caius. But something about him made her whole body tense.

"Let’s go," Caius said next to her, touching her arm again.

She just stared at him for a split second.

Her expression changed the second their eyes met. The softness had vanished, and her face tightened with something closer to disgust than gratitude.

She didn’t say anything, but she groaned aloud. "Don’t tell me what to do." Sighed Heather before turning and walking away from him.

She didn’t need to see his expression to know he’d taken it personally.

She could hear his footsteps following behind. She was walking fast, but he didn’t try to catch up too quickly.

"I couldn’t find you anywhere," he said at last. "The elevator doors were down."

She didn’t respond because she wasn’t in the mood for his voice — or his explanations. Still, the back of her mind registered the effort it must have taken to get here. She wouldn’t thank him out loud or today.

But she was grateful.

Seven security men were waiting at the corridor’s end.

Heather narrowed her eyes. "What the hell is this?"

"The crowd is still out there, and you know the elevator is down. Damn rain," he said. "Lauren ran from work. She probably can’t face me."

Heather could hear the sound of the crowd just beyond them — the constant low hum had swelled into a roar.

Caius’s security team was already waiting. They were lined up like soldiers, one of them was speaking into a short-range radio.

When Heather and Caius reached them, he stepped forward.

"The crowd’s gotten worse," he said. "Word got out that she’s still here."

She. Not even her name; she was used to it by now.

"Mob energy’s changed," another one added, glancing toward the glass. "They’re not just fans anymore."

Caius didn’t respond immediately. He just stood still, watching the changing shapes outside the revolving doors. No one was in the company any longer, they probably had gone home or were stuck on some floor in the elevator.

"We recommend both of you wear these. Mrs Thorne, your raincoat and boots."

The items were handed over to her; the coat was a deep pink colour.

She said nothing, but just slid it on, adjusting the collar. Her hands were trembling slightly, but she willed them to stillness.

One of the men crouched to offer her the second boot. She slipped out of her remaining heel and stepped into the rubber sole, which now felt like armor.

Her fingers paused on the zipper of the raincoat; she could hear them louder and clearer, their screams were ringing in her ears.

She looked over at Caius, who was already dressed in a black raincoat.

"They’re not going to stop," the same man muttered. "We clear the path. Four of us first, then you two in the middle. The last three at the rear."

She swallowed.

That was the plan, and it was clean and simple. But something about the way he said it made her stomach twist. Like even he wasn’t sure it would work.

"And if they break through?" Heather asked.

She kept her eyes straight on the dark glass doors and the angry crowd beyond them. The yelling outside hadn’t stopped. If anything, it had gotten louder.

"Then you run," he said.

Run?

She turned to him slowly, unsure if she had heard him right. Run where? Through that?

Through hundreds of bodies pressed against each other, shouting and throwing things, angry about something they didn’t even understand?

And even if she did run, then what? She’d just keep running? Until they got tired? Until they gave up? What if they never did?

What if her body gave out first?

Still, she nodded.

Not because the plan made sense, or that she agreed. But because there was no better option.

She hadn’t even stepped outside fully before the first egg cracked beside her.

It missed her by an inch, splattering against one of the guards’ backs, but he didn’t flinch, instead he pushed forward.

But the sound startled her all the same, and in less than a second, another one flew, hitting the edge of the doorframe.