~LAYLA~
The sound boomed loudly in the room. Marco’s head snapped to the side, and a red mark immediately bloomed across his cheek. His guard tensed, reaching for his weapon, but Marco held up a hand to stop him.
For a moment, nobody moved. It was just silence.
Marco slowly turned his head back to face me, his hand rising to touch his cheek. His expression was unreadable, but it was somewhere between shock, anger, and something that can be classified as admiration or was it amusement.
"That," I said quietly in a steady voice even though my heart was racing, "is for nearly killing my husband. Business is business, Marco. But that bomb was personal. Don’t ever forget the difference."
Marco stared at me for a long moment. Then, incredibly, he smiled a genuine smile that reached his eyes.
"Yes," he said softly, almost to himself. "Definitely like my mother."
He lowered his hand and gave me a small nod, almost a bow.
"The debt is settled, Mrs. O’Brien," he said formally. "You have my word. No more bombs, no more threats. When Mr. Porter returns my seventy million, and when we collect from Mr. Watson, we are even. The Sinaloa Cartel has no further business with O’Brien Group."
"Good," I said.
"But the slap?" Marco added, his smile turning dangerous. "That we are not even for. One day, I will collect on that debt. Not today, not tomorrow, but one day."
"I’ll be waiting," I said.
Marco laughed and walked out, his guard following behind him.
The door closed, and I was finally alone.
My hand was stinging from the slap, and I realised it was shaking now. The adrenaline that had kept me standing was starting to fade, leaving me exhausted.
I looked down at my hand, at the red mark across my palm; it was definitely worth it.
Tye stepped out of the shadows of the next conference room, looking shocked but also impressed. "Did you just slap a cartel boss?" he asked with a spark in his eyes and a smile.
"Yes," I said simply.
"Are you insane?"
"Probably," I admitted. "But he respected it. Men like Marco understand strength. If I’d cowered, if I’d accepted his handshake like a grateful little victim, he would have seen weakness. This way, he knows exactly who he’s dealing with."
"You’re terrifying," Tye said, but there was approval in his voice.
"I learned from the best," I said quietly, thinking of Axel.
I picked up my purse and walked toward the door.
"Come on," I said. "We have a hospital to get back to. And we need to send federal agents to Charles Watson’s house before Marco’s people get there first. I want him arrested, not disappeared."
"On it," Tye said, already pulling out his phone.
I paused at the doorway, looking back at the boardroom one last time. At the boarded windows and the dust-covered table. At the scene of so much destruction and pain.
But also at the place where I had won... where I had protected my husband, my company, and my future.
I turned off the lights and walked out.
The drive back to the hospital was quiet. The city lights blurred past the window in a stream of neon and gold that felt surreal after the boardroom’s darkness. I watched the buildings slide by, still processing everything that had happened in the last hour.
"Status on the Feds?" I asked Tye, breaking the silence.
"FBI is en route to Watson’s estate," Tye said from the driver’s seat, though his eyes was fixed on the road. "Marco’s guys are probably five minutes behind them. It’s going to be a race."
"I don’t care who gets there first," I said, leaning my head against the cool glass. "As long as Charles is caught. As long as he can’t hurt anyone else."
"He will be," Tye assured me. "The Feds have a warrant. They’re mobilised. Watson won’t slip away."
"Good," I said, though for some unknown reasons, I felt uneasy. Charles was smart. He’d survived decades in business by always being three steps ahead. But surely, even he couldn’t escape this.
When we arrived at the hospital, I felt the exhaustion settle deep in my bones, pulling at every muscle. But the thought of Axel, waiting for me, gave me enough strength to keep moving.
I walked into the ICU, pushing through the doors that had become so familiar. The room was peaceful, the only sound the steady beep of the heart monitor.
Axel was awake.
He was staring at the door, as if he’d been willing it to open. When he saw me, the tension in his shoulders, even broken and bandaged as he was, seemed to evaporate.
"Layla," he breathed in a rough voice that was stronger than before.
I went to him, careful not to jar the bed, and took his hand. His fingers wrapped around mine with more strength than earlier. "It’s done."
"What’s done?" he asked, his eyes searching my face.
"Henry is gone," I said. "Marco took him."
Axel’s eyes widened slightly, processing this information. "Helena gave you the evidence?"
"Yeah. So I introduced Henry to Marco," I said, a slight smile tugging at my lips despite the exhaustion. "I showed Marco the proof that Henry stole his money. Marco took Henry as... collateral. He’ll return him to us for prosecution once he recovers his funds."
Axel let out a low, rough laugh that turned into a cough. He squeezed my hand weakly. "My ruthless wife. I knew you had it in you. I knew you could handle them."
"And Marco?" Axel asked, his eyes searching mine for any sign of fear or lingering threat. "Where do you stand with him?"
"We came to an understanding," I said, deciding not to mention the slap just yet. Axel’s blood pressure didn’t need the spike. "The debt is settled. The O’Brien Group, Eclipse Beauty is clear. No more threats. No more bombs. It’s over."
"Thank God," Axel whispered, closing his eyes briefly. "Thank God you’re safe."
I allowed my self to breathe.
"Come here," Axel whispered softly.
I leaned down, carefully resting my head on the pillow next to his, facing him. His breath was warm against my forehead, and I could smell the antiseptic mixed with something that was uniquely him.
"You saved us," he murmured, his fingers brushing my cheek with feather-light touches. "I built this empire, but you saved it. You saved everything."
"We saved it," I whispered back, closing my eyes and letting myself have this moment. "Together. Now you just have to get better. No more bombs or cartels. Just physical therapy and boring board meetings."
"Sounds like paradise," he murmured, his thumb tracing small circles on the back of my hand.
For a moment, we just existed in that quiet space... two people who had survived the worst and come out the other side.
Suddenly, the door opened. It was Tye.
"Axe," Tye said warmly as he approached the bed. "Good to see you awake. You scared the hell out of us."
"Tye," Axel said, his voice strengthening slightly. "Still ugly as ever, I see."
"And you’re still a pain in my ass, even from a hospital bed," Tye shot back, but there was genuine relief in his eyes. "Glad you’re back with us, man."
"How bad is the building?" Axel asked.
"We’ll rebuild," Tye said firmly. "Don’t worry about that now. Your wife here just took down a cartel boss and a CFO in the same night. I’d say she’s earned employee of the month."
"Employee of the year," Axel corrected, squeezing my hand.
Tye smiled, but then his expression shifted. He pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen, and his entire demeanour changed. The smile faded, and his jaw tightened.
I sat up, pulling away from Axel slightly. I was expecting a nod of confirmation that Charles was in custody, that this nightmare was truly over. But Tye’s face was grim, and he was holding his phone so tight his knuckles were turning white.
"Tye?" I asked, a cold knot forming in my stomach. "What is it? What happened?"
Tye looked from me to Axel, then back to me.
"He’s gone," he said flatly. "Charles Watson is nowhere to be found."