Unknown Number

Chapter 009

Lola’s POV

Zack didn't say another word after pulling me away from his father. His fingers were wrapped tightly around my wrist as he dragged me toward the door, and I had to hurry my steps just to keep up with him. I glanced at his face, but his jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles along it stood out. Whatever had happened inside that boardroom had gotten under his skin, and judging by the way he was walking, he wasn't interested in explaining anything to me.

“Zack, slow down.”

He didn't.

“Mr. Thompson, you're hurting me.”

Nothing.

We passed the administration office, and several employees immediately looked up from their desks. Conversations died the moment they saw us. I could practically feel everyone's eyes following us as Zack marched through the hallway with me in tow.

Then we bumped into Claire.

She was holding a stack of documents, but the moment she saw Zack dragging me along, her mouth fell open. Her eyes moved from his hand around my wrist to my face, then back to him.

“Mr. Thompson?”

Zack didn't even acknowledge her.

Claire stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, clearly trying to understand what she was seeing. I would have laughed at her expression under normal circumstances, but my wrist was beginning to hurt badly, and I was struggling to keep up with Zack's pace.

“Zack!” I called again. “Where are you taking me?”

He finally stopped.

For a moment, I thought he was going to answer me, but he simply pulled me forward again.

“Can you at least stop dragging me like I'm a criminal?”

His grip tightened.

A sharp pain shot through my wrist, and I winced.

“Zack, you're hurting me!”

That finally made him stop.

He looked down at his hand as if he had only just realized how tightly he had been holding me. His fingers loosened slightly, but he didn't let go.

I stared at him.

His face looked different now. The cold confidence I was used to seeing was gone, replaced by something darker. His breathing was heavier than it should have been, and his chest rose and fell beneath his shirt.

Without saying anything, he started walking again.

This time, I followed.

We reached the rooftop a few minutes later. The moment the door opened, a cool breeze rushed against my face, instantly cooling the heat that had built up on my skin.

Zack stepped outside.

I followed him, but the moment the door closed behind us, I pulled my wrist free.

“Let me go!”

My voice echoed across the rooftop.

Zack stopped.

He released me immediately and stepped several feet away.

I rubbed my wrist, staring at the red marks his fingers had left behind. My anger was ready to spill out, but then I looked at him properly.

He was breathing heavily.

Not the kind of heavy breathing someone had after climbing stairs. This was different. His shoulders rose and fell rapidly, and his hands were shaking slightly at his sides. He clenched them into fists, released them, then clenched them again as if he was desperately trying to regain control.

His eyes were fixed somewhere in the distance, but I could tell he wasn't really seeing anything.

I had never seen Zack like this. He seemed so broken. 

My anger slowly faded. “Zack?”

He didn't respond.

I took a cautious step toward him. “Are you okay?”

His jaw tightened. “I'm fine.”

He wasn't.

Anyone with eyes could see that.

I watched his fingers tremble again, and something inside my chest softened. A few minutes ago, I had been furious with him for dragging me around like that, but looking at him now, I couldn't bring myself to stay angry.

I knew what it looked like when someone was trying desperately to hide their pain.

I've done it enough times myself.

I swallowed and moved closer.

“Whatever happened in there...” I hesitated, unsure whether I was crossing a line. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”

His eyes finally moved toward me.

For a second, our gazes met.

There was something in his eyes that I couldn't explain. Anger was there, but beneath it was exhaustion, hurt, and something that looked dangerously close to loneliness.

I didn't think.

I simply stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him.

His entire body stiffened.

I almost pulled away.

Maybe I had made a mistake. Maybe Zack Thompson wasn't the kind of man who wanted anyone touching him when he was angry.

But then his shoulders slowly dropped.

I placed one hand against his back and gently patted him.

“It's okay,” I whispered.

He didn't say anything.

Neither did I.

We simply stood there.

The wind moved around us, carrying the distant sounds of traffic from the streets below, while I felt the tension gradually leaving his body. His breathing was still uneven at first, but little by little, it became slower.

One breath. Then another.

His hands stopped shaking.

I didn't know what had happened between him and his father, but I suddenly understood that whatever their relationship was, it had left a wound far deeper than I could see.

For the first time, I wasn't looking at Zack as my annoying boss. I was looking at him as a man who was hurting.

And somehow, that made my heart ache.

We stayed like that for a while until a voice suddenly came from behind us.

“Boss?”

I immediately froze.

Zack's body stiffened again.

We slowly pulled away from each other.

Leo stood near the rooftop door, staring at us with an expression I couldn't quite read.

His eyes moved from me to Zack and back again.

“Am I interrupting?

My cheeks heated instantly.

Zack cleared his throat and straightened his suit.

“What do you want?”

Leo quickly composed himself. “There's something that needs your attention downstairs. The legal department just sent over the revised documents, and they need your approval before the end of the day.”

Zack nodded. “I will be there.”

Leo stepped aside.

Zack walked toward the door, but after a few steps, he stopped.

He turned around and looked at me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then his expression softened. “Lola.”

“Yes?”

He hesitated briefly before speaking.

“I'm sorry about what happened.”

I blinked. An apology?

From Zack?

I wasn't expecting that. “It's okay,” I replied quietly.

He gave me a small nod before turning away. Then he followed Leo through the door.

I stood there alone, staring at the place where he had disappeared.

I released a long breath and rubbed my forehead.

“What a weird man.”

One minute, Zack could be cold enough to freeze an entire room. The next, he could be rude enough to make me want to throw a chair at him. Then he could suddenly lose his temper, drag me across the company like a madman, and five minutes later stand in front of me looking so broken that I actually wanted to comfort him.

I shook my head.

“I seriously don't understand that man.”

My phone vibrated. I reached into my bag, expecting another message from Mia.

Instead, the screen displayed an unknown number.

My smile disappeared.