Chasing the Unexpected

Damon patted her head and said softly, “If I haven’t earned your complete trust, then I still haven’t done well enough.”

Nyla looked up at him, about to speak, when his phone suddenly rang.

“Did you change your ringtone?” she asked, noticing that Damon’s phone sounded different from usual.

Damon didn’t answer. He picked up his phone and walked aside to take the call.

For some reason, Nyla felt a wave of unease wash over her, and she couldn’t help but frown.

Soon, Damon ended the call and returned to her.

“I have to go out for a bit. You should go to sleep,” he said.

He turned to leave, but Nyla instinctively grabbed his hand. “Is it something important? Can you stay and keep me company? I…”

She struggled to find a reason to keep him around.

Was it just her inexplicable anxiety?

The reason seemed a bit absurd even to her.

Damon’s gaze softened, and he nodded. “If you’re scared, I can have the driver pick up Valarie to keep you company.”

Nyla opened her mouth, then slowly shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Just come back as soon as you can.”

Noticing something was wrong with her, Damon suddenly hugged her tightly, as if trying to her.

“Don’t overthink it. Get some rest,” he coaxed.

“Okay,” Nyla replied.

Damon didn’t linger and quickly left.

It wasn’t until his figure disappeared through the door that Nyla bit her lip and looked away.

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The new ringtone had made her unaccountably uneasy Damon’s previous ringtone had been the default one from his phone, but tonight it was a piano piece. Usually, only someone important would have a special ringtone.

Nyla took a deep breath, trying to push her thoughts aside. She patted her face and turned on the TV, searching for a drama to pass the time.

Nyla waited until after midnight, but Damon still hadn’t returned. Eventually, she fell asleep on the sofa.

She woke up again around 6:00 a.m. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

As she sat up, she noticed the blanket covering her and wondered whether Damon had come back.

As she was pondering this, à mald approached. “Ms. Jayston, you’re awake?”

Nyla nodded. “Where’s Damon?”

“He didn’t come back last night,” the maid replied.

Nyla’s eyes flickered with disappointment. She forced a smile and asked, “So, did you put the blanket on me?”

The maid nodded. “Yes. I saw the living room light was on when I got up in the middle of the night. I saw you sleeping on the sofa and didn’t want to wake you. I was worried you might catch a cold, so I covered you with a blanket.”

Nyla lowered her eyes, her voice a bit downcast. “I see. Thank you.”

“It was no trouble,” the maid said.

Nyla went upstairs to freshen up, feeling unsettled.

After a quick breakfast, she drove to the office.

Just as she arrived downstairs, she received a call from William.

Knowing she had agreed to settle, William said, “Got it. I’ll handle the follow–up.”

“Thank you,” Nyla replied.

After hanging up, she held her phone, debating whether to call Damon.

She hesitated momentarily before dialing his number.

However, the call went unanswered and eventually ended automatically. She tried a couple more times. without success and decided not to try further.

It wasn’t until noon that Damon returned her call. “Nyla, did you call me this morning? Is something wrong?”