By the Billionaire Series

Later that day, when Noémie reached her apartment, she barely unlocked the door when she heard a door slam from across the hallway.

"Rochester," a male voice called out from behind her, jolting her upright and out of her stupor. "Funny seeing you here. Your boss suddenly tripped on the concept of a day off, eh?"

Noémie struggled to fight a smile as she turned around on her heels and came face to face with Gaël Marchant. A handsome pilot who lived on the same floor as her and owned the most beautiful car in the entire building. He was pretty cocky about it, and even though he could afford a much better and more luxurious dwelling than what this society offered, he seemed pretty satisfied with his stay. Noémie tried to understand his reasons initially, but then she had so much on her plate herself that pretty soon she gave up.

"If I say yes, will that make you feel better?" she said with a smile, flipping her hair off her shoulder as she moved her arms behind her back, not wanting him to see the file she carried. For some reason, she thought he would judge her if he came to know of her current predicament, and despite them only being good neighbors and nothing more, she didn't like the idea of an unprincipled reputation in his eyes. Perhaps a bit cocky, but he was one of the good guys, and sadly, his company meant a lot to her in this far-off city.

He hummed. "Depends..."

"On what?"

"How long can he keep up with the righteous act and continue to have some mercy on your poor, overworked soul?"

"You think I'm overworked?"

"Have you seen yourself in the mirror?"

Noémie pursed her lips, not sure if he was serious or just fooling around.

But then he broke into a laugh, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're an idiot!" she pouted, shaking her head and turning around to unlock the door of her apartment.

Gaël laughed while he leaned his shoulder against the wall and watched her struggle with the key. "Here. Let me help," he offered, drawing his arm up to reach for the key.

Noémie hadn't expected the offer. While she continued to stick the key in the lock, his warm hand clamped over hers, and she stiffened.

Her heart raced underneath her chest.

Their eyes met briefly before he gently shoved her to the side and took her place instead. Now, standing on the side, Noémie watched, wrapping her arms around herself as he smoothly pushed the key in and, with some magical technique that she failed to notice because of his large hands, unlocked the door, a satisfying click resounding across the hallway.

The grin on his face was cockier than ever as he stepped back and gave a gentle push to the door. "Here you go, your highness," he teased, dropping the key back in her hand and thrusting his hands in his jeans' pockets.

"Thanks for the help, Gaël," Noémie muttered, slight heat rushing up to her neck. She had no clue why she was feeling so flustered suddenly. She had always been good at dealing with his weirdness. Perhaps the news of her pregnancy had turned her into a sensitive mess. She could only hope to sort herself out before things got out of hand.

Gaël only gave a nod before taking another step back. "So, are you coming to the roof party tonight? It's Steven's ninth birthday, maybe Mrs. Colbert will finally open the bar this time."

"No. But keep dreaming," she chuckled, finally moving inside her apartment and turning around to face him so she could bid him goodbye. "Mrs. Colbert's ex-husband passed away because of alcohol overdose. She wouldn't want to expose her dear son to something like that," she shrugged.

Mrs. Colbert was the landlady who owned the entire building and lived on the ground floor. She was kind and thoughtful but strict and a little dominating when it came down to the rent and her son.

"Really?" he sounded surprised. "I thought they were all rumors," he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, they are not. Take my advice and stop spoiling her son. Because once she got the hint of all the pointless tips you've been giving him for impressing the girls, she would throw you out so fast, you wouldn't know what hit you," she teased him, although not a word of it was untrue.

Gaël narrowed his eyes and rubbed his neck briefly. "Oh well, why didn't you warn me earlier?" he made a face as if someone had just saved him from jumping the traffic light. "I guess I would have to cancel our top-secret meeting for today then," he said with all the seriousness in the world before a slight grin once again claimed his handsome face.

He leaned closer to the frame of her door. "Considering I have an empty slot for the evening, how about I take you out for a coffee? You just saved me from losing my place, after all. Let me treat you to a lovely drink and some almond croissants. What say?" he winked.

Noémie chuckled at his sudden change in demeanor. But she knew he was only messing with her, just like he did with literally every single woman in the building. She would have to say, he almost sounded genuine in his offer.

"Unfortunately, I would have to say no. Sorry," even though it was probably a joke, she felt bad for refusing him. "I'm not feeling that good. I should probably get some rest."

When Gaël opened his mouth, Noémie thought he wanted to say something. But then he covered his mouth with his hand and brushed his lower lip instead. "Well, then, you better take good care of yourself, Rochester. Call me if you need anything."

And then, turning on his heels, he was gone.

Though her heart didn't quit pounding even after he disappeared from her view.

Noémie stood there for a while, with her door half-opened, wondering if his offer was sincere. It couldn't be, right? He was probably pulling her leg, seeing the lack of lads in her life. He liked to do that a lot. Sighing to herself, she moved back and closed the door.

Mrs. Colbert showed up in the evening, inviting her to attend the birthday party. But Noémie had to politely refuse; she wasn't feeling very festive, and putting on an act of enjoying herself seemed too much for her worn-out brain.

Thankfully, Mrs. Colbert didn't seem to mind. She, in fact, asked her not to hesitate if she needed anything at all. At that moment, Noémie felt the back of her eyes prickle with hot tears. She suddenly grew so emotional; she couldn't help it when her face grew red with how much she was trying to hold those tears back.

Mrs. Colbert must have realized something because after she left to attend her birthday party, she came down again with a piece of cake for Noémie. The gesture was so sweet; it touched her deeply.

The entire night, Noémie couldn't sleep. She kept scrolling up and down her phone, not able to decide if she should call her sister or not. Claudie was the only one she could trust at such a time. Besides, she desperately needed someone to whom she could vent her anxiety and frustration. There was so much she wanted to say, to scream, to yell out. But just because she lived alone in this godforsaken city, she had no one to confide in. And it sucked. So much.

Noémie wasn't sure what time it was when she heard the doorbell ringing twice. With a curious frown carved upon her weary face, she lowered herself out of the bed and switched on the lights.

First of all, she checked the time.

The wall clock only displayed 4:18 in the morning.

Well, that was weird. Who could be outside her door so early in the morning? Was there some kind of emergency? The last time someone bothered her in the middle of the night was when a false fire alarm startled everyone. She really hoped it wasn't a false alarm once again. She was too exhausted to leave her bed so early at dawn.

The doorbell kept ringing.

After pulling her hair into a loose bun, Noémie rubbed her eyes and tightened the knot of her robe. She walked slowly. She felt so drained that she literally had to drag herself towards the door.

Whoever was outside her door had grown impatient by the minute. Instead of concern, annoyance scratched Noémie's pretty face.

Prepared to give the person outside a piece of her mind, she removed the latch and opened the door wide.

"What-" however, words barely dropped out of her mouth once her eyes settled on the man standing across from her.

Color drained from her face.

A jolt of surprise cascaded down her spine while a lump formed in her throat.

What was he doing here?

Donned in a crisp Armani suit was the brother of the man who ruined her life. The man who was responsible for the hurt she still nursed to date.

Noémie sucked in a sharp breath, her grip tightening around the knob of the door she held. "What-what are you doing here?"

Vincent Halest smiled, his gray eyes glistening sharply. "It's nice to see you, too, Noémie," she could trace the hint of sarcasm in his tone.

But his tone was nothing in front of the entire earthquake that now had started to turn inside her. If Vincent knew of her whereabouts, Ajax would know, too. Was he there as well?

Panicked, her eyes instantly darted to either side of the hallway.

It was empty.

She heard Vincent scoff out a chuckle. Her panicked eyes snapped back up at him. "How did you find out?"

"Good question," he hummed, pushing his hands deep into his pockets and leaning against the door frame. "Let's save it for later. For now, pack your bags and meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes," he said and turned around to leave.

Baffled and edgy, Noémie blurted out. "What if I say no?"

"You think you have a choice?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I?"

He chuckled humorlessly, catching her gaze once again. "Because you didn't leave him with many choices, either. You left, Noémie. You never gave him a chance to explain."

She swallowed. What did he mean by that? What was there to explain? His brother raped her. How could he defend him like that?

"Let's go now. He's waiting for you."

Pain shot through her chest, and her legs wobbled. Angry and hurt, Noémie turned around to pound the door in his face, but she barely summoned one step when darkness dawdled around the edges of her vision, and she stumbled to her feet.

"Noémie!" She heard Vincent shout. "Are you-?"

"I'm fine," she gritted the words through her teeth, taking support from the wall and rubbing her temples. Her head was hurting so loudly and painfully all of a sudden. She struggled to keep her sight clear. "Don't touch me."

But that was the last she heard of herself before the darkness creeping around consumed her completely, and her entire body crumpled onto the floor.