Chapter 16 The Breakdown Of The Elevator

• Yasmin resented being stuck in a confined space like the inside of an elevator. She felt oppressive every time she was in one. Being in the elevator together with Lionel just made the experience worse.
• Lionel was standing in the corner of the elevator. To stay as far away from him as possible, Yasmin chose another corner that was diagonal to Lionel’s.
• Throughout the entire process, Yasmin kept her head bowed low. She did not notice that Lionel was watching her reflection on the mirror-like wall of the elevator.
• She was wearing a crisp white shirt together with a black knee-length dress as well as a beige-colored coat that day. Her long black hair was let loose as it cascaded over her shoulder. Although it was a simple style, it perfectly accentuated her youthful and refreshing look, making her look like a campus belle. She got a new pair of spectacles after her old one was snatched away by Lionel last time. However, she was so used to the old one that she found wearing the new one uncomfortable. Eventually, she decided to stop wearing it for good.
• From where he stood, Lionel had an unobstructed view of her long and curly eyelashes, her beautiful pointy nose, her full and luscious lips as well as her eyes which would curl up whenever she smiled. Countless times had that gorgeous face of hers appeared in his dreams...
• Being a vigilant person, Yasmin could actually sense that Lionel was staring at her. She could also sense how differently he had been treating her ever since they met each other on that fateful night. Yet, she could not and did not want to read too much into it.
• No one interrupted their journey from the other floors of the building; it was likely because of the fact that it was still early. Feeling antsy, Yasmin had the pressing urge to run away from the elevator, away from Lionel.
• Finally, the elevator came to a halt. Just as Yasmin was readying herself to dash out of the elevator, she felt a strong grip on her arms. Much taken aback by it, she tried hard to wriggle her arm free. “Let me go!”
• Her voice was still echoing inside the elevator when the elevator jerked all of a sudden. Without a warning, the elevator started free-falling at a rapid speed, the lights going off at the same time.
• Argh! Amidst the darkness, Yasmin let out a squeal in terror. She was seized by a spasm of fear so intense that her heart was thumping so fast as if it was going to jump out of her ribcage soon.
• “Don’t be afraid! Press your back against the wall and crouch down!” Lionel drew Yasmin toward his embrace as he gave this instruction to her in an urgent tone.
• Unable to think logically at the moment, Yasmin instinctively followed his instruction. She was traumatized because she had experienced the same thing six years ago. At that moment, she couldn’t help but think of the people who were reported by the news to have been killed by such accidents. If Lionel were not with her, she had no idea how badly she would freak out.
• She was rather afraid of death. She could not afford to die because she had to look after her mother.
• Fortunately, the elevator only descended for around two to three floors before it came to an abrupt halt. The emergency light fixed on the ceiling flickered several times before it went off. Yasmin was so shaken that she went weak at the knees. Feeling breathless with her throat parched, Yasmin was so shaken that her heart was pounding at a crazy rate.
• “Are you alright?” Lionel’s slightly husky voice was tinged with concern.
• Yasmin nodded. Realizing that Lionel was unable to see her movements in the darkness, she answered him in a soft voice, “I’m alright!”
• “Do you have your phone with you?” Lionel asked after a long beat. “May I borrow it to make a phone call?”
• “Sure!” Yasmin did not overthink his request because her mind was still pretty much blank. She fished her phone out from her bag and unlocked it before she handed it to Lionel.
• Under the dim lighting provided by the screen of her phone, Yasmin saw Lionel making a phone call. Someone on the other end, who sounded apprehensive, frantically promised to come to their aid as soon as possible.
• After the phone call, Lionel did not return the phone to Yasmin right away. Instead, he typed out a string of numbers and dialed it before Lionel’s phone started ringing in one of his trouser pockets. He went on to press a few buttons on Yasmin’s phone before passing it back to her.
• “I’ve saved my number in your contact list,” Lionel uttered while staring right into her eyes.
• Staring at Lionel’s name that was in the contact list of her phone, Yasmin was puzzled. “W-Why did you do that?”
• He borrowed my phone to make that call even though he had his phone with him just now. Did he do that just to have my number?
• Yasmin knew that she was a pretty girl, judging from the fact that she had always been highly sought after by men ever since she was little. Yet, she did not have the confidence to think that even Lionel Holloway, a globally renowned eligible bachelor would also fall in love with her at first sight.
• Just then, Yasmin finally noticed that she was actually in Lionel’s arms.
• All at once, she felt a burning sensation on her cheeks out of embarrassment. She tried to shove him away but ended up being frustrated because she was not strong enough to do so. Seeing as such, she began to exert more force on his chest.
• Just then, the elevator shuddered again. The movement was more vigorous this time, but the elevator did not fall any further. Yasmin, who lost her balance, instinctively clasped at Lionel’s shirt tightly to keep herself stable.
• The elevator trembled for some time before it slowly started climbing its way up. Yasmin held her breath so that she would be mentally ready, just in case the elevator was to start another round of free fall.
• From the moment Lionel returned her phone to her, everything happened within the blink of an eye. Yasmin remained uptight and tense even after the elevator had returned to its normal operation. Having taken some time to sort out her thoughts, she made up her mind to confront Lionel on his purpose of approaching her.
• When Yasmin held her head up to look at him, Lionel lowered his head to do the same too. Just like that, their lips were pressed against each other; none of them could have seen it coming.
• The emergency light atop flickered at that moment. With the help of the feeble light emitted from it, Yasmin widened her eyes with shock as she gaped at the man who was standing so close to her that she could literally feel his breath. Her mind went blank at the moment.
• How did things end up like this?
• After some time, Yasmin’s mind was finally pulled back to reality. She frantically shoved Lionel away as she turned her head to avoid his lips.
• To her horror, Lionel seized the back of her head to stop her from moving away. He then pushed her back against the wall of the elevator so that he could exert more pressure on her lips. As the kiss grew intense, he started getting breathless.
• “Hmm...” Meanwhile, Yasmin was glaring at him so hard that she felt as though her eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets soon. She mustered every ounce of her strength trying to push him away, her eyes laden with fear and accusation. What exactly is he trying to do?
• Just as Lionel was trying hard to work his tongue into Yasmin’s mouth, the elevator finally came to a stop. Judging from the clamorous voices that resounded outside, the technicians were here to their rescue.
• With a ding, someone pried the elevator doors open to a slit. “Mr. Holloway, are you okay?” the man yelled.
• Upon hearing the voice, Yasmin felt that her heart was thumping so fast that it had reached her throat. She gave up on struggling and instead, she tried to beg for Lionel’s mercy by giving him a look of imploration. There was no way that she could allow anyone to see what she was doing with him at the moment. She already became the common enemy of all female employees of the company after Lionel had taken her spectacles away. If she were seen to be smooching him in the elevator, she would be forced to leave the company.
• She was the one bearing the brunt of it even though Lionel was the one who had forced the kiss onto her!