Justice Unveiling

Chapter Eleven (A timely rescue)

Alex's heart raced like a runaway train as she swiftly gathered her things, her eyes fixed on the door like a lifeline. She had to get out, and fast. Julian's face had turned red with rage as he realized she had recorded their conversation, and she knew he would stop at nothing to silence her. The veins in his neck bulged like snakes, and his eyes blazed with a ferocity that made her skin crawl.

Just as she reached the door, it slammed shut like a trap, trapping her. Julian's menacing laugh echoed through the room, a cold, mirthless sound that sent shivers down her spine. Alex knew she was in grave danger, like a prey cornered by a predator. She frantically yanked at the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. Julian's footsteps echoed behind her, heavy and deliberate, like a death sentence.

But just as suddenly, the door burst open like a dam breaking, and Maya, her colleague from the marketing department, rushed in like a guardian angel. "Alex, come on!" she urged, her eyes wide with fear, her voice trembling like a leaf. "We have to get out of here, now!"

Alex didn't hesitate. She sprinted towards Maya like a runner crossing the finish line, her heels clicking on the marble floor like a ticking time bomb. Julian's shouts echoed behind her, a cacophony of rage and frustration, but she didn't dare look back. She knew he was closing in, like a noose tightening around her neck.

As they reached the stairwell, Maya pushed Alex ahead like a protective shield, her breathing heavy and labored. "Keep going, Alex! Don't stop!" she urged, her voice a mantra of encouragement.

Alex thundered down the stairs like a wild animal, her heart pounding in her chest like a jackhammer. She could hear Julian's footsteps behind her, heavy and relentless, like a drumbeat of doom. But Maya was right behind her, her presence a comforting shield, a beacon of hope in a desperate situation.

They reached the ground floor, and Maya yanked open the door like a liberator, revealing a sleek black car waiting at the curb like a getaway vehicle. "Get in, get in!" Maya urged, pushing Alex towards the passenger seat like a gentle guardian.

Alex didn't need further encouragement. She dove into the car like a refugee seeking asylum, her bag clutched tightly in her hand like a lifeline. Maya followed, slamming the door shut behind her like a prison gate closing.

The driver, a stern-looking woman with a buzz cut, nodded at Maya like a co-conspirator. "Go," she said, her voice firm and authoritative.

The car screeched away from the curb like a bullet, leaving Julian's enraged shouts and the Nova Branding building behind like a bad dream. Alex collapsed back into her seat, her chest heaving with relief, her heart still racing like a marathon runner.

Maya turned to her, her eyes shining with tears like a repentant sinner. "I'm so sorry, Alex," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've been wanting to help you for so long, but I was too afraid of Julian. I was trapped in my own fear, like a prisoner in my own mind."

Alex's expression softened, her voice filled with gratitude like a warm embrace. "You're here now, Maya," she said, her words a balm to Maya's guilty conscience. "That's all that matters. We're in this together, like sisters in a sorority of survival."

As the car sped through the city streets like a runaway train, Alex knew she had found an unexpected ally in Maya, a colleague turned guardian angel. And together, they would bring Julian and Nova Branding to justice, like a reckoning at the gates of hell.