Once A Servant, Now A Legend

Chapter Five (Part 2)

Jeff waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it. Anyone in your position would have reacted the same.” 

The simplicity of his tone, the calm in his eyes, made her feel smaller somehow, like she had thrown stones at someone who had only ever tried to help. 

Her gaze dropped to her hands. “Still, thank you. For saving me.”

He didn’t answer immediately. For a moment, his expression softened. “You’re welcome,” he said at last.

He stood, reaching for his jacket. “You should rest. I’ll have someone bring food and clothes.” 

She hesitated, fingers gripping the blanket. “Wait,” she called as he reached the door. “I never asked your name properly.” 

He paused, half-glancing back. “Jeff,” he said simply. “Just Jeff.” “And you?” 

She gave a small, uncertain smile. “Lena.” Jeff nodded once. 

“Rest, Lena.” He stepped out quietly, closing the door behind him.

For a long time, Lena sat there, the silence pressing softly against her ears. 

The faint scent of antiseptic still lingered in the air, mingled with the clean trace of rain through the open window. 

Her pulse was steady now, but her mind wasn’t. She looked down at the faint marks on her skin, reminders of how close she’d come to dying, and how a stranger had pulled her back.

When Jeff re-entered the room, Lena was still sitting by the window, watching the rain streak down the glass. 

She looked up as he closed the door. “Everything all right?” she asked quietly. 

He forced a faint, steady nod. “It will be.” 

The faint hum of the hotel’s air conditioner filled the silence. 

Lena, now changed into fresh clothes Ray had brought, looked at him with a quiet steadiness that hinted at a hidden refinement.

“You said yesterday you had nowhere to go,” he said, his voice calm but curious. “But you don’t look like someone who’s been wandering the streets.” 

Lena froze, the faintest shadow crossing her expression. “Looks can lie,” she murmured. 

Jeff didn’t respond, waiting. She let out a long breath, shoulders slumping as if the weight of the past were pressing down again.

“You’re right,” she admitted softly. “I wasn’t always like this. I used to be the CEO of Xeus Technologies. We were preparing to go public last year, everything in place. But just before the IPO date, everything fell apart. The listing was suddenly delayed. The investors panicked, pulled their funds, and within days, the company I’d built from nothing collapsed. I lost everything.”

Jeff’s stomach turned cold. Xeus Technologies. He remembered it clearly; it had been one of the companies queued for the Nasdaq fast-track program, but his own directive had pushed Genevieve’s company, Auris Technologies, to the front. 

He now understood the connection. The guilt flickered in his eyes, quickly masked. 

All this time, he had thought he was helping Genevieve, but his actions had crushed someone else underfoot. Someone innocent. And that someone was sitting just a few feet away, looking at him with cautious gratitude.

Lena hesitated. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I shouldn’t have said anything.” 

Jeff shook his head. “You didn’t. You just told the truth. The trouble was mine long before you came along.” 

Her lips parted slightly in surprise. For a man whose presence filled the room with such quiet authority, his voice was unexpectedly gentle now.

Outside, Jeff lingered in the hallway for a moment, hands in his pockets. 

He drew a slow breath, the weight of exhaustion settling in. 

As he did, Ray approached, his phone in hand, looking tense. “Sir,” Ray began, but Jeff’s tone cut him off, low, sharp, and controlled.

“Remind me,” he said, “how exactly did we ‘smooth’ the path for Auris Technologies’ listing last quarter?” 

Ray hesitated. “Sir, we… We expedited their application. We made sure no other firms interfered with their review schedule.” 

Jeff’s eyes hardened. “How?” Ray swallowed. “Some of the others were persuaded to withdraw their filings. It was standard procedure in these circles. The team thought it would be cleaner if Auris had no competition in the VIP lane.”

The air thickened. Jeff took a step closer, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. “You persuaded them? Do you have any idea what that means in practice? You didn’t expedite her listing, you destroyed someone else’s future.” 

Ray’s face turned ashen. “Sir, I.” 

“Enough,” Jeff snapped, his control slipping for a heartbeat before he caught himself. 

He exhaled slowly, then said in a deadly calm tone, “You’ll restore every file you pulled. Every record you buried, unearth it. And if a single company suffered loss because of our interference, you’ll compensate them in full.” 

Ray nodded quickly, eyes wide. “Yes, sir. I’ll handle it immediately.” 

Jeff’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer, unreadable, then he turned back toward the room. “Make it clean, Ray. No traces.” 

“Yes, sir.”

.

He drew in a breath, glancing toward the window. “I have a place nearby,” he said finally. “It’s empty, but it’s safe. You can stay there until you decide what to do next.” 

Lena blinked. “That’s kind of you, but unnecessary. You’ve already done enough.” 

Jeff’s tone left no room for debate. “You’re injured and recovering. You can’t wander around in this condition. The house isn’t being used, it would be wasted sitting empty.” 

Her brow furrowed, suspicion flickering. “Why are you doing this?” 

“Because I can,” he said simply. “And because I should.”

She hesitated, torn between pride and exhaustion. “Mr. Benson, we’re strangers. You don’t owe me anything.” 

He met her gaze steadily. “Maybe not. But letting someone who nearly died last night go back onto the streets, that would make me less than human.” 

The words carried quiet conviction. Still, Lena bit her lip. “You don’t even know me.” 

Jeff’s expression softened just enough to hint at something unspoken. “Maybe not yet.”

He reached for his jacket. “Come on. I’ll take you there myself.” 

“Wait, what?” 

“Standing here arguing won’t change my mind,” he said over his shoulder. “You can refuse after you’ve seen the place.” 

The decisiveness in his tone left her momentarily speechless. 

As he opened the door, the doctor, who had returned to the hallway, smiled kindly at Lena. “Miss, your wounds are healing well. It’s best to rest somewhere quiet. You should go.” 

Lena looked between them, the man who had saved her life, scolded his subordinates like a king disciplining his court, and now offered her a home she hadn’t asked for. 

Her world had been one of broken promises and lost dignity. Yet, for some reason, when Jeff Benson spoke, the ground beneath her felt steady again. 

She drew in a slow breath and nodded. “All right. I’ll go.” 

Jeff paused, his hand on the doorknob, and glanced back at her. 

For the first time that morning, a faint, fleeting smile touched his lips. “Good,” he said. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”