Chapter 8 The Final Stroke Of The Axe

• He was deep in thought as he climbed off the taxi, planning and arranging his next line of action. He knew that his enemies were determined to put him down and keep him there. With all that had happened, it was clear that this was no warning or a dry run either. Whew! What a tough life.
• Absentmindedly, he pushed the gate so he could get in, but to his surprise it didn't budge. Woah. He didn't remember locking it, so what was the problem? With a quick sweep of the eye, he found what the problem was: he had been evicted.
• "Huh?", Leo gasped as he went closer to read the notice pasted on the gate. What on Earth was all this? Surely, this had to be against some laws? He had rights, didn't he??
• He looked around to see if he could find anybody who could give the slightest clue as to who had pasted the notice and locked the gate, but the entire place was quiet. Christ! This was the biggest blow yet. Where would he live? From a billionaire to a homeless beggar, in less than 24 hours?
• Confused, confounded and feeling lost, Leo ran his hands through his hair and exhaled deeply. The weather was cold and the sun was still struggling to come up. The chill bit into his skin now more than ever. Bad news had a way of making someone feel frozen. His life was ending right before his eyes and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it! He had to find somewhere to go. There was no other option than to return to where he had just come from. And he would have to trek; he was now officially penniless!
• When, after almost two hours of hard and fast walking Leo arrived at the coffee shop, his greatest fear was that Mara might have closed early and gone home. Since he was no longer in the office, there was a probability that she would have little or nothing to do and might have been allowed to go home early. Not that there was ever much for her to do anyway. The position she occupied was mostly created by him for the purpose of giving a chance to people who needed jobs. And now that he was no longer there, with Marks' and his wife's hatred of her, it would be no easy task for her to remain employed.
• Exhausted and thirsty, Leo sank into a chair at the shop, ready for a long wait. There was absolutely no way to find out if Mara was still in the building. But if she was, he would surely see her walk out at her closing time.
• One, two, three hours passed, but Leo sat patiently waiting. There was nothing else he could do. Even to keep up appearances at the coffee shop was beyond him now, but fortunately, he attracted no unnecessary attention. His eyes on the company building, he focused so hard that more than once, he fancied seeing Mara come out, but it didn't take long to find out that it was only his imagination.
• Eventually, Mara came out, with her baby in her arms and Leo breathed a huge sigh of relief. Instantly, he was up on his feet, but Mara was already looking in his direction and had noticed his presence there. She was already making her way across the road to meet him. Leo sat back down, wondering if she was coming out of concern or if there was a serious change at the office.
• "I... I thought you were gone, sir," she said as she reached the shop, "or is there a problem?"
• But Leo didn't answer. Instead, he smiled in genuine delight at the sight of the baby. Mara didn't hesitate to hand little Leo over to him and both friends met each other again. He was the only one who could make the child laugh so easily and in a matter of seconds, little Leo was kicking with heavy laughter.
• Mara just sat watching them, wishing not for the first time that Leo was the baby's father. Wouldn't he make one wonderful, loving and protective father? But it wasn't too late either. If only she could be his... Well, she just had to get such crazy thoughts out of her head. For all she knew, everything would turn out alright and he would reunite with his wife. God knows she wanted the best for him. Who deserved it more than he did?
• "I got the last stroke of the axe," Leo suddenly sighed, taking a break from playing with the baby.
• "Uh?", Mara gasped, surprised and apprehensive about the full meaning of his words. "What happened?", she whispered softly.
• "Well, I got evicted."
• "By who? But it's your house!", Mara couldn't help but scream. She just could not understand all this.
• "Yes, or at least so I thought," Leo exhaled sadly. It wrung Mara's heart to see him look so downcast and hopeless. He who was her protector and pillar, why was this happening to him? Unfortunately, she was just as helpless as he was.
• "But... have you called someone to find out what exactly is going on?", she asked.
• "They took everything, including my phone," Leo said, shaking his head. "They're certainly out to destroy me completely. I won't be surprised if they come after my life next."
• "They can't."
• The confidence and sharpness in her voice as she said those two words surprised even her and Leo couldn't help but turn to look at her. She dropped her eyes immediately to avoid his gaze.
• "Thanks so much for your concern, Mara," he said with genuine gratitude in his voice. "But I wish you could help me just a little bit more. Can... can I squat with you for a little while until I find my feet?"
• "I'll be elated, sir," Mara smiled, forgetting herself for a brief moment there, but when she met his eyes, she quickly recovered herself and looked down again.
• "Thank you very much. I really do appreciate it."
• Then they both relapsed into silence. Leo was wondering how to broach the topic of transportation because he had absolutely nothing in his pockets by way of money. He would have to depend on her generosity in that area too. But how would he ask for such a favor? It seemed quite a shame for a grown man to not be able to afford his own transportation.
• Mara, on the other hand, was wondering who would need to make the first move to leave the coffee shop. Out of respect for her boss, she felt it would be rude to just get up and leave even though she knew they had come to the end of their discussion. She was also worried that he might not have any money to get a cab on his own, but how would she offer to help him with that? He was a billionaire CEO and she was still the girl he had saved not many months ago. Wouldn't he feel insulted if she were to offer to pay for his transportation? She knew so little of the world and how such things were done and she was scared of embarrassing her boss or coming across as mocking him in his predicament.
• Minutes rolled by until it became clear that Mara herself would have to take matters into her own hands. Leo could certainly play with the baby all day if given the chance and Mara was feeling so hungry. She was forced to overcome her fear and take action immediately.
• "Sir, should we... should we leave?"
• "Oh of course, of course. I'm sorry, I've taken so much of your time already," Leo apologized, handing her the baby. But Mara refused.
• "Let's all go together since we're heading to the same place," she said instead and quickly got up to hail a taxi.
• Ha! Saved by the girl again. Leo couldn't help but feel so much gratitude to her for her for her maturity and discretion. For crying out loud, she was way smarter than her age! And caring too. If only he had married someone like her...