All too late for his love

The man with Nelson was Otis Cooper, the president of Freemont Holdings.

Intrigued by Nelson's story, Otis pressed, "And then what happened to the woman? Did the firemen get her out in time?"

A heavy sigh escaped Nelson.

"The firemen hadn't gotten to her when I passed by. I heard she could have escaped if her bedroom door hadn't been locked."

Otis was about to say something when his phone rang.

He hurriedly put the call through and demanded, "Alfred! How are things at Bordello? I've been following the news. Has the woman been rescued?

"What? She wasn't? She died in the fire? Oh, dear. I figured it was unlikely that she would make it out alive.

He sighed.

"Burned to a crisp, you say? How horrible!"

Overhearing Otis' phone conversation, Zayn couldn't help thinking about his call with Willow earlier.

She had told him she was going to die. She even bade him farewell.

Willow's abrupt goodbye and the fire that broke out in an apartment in Bordello, where she lived, were too coincidental for comfort.

Zayn didn't want to believe that Willow might have been a victim of the fire, but his heart tightened so much that breathing became difficult.

He took out his phone and called Willow, but all his attempts were met by the mechanical female voice that told him to leave a message after the beep.

"The person you called is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep," the monotonous female voice said again.

"Nelson, did that woman really die in the fire?" Otis demanded incredulously.

Nelson nodded.

"Yes! Alfred just told me the details. She was practically burned to a crisp! What a horrible death.

*Then again, she was trapped in the burning building for a long time. It's no surprise she was burned beyond recognition."

Nelson and Otis were still talking.

At that point, Zayn's panic had gotten the better of him.

He marched up to the two men and grabbed Nelson by the collar, growling, "Where did you say the fire broke out? Tell me!"

Nelson had been partaking in the festivities of Zayn's engagement ceremony, and he did not appreciate being suddenly manhandled by the host himself.

Although upset at the rough treatment, Nelson's fear of Zayn kept his temper in check as he replied cautiously, "Mr. Carter, the fire broke out at... Bordello."

"Which apartment unit?"

Zayn seethed.

"I think... it was an apartment in the eighth block," Nelson said hesitantly.Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

Zayn staggered backward as his eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he looked like he might collapse.

He asked shakily, "What's the apartment number?"

Kenan thought Zayn was behaving oddly at first, but when he heard the questions the latter asked Nelson, the bad feeling in his gut somehow worsened.

Willow lived in Bordello and hadn't been picking up any of Kenan's calls.

When Nelson did not answer, Kenan roared, "Which unit caught fire? Answer me!"

Nelson had no idea why he was being hounded on by two big shats like Nelson and Renan. He became so scared that his mind went blank.

It took him a while to find his voice again.

"I don't know which unit it was. All I know is that... the fire broke out on the sixth floor!"

Zayn felt his heart drop to his stomach before'it shattered into a million pieces, He was sure no one and nothing could ever put it back together again.

Willow's apartment was on the sixth floor.