Chapter 54
“Ms. Jenner, calm down.” Josiah kept a cautious distance from her. “I’m sending you home.”
Cordelia glanced outside the window, her eyes narrowing. This was not the way to her home!
In truth, Josiah was aware of Michael and Jesse’s conspiracy. The car had only just left the hotel, and he was deliberately taking a longer route. He had to act as though he was taking her home, keeping up the pretense for their sake.
But Cordelia was oblivious to this. She grew even more alert, her body tensing as she felt a rising sense of unease. She had already unhooked her bag strap and gripped it tightly, preparing herself. Her mind raced with thoughts of how to defend herself. There were three people in this confined space: the driver and two strong men, Josiah and himself. A direct confrontation was out of the question.
She was positioned behind the driver, which worked to her advantage. Her eyes were locked on Josiah, watching every movement closely, hoping to find any opportunity to escape.
…
Meanwhile, Marcus was stepping out of a club, his phone buzzing repeatedly in his pocket. Robert, standing by his side, spoke in a hushed voice, “I need to head back to Centrolis quickly, sir. So Sir Matthew doesn’t suspect anything. As for you…”
“Go ahead,” Marcus interrupted, narrowing his eyes. “Pretend nothing happened.”
Robert nodded, scanning his surroundings with caution before slipping away into the night.
Marcus pulled out the document Robert had shown him earlier, tearing it into pieces and tossing it into a nearby trash can. The files, linked to problematic accounts within the Hamerton Group under Matthew’s control, had to be destroyed without a trace.
Marcus took a deep breath. He was about to head home when his phone vibrated again. He pulled it out, checking the incoming texts. The first message was from an unsaved number, signed by Annie. He skimmed through, recognizing it as Cordelia’s coworker. The following texts were from Cordelia herself.
His face darkened as he saw the situation unfold in the texts, an icy glint flashing in his eyes. Without wasting a moment, he activated the location-tracking feature and began searching for Cordelia.
…
“Ms. Jenner, you really don’t have to be afraid! I’m not a bad guy!” Josiah waved his hands in an exaggerated motion, flustered. He understood how tense the situation was, and he didn’t want to make things worse.
But Cordelia was looking at him with distrust, her expression defensive, as though she were bracing for an attack.
“Don’t come over!” Cordelia shouted, her voice sharp.
Josiah froze, surprised by her sudden outburst. He didn’t want to approach her. In fact, it was Cordelia who seemed to be clinging to the door for dear life. If Z were around, Josiah couldn’t even imagine the consequences of Cordelia’s warning. Josiah quickly tried to defuse the situation.
“Ms. Jenner, calm down,” he stammered, forcing a smile. “I wouldn’t dare come any closer. Please, just move over a bit. I’ll stick to the car door, okay? It’s not safe for you…”
He turned to the driver, growling, “Drive slower!”
The driver, caught off guard, pressed the accelerator by accident. The car jerked forward, its speed suddenly picking up. Cordelia, losing her balance, toppled right onto Josiah.
Josiah’s eyes widened in panic. “Ah! I didn’t touch you! I swear, I’m not touching you! Don’t—don’t make things up when you see him!”
The shock made Cordelia even more alert, and her mind raced. Josiah Bayer’s reputation, as she’d read, was well-known—an heir with a reputation for womanizing, plenty of affairs from Centrolis to Feranche. His promiscuous past was notorious, and Cordelia realized this was all part of his manipulation.
When Josiah told the driver to slow down, it was clear it was a signal to drive faster.
“Move away!” Cordelia pushed him off, fury in her eyes. “Josiah Bayer, if you touch me again, I’ll die with you!”
Her sudden aggression took Josiah by surprise, and he shrank back, fear in his eyes. He didn’t dare to make a sound, retreating as far from her as possible, trying to give her the space she demanded.
But just when Josiah thought the worst had passed, Cordelia sprang to her feet…