Chapter 17: The Crash
IT's SUNDAY afternoon and the rain starts pouring. A black Mercedes was parked in front of a building waiting for someone. The driver grew impatient and dialed the number. After the first ring, the driver heard a knock on his window.
He unlocks the passenger seat and lets her in. "Holy shit, Latton. What happened to you? Did you get mugged?" He asks with a concerned look on his face while staring at the bruise on her face and neck.
"No, I had a very steamy night," she says, her head lowered in embarrassment.
"Dad, can’t see me like this. I need to stay at your place for a while," she added while wiping the rainwater on her coat.
"Sure, but I think it will be a pretty good conversation if he sees it." He paused and giggled a bit.
"By the way, any chance of me meeting this guy you were sleeping with?" He asks as he starts driving.
"Not a chance. He has a girlfriend and I’m getting married soon." She says while looking outside the window with a gloomy aura.
Sensing the change in her mood, he changes the topic.
"You might catch a cold. Why don’t you remove your coat? There's a shirt on the back seat you could wear."
"I… I’m naked underneath," she says.
He accidentally stepped on the break upon hearing her and looked at her in disbelief. He was brought back to his senses when the car behind him started to honk at them in a rage.
He collected his thoughts and continued to drive.
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The next day
Lucian reports to the board meeting on what happened on his two-week-long business trip. He went to meet with the suppliers and was able to get a better deal with them.
While still in the meeting, his phone rings and it shows the name Kirby on his phone. He excuses himself and answers it. When he returns to the meeting, he announces that Kirby mentioned they won the Sierra Project and Mr. Ripley will personally meet him next week. Hearing this, everyone is in a good mood and they can expect another upward trend in the company’s stocks.
Mr. Ripley, the President of Ripley International, is the head of one of the most affluent families in the Tri-State area. Their fortune might not be as much as they used to have, but the Ripley’s have been rich since the 1900s.
Landing one of their projects is a huge deal.
After the meeting, his father walks towards him and pats his back, and says,"I’m really proud of you."
His simple words meant a lot to him since they’d been working to get this project for a long time.
Lucian was in a good mood. Not only did they win the Sierra Project, he also found a girl that let him unleash his ruthless sadistic side.
Deep down he wished he could keep the latter a bit longer.
He opens his phone, thinking about whether he should check on Sieve, but changes his mind. Instead, he opens a website where he adds a few items to the shopping cart and sends the items to his house.
After placing the order, he receives a call from Charmel saying that Malena got into an accident and they need his help.
He immediately drove to the Hospital and from there learned that she had been in a car crash. She was fine but she was shaken. However, the taxi driver of the other car was badly injured.
From the reports, Malena is driving while Charmel is in the passenger seat when she runs at a red light and collides with the taxi.
The taxi driver's family is seeking justice and emphasizing they are not at fault.
When Malena saw Lucian she cried hysterically and explained that she did not notice the red light when she crossed the intersection.
Fortunately, she did not get injured and only received a few bruises.
"I don’t want to go to jail, Babe!" She says while holding the collar of his shirt. He consoled her immediately and promised that he'd do his best to fix it.
After that, he talked to Charmel and advised her to take care of Malena while he was dealing with the police and the driver’s family.