Chapter 11: “Mr. Kowalski, Save Me!”
Michael was in the underground garage. The moment he opened the car door, a figure swiftly slid inside and straddled his lap in a brazen manner. She then locked the door with her hand behind her back.
In the black Maybach, the two sat so close that they could feel each other’s breath.
Jennifer’s fingertips circled his neck and her heel hooked around his ankle.
“Mr. Kowalski, please save me.”
“Someone’s trying to kill me.”
She was playing a spy game.
Dressed head-to-toe in black leather — jacket, boots, mask — she looked like she’d stepped out of a thriller.
Only her black stockings broke the illusion.
He couldn’t help but imagine her stocking-clad legs rubbing against his suit pants.
Michael recalled the black collar still tucked in his drawer, his expression darkening further.
“Mr. Kowalski.”
Jennifer cooed, using the seatbelt to restrain Michael.
She’d waited nearly three hours for him — and rehearsed every beat — which was why she moved with such smooth, unnerving confidence.
“Do you know who wants me dead?”
“It’s Miss Rossi.”
“Do you know she once had someone killed?”
Though Jennifer didn’t understand why they’d married, Maria’s connection to a death was a major issue.
Sure enough, Michael’s expression finally shifted. Jennifer was satisfied with this reaction.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the hospital, Maria had just finished speaking with the police.
Negotiating with the officers hadn’t been easy for Maria.
She emerged from the corner, still visibly panicked.
Amanda found her state odd and said, “Maria, you seem tense. Was it that call? Who was it?”
“No… I’m just worried about Mum’s surgery.”
“Oh, okay.”
Amanda didn’t suspect a thing, and she missed the venomous, sinister glance Maria shot her way.
“Amanda, you mentioned wanting to work on a project with me last time. Now there’s an opportunity. Just do as I say in a moment…”
Amanda had always trusted her cousin implicitly.
She could never have imagined that, just moments ago, Maria had been preparing to push her into an abyss to protect herself.
Downstairs, in the car.
Jennifer said, “Maria hired thugs before. They gang-raped other women until they were crippled. Now she wants to use the same method on me.”
“Did you know? I hid behind the fridge, scared. I almost…”
“I almost didn’t get to save my first time for you…”
Jennifer rested her head on Michael’s shoulder and tightened the ties in her hands, binding him even tighter.
Finally, Michael spoke in a low voice.
“So this is why you’ve been haunting me?”
She didn’t answer, but continued to speak to herself.
James was there, too. He was the one who called the police.
Jennifer began fiddling with his tie again, her fingers slowly twisting around it.
Deep down, she knew that if Michael resisted even slightly, she wouldn’t get in the car today.
Yet he didn’t move, as if waiting to see what outrageous thing she might do next.
Or perhaps he simply didn’t care.
Sensing his calmness, Jennifer suddenly felt mischievous.
In her usual cool, innocent tone, she blinked her large eyes and asked,
“But why did Miss Rossi suddenly hate me so much?”
“Could it be because you moaned my name while you were touching her?”
“Jennifer.”
This was the first time he’d shown such impatience in her presence.
“You seem too confident.”
The next second, he unlocked the car door, ready to push her out.
But just then, a flash of white light suddenly illuminated the basement.
Not far away, Maria was walking toward his car with her phone flashlight in hand.
Whether Michael softened in that moment was unclear.
Remembering the girl Maria had brutally injured, he didn’t push Jennifer out.
Instead, he abruptly slammed her head down and shoved her under the car seat.
Jennifer was stunned.
Her hair was yanked painfully; the sharp tug nearly brought tears to her eyes.
Just as she was about to scream, she heard Maria’s voice from outside the window.
“Michael, the security chief at the entrance said your car arrived. Why haven’t you come up?”
Recognizing Maria’s voice, Jennifer immediately fell silent.
“Something came up.”
Michael remained calm. His window was only cracked open a sliver, so Maria couldn’t see the young girl crouched between his legs from this angle.
Maria, likely still shaken from the police visit earlier, wasn’t as observant as usual.
She didn’t suspect a thing.
“Mom’s surgery should be almost done. Shall we go up together now?”
“You go ahead. I’ll have a smoke.”
Maria thought for a moment, then agreed.
After Maria left, Michael rolled up the window. Jennifer lifted her head from beneath the car seat.
Now, only Michael and Jennifer remained in the car.
Jennifer didn’t rush to get up.
Her beautiful, long hair was slightly disheveled, complementing her innocent yet seductive face.
The messy strands added an air of ambiguity, as if she had just done something illicit for him.
Sensing the suggestive atmosphere in the car, she feigned shamelessness, deliberately licking her lips like a kitten caught stealing milk.
Michael’s expression turned stern.
“Get up!”
Jennifer paid no heed to his anger. She pulled a small black square from beneath the seat.
“I found a fun gadget in your car.”
“Miss Rossi lied. She planted a tracking device in your car just now.”
“See!”
What would be most unbearable for a successful, sharp man like Michael?
Being watched and controlled.
Especially a tracking device.
It felt like crossing his absolute line—something he couldn’t tolerate.
Jennifer had targeted his weakness. She dangled the tracker in her hand like a kitten begging its owner for a treat.
“Mr. Kowalski, I found this for you. Will you reward me? Give me a kiss or pet my head.”
He watched her small, delicate head beside his car seat. Her hair was fluffy on top, and she truly resembled a little pet fawning over its owner.
But he knew Jennifer wasn’t that docile.
So, even though his heart fluttered, it was only for a moment.
He made no further advances, and that was that.
He kicked Jennifer out of the car.
She showed no sign of discouragement. Instead, she stood outside the car and waved at him.
“I’ll come find you again.”
He could never truly shake her off.
For example, after retrieving the tracking device from under the seat, she casually planted something else in his car.
Given Maria’s wariness toward other women, she was certain those items would be discovered sooner or later.
When that day came, could their engagement endure?