Chapter 27 Where Is He?
Elodie's POV
Rod vaguely denied. "No, I just... happened to be passing by."
His guilty look made me even more certain of my suspicion.
I suppressed my anger and changed the question, "Where did he go? What happened?"
"The boss is dealing with some very important matters." Rod refused to say another word.
The car fell silent again. I watched the rapidly retreating street scenes outside the window, my mind in chaos.
That night, I had a nightmare.
I dreamed that Nelson was lying in a pile of ruins, covered in blood. Those blue eyes had lost all their light, staring at me lifelessly.
No matter how much I called his name, he never responded.
"Nelson!"
I woke up from the dream with my heart pounding wildly, cold sweat soaking through my pajamas.
The room was pitch dark, with only the city's neon lights filtering in through the window, casting a cold and surreal glow on my face.
The scene in the dream was too real. That sense of desperation close to death still gripped my heart tightly, making it hard to breathe.
I couldn't stay calm anymore. I grabbed my phone and with trembling hands dialed that number I knew by heart.
The phone rang for a long time. Just when I thought no one would answer and was about to hang up, someone finally picked up.
I was about to speak when what came through the receiver was a lazy, somewhat seductive female voice.
"Hello? It's so late, what do you need Nelson for?"
It was Vivian.
My blood froze instantly, my whole body turning cold.
"Sorry, he can't come to the phone right now," Vivian said with a little laugh. "He's in the shower. If it's nothing urgent, I can have him call you back when he gets out?"
With a boom, my mind went blank.
I don't even remember how I hung up the phone. The phone slipped from my powerless hand and hit the carpet heavily with a dull thud.
So this was what his so-called business trip was—being with Vivian.
He said they had settled their accounts long ago. He said she faked medical records, that it was all an act.
But now, they were together!
I was too naive to believe a liar's nonsense.
Overwhelming humiliation and heartache flooded over me like a tide. I hugged my knees and buried my face deep in them, but couldn't shed a single tear.
The next day I came downstairs with huge dark circles under my eyes, completely out of it.
Graham put breakfast in front of me, frowning as he looked me over. "Miss Elodie, you look terrible. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
I shook my head and ate the food on my plate without tasting it.
On the way to school, Rod was driving again. He looked at me several times through the rearview mirror and finally couldn't help but ask with concern, "Miss Elodie, are you... okay? You look really out of it."
I didn't answer his question. Instead, I raised my head and stared hard at his eyes through the rearview mirror.
"Rod, where exactly is Nelson?"
Rod opened his mouth, seeming to want to brush it off with his previous excuse.
But I didn't give him that chance and questioned again, "Don't tell me again that he's dealing with important matters. Tell me, where is he!"
My determination and the anger in my tone made Rod's honest face freeze.
"Miss Elodie, did you... find out something?"
My silence was like a huge stone, pressing heavily in the cramped space of the car.
Rod quickly glanced at me through the rearview mirror. For the first time, guilt and panic appeared on his honest face. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel as he tried to continue evading, "Miss Elodie, the boss, he..."
"Is he with Vivian?" I interrupted him.
This question was like a needle, precisely puncturing his pretended composure.
Rod's eyes instantly became evasive, his lips moving but unable to say a word.
His reaction had already given me the answer.
So it was true.
That phone call, that woman's smug showing off—none of it was my imagination.
Nelson, no, Lorenzo—he was a complete and utter liar.
My chest felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it almost impossible to breathe.
I turned my head to look out the window, not wanting him to see my current disheveled state.
Rod's tone softened. "Miss Elodie, it's not what you think. The boss, he..."
Just as he was about to spill something important, his phone started buzzing frantically in his pocket.
Rod's face darkened. He snatched up the call immediately. He didn't say a word, just listened, but his expression grew increasingly grim.
A few seconds later, he responded with a low "Got it" and hung up.
The atmosphere in the car instantly dropped to freezing point. He stopped looking at me and directly dialed another number. "Graham, come to the school entrance right now to pick up Miss Elodie. Yes, immediately."
After giving the order, he stepped on the gas and pulled the car over to the side, telling me briefly, "I have something urgent to handle. Graham will be here soon."
After speaking, he didn't even wait for my response. He pushed open the car door, and his tall figure quickly disappeared into the crowd.
I sat alone in the car, watching his retreating figure, feeling cold all over.
When I returned to the apartment, it was already getting dark.
Graham dropped me off at the door and started going on and on again, "Miss Elodie, when the boss isn't here, you must be careful about your safety. Don't casually expose your whereabouts outside. If someone with bad intentions targets you, it will bring great danger to the boss."
Danger?
I sneered inwardly. He was currently with another woman, living it up—what danger could there be?
I nodded perfunctorily and was about to open the door when I noticed a large brown paper envelope on the doormat. It had no name or stamp, as if someone had deliberately placed it there.
I bent down and picked it up. The envelope was thick, seeming to contain photos or something similar.
"What's this?" Graham also saw it. "Who sent it?"
"I don't know." I held the envelope, an ominous feeling rising in my heart.
Back in my room, I locked the door and couldn't wait to tear open the envelope.