You Are My Only True Love" (Part 1)
The man smiled faintly and pointed toward her back with his long fingers. "Well, I just came from there, so technically, you're my client. It shouldn't be a problem to give a client a ride. Besides, it looks like we're going the same way."
"Are you an employee here?" Alison asked, then shook her head.
The car the man was driving wasn't particularly luxurious, but it was a low-key Volvo—not a cheap car.
An ordinary employee probably couldn't afford a car like that.
"Could you be the manager?"
"I suppose so," the man said with a smile. "Hurry up and get in. It's raining."
Alison hesitated. "Could I see your employee ID?"
"Sure." The man smiled, pulled a card from his wallet, and gave it to her.
The light gold card bore dark gold lettering that clearly stated his title: Caden Whitaker, Executive Director of Maple Leaf Global Group.
Caden looked really young, at most twenty-seven or twenty-eight. To become an executive director of Maple Leaf Global Group at such a young age, he must possess extraordinary abilities; otherwise, it would be impossible to climb to such a high position.
Looking at him, Alison felt an inexplicable sense of danger.
A tall, rich, handsome man was about to pick her up—a married woman—and she found the whole situation baffling.
"Are you afraid I'll sell you off along the way?" A hint of a smile flashed across Caden's clear eyes. "Look, there are so many people on the street. If you got into my car and disappeared, surely someone would be able to testify that you got in, right?"
Alison glanced around and noticed that many people were looking in their direction.
Unable to bear the stares, she took a step back, made her way to the rear passenger door of Caden's Volvo, opened it, and slid in with her bags.
She certainly didn't want to sit in the front passenger seat.
The Volvo pulled away slowly.
Alison felt uneasy, wondering if it was a bad idea to get into the car of a man she barely knew.
The man behind the wheel seemed to sense her unease and smiled slightly. "Ms. Fairchild is indeed even more beautiful than the rumors suggest. Aidan really didn't lie to me."
"Aidan? You know Aidan?"
"Yeah, we're classmates, though you might not think so. I'm a few years younger than him."
"Mr. Whitaker, you look very young."
Much younger than Aidan, who hadn't been taking care of himself lately.
"Everyone who meets my old classmates says that," he said, laughing.
Hearing his cheerful voice, Alison felt a little embarrassed.
She'd been too uptight—she'd actually suspected this handsome guy of having ulterior motives.
Caden drove very smoothly.
"Achoo…" Alison sneezed, instinctively covering her mouth with her small hand.
"Ms. Fairchild, are you wet? Put on something extra." As the car stopped at a red light, Caden took off his jacket and handed it to Alison.
"No, it's okay. Thank you." She held out her hand to decline, feeling it wasn't quite appropriate to wear his jacket.
"I heard Ms. Fairchild has to take care of two babies who are still on formula. If you catch a cold, won't the children suffer too?" Caden gave a gentle smile that seemed to radiate warmth.
Alison reached out and took the coat. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I know you're taking care of Aidan's children. This is just a coat—a small gesture for Aidan's sake. After all, we're old classmates."
Alison gently slipped on Caden's coat.
It had a masculine scent, different from Jack's, with a faint, crisp minty fragrance that smelled lovely.
She took a gentle sniff and felt a little more at ease.
The red light turned green, and the car pulled away.
"Ms. Fairchild, you should stop by the pharmacy later and pick up some cold medicine. Then go home and take a hot shower," Caden suggested.
Alison looked up at him in surprise. "Why do I get the feeling you care more about Aidan's child than Aidan does?"
Caden's expression faltered slightly, but he remained composed. "Maybe it's because I haven't become a father yet. Once a man reaches a certain age, he starts looking forward to having a child of his own. Actually, I was thinking that I'd like to visit your place someday to see Aidan's child. Would that be okay?"
"Sure," she said, then turned her gaze out the car window.
The rain was still falling.
Jack had left her, but another man had driven her home.
Today, she could consider herself even.
"721 Traffic Radio, breaking news: Gunshots have been reported at the XXXX luxury apartment complex." Witnesses say that at least five people were exchanging fire at the scene. There are no reports of casualties yet, but a royal blue Lamborghini at the scene has been destroyed..."
Hearing "navy blue Lamborghini," Alison instantly became alert.
"Mr. Whitaker, could you please take me to the address mentioned on the radio? Thank you."
"Ms. Fairchild, this is…" Caden looked a bit puzzled.
"Please drive there as fast as you can," Alison urged.
"All right." Caden smiled, then turned the car around as she'd asked.
The ride remained smooth, but the speed had noticeably increased.
Clearly, Caden knew she was in a hurry.
You have to admit, he was a smart man.
"I was actually on my way to a lunch date." Caden glanced at Alison in the backseat and said casually.
"I'm sorry. Maybe you should just drop me off. I'll take a cab from here." As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She didn't have any cash; she had taken a cab from the mall earlier because she could pay the fare once she got home.
But now...