Chapter 10
"Speaking of which, this is all my fault. If I hadn't back then..." Freya hugged Jeffrey, her voice choking up.
Jeffrey quickly pulled her close and comforted her: "This has nothing to do with you. It's Ophelia who's too heartless. She doesn't care about Kaida at all."
"Back then, I begged her to agree to adopt Kaida. She promised she would treat Kaida as her own daughter from then on. And what happened? Now she just turns her back on us without a second thought."
Freya looked up, tears in her eyes, but her tone carried a hint of subtle manipulation: "Actually, I can understand Ophelia. After all, she was with you for three years, but was kept in the dark the whole time. Anyone would be angry about that."
"But she shouldn't take it out on Kaida. Kaida is so young and doesn't understand anything. How could she be so harsh to a child?"
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't come back, if I hadn't disrupted your lives, would things have turned out like this?"
Jeffrey was completely won over by her seemingly reasonable words. He found Ophelia even more unreasonable and felt even more protective of Freya: "Don't overthink it. This isn't your fault. Ophelia is ungrateful."
"Don't worry, I'll go handle the public opinion right now and pick up Kaida. Once things settle down, I'll definitely teach Ophelia a lesson and make her apologize to you and Kaida!"
A triumphant smile flashed in Freya's eyes, but her voice remained gentle: "Jeffrey, don't be impulsive. The public opinion is against us right now. You should focus on the company first. Kaida has the nanny taking care of her; she'll be fine."
"I don't matter. I can handle a little hardship. As long as you and Kaida are okay and the company stays stable, I'll be relieved."
She reached out to straighten his collar.
Jeffrey looked at her gentle and considerate manner, and much of his irritation faded. He kissed her forehead: "I'll protect you both. I need to go handle some things now."
"Okay."
After Jeffrey left to handle things, Freya took out her phone, found a number, and sent a text message. At that moment, her eyes were full of malice.
Early the next morning, Ophelia received a call from the Moore Group saying the contract was ready and asking her to come sign it.
She gathered her things, changed into a sharp business suit, and drove to the Moore Group.
As soon as her car got onto the ring road highway, Ophelia felt something was wrong.
When she stepped on the brake, her foot met space with no resistance at all.
"What's going on?" Her heart tightened. She pressed down hard again, but the brake still didn't respond.
The car went faster and faster, wind rushing through the window, whipping her hair around.
Ophelia gripped the steering wheel, her heart pounding, her mind racing.
She tried the handbrake, but it seemed broken too and wouldn't budge.
"Damn it!" Ophelia cursed under her breath, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.
Traffic volume on the highway is very high. The car charged forward like a runaway horse, in danger of crashing at any moment.
Ophelia forced herself to stay calm. While gripping the steering wheel tightly and dodging nearby vehicles, she turned on her hazard lights and honked the horn to alert other drivers.
However, the car kept getting faster. Ophelia's palms were covered in sweat, and her fingers gripping the steering wheel had turned white.
Just then, a black Maybach rushed over from the adjacent lane and pulled alongside her car.
The window rolled down, revealing William's anxious face.
"Don't panic!" William's voice came through the wind. "I'm right beside you, follow my instructions!"
Seeing him, Ophelia felt like she'd grabbed a lifeline. Tears immediately streamed down her face: "William! The brakes failed! I can't control it!"
"I know!" William's eyes were sharp, fixed intently on her car. "Now slowly turn the steering wheel and move toward the emergency lane. I'll block the cars behind you!"
Ophelia nodded, trembling as she turned the steering wheel. The car slowly moved toward the emergency lane.
William's car stayed right beside her, constantly reminding her: "Slow down! Don't rush! Keep your distance!"
Just as the car was about to enter the emergency lane, a truck suddenly rushed up from behind at high speed.
"Watch out!"
William shouted, jerking his steering wheel and using his car to block the rear of Ophelia's car.
There was a loud crash as the truck slammed hard into the Maybach's rear.
The Maybach was knocked forward several meters and crashed hard into the back of Ophelia's car.
Ophelia's car was pushed by the momentum and finally rushed into the emergency lane, hitting the guardrail and coming to a stop.
She shook all over, her forehead hitting the steering wheel. The pain made her vision go dark.
Coming to her senses, Ophelia's first thought was to push open the car door and run to the Maybach behind her.
The Maybach's rear was severely deformed from the impact, and broken window glass was scattered everywhere.
"William!" Ophelia pounded on the car door, her voice breaking.
The door was pushed open from inside. William leaned against the seat, his face pale, with an obvious wound on his forehead. Blood was running down his cheek.
"How are you?" Ophelia rushed over, her voice trembling. She reached out to touch his wound but was afraid of hurting him.
William looked at her, his lips barely curving into a smile: "I'm fine. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but you saved me!" Ophelia's tears wouldn't stop falling. "It's all my fault for getting you involved!"
"It's okay." William shook his head, breathing somewhat labored. He had noticed something strange about Ophelia's car earlier, and only when he got close did he realize what was happening. Fortunately, everything was timely.
Just then, ambulances and police cars arrived at the scene.
Medical staff quickly lifted William onto the ambulance, and Ophelia got in too.
In the ambulance, the doctor was treating William's wound, and the smell of disinfectant filled the air.
Ophelia looked at the gauze on his forehead, her heart full of guilt and gratitude.
"William, thank you," she said softly. "If it weren't for you, today I might have..."
"Don't say that." William interrupted her, his eyes gentle. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Ophelia's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at him and met his deep gaze, which seemed to hide something that made her feel flustered.
She quickly looked away, pretending to look out the window, but her cheeks quietly turned red.
At the hospital, William was taken into the operating room.
Ophelia waited anxiously outside the operating room, pacing back and forth.
She took out her phone and called Luca: "Luca, help me find out if anyone tampered with my car yesterday, and also check Freya's recent whereabouts. She must be involved in this!"
Yesterday, her car had been sent for maintenance, and someone had taken advantage of that.
"Okay, I'll send someone to investigate right away."
After hanging up, Ophelia leaned against the wall, looking at the lit sign above the operating room, feeling both angry and scared.
After about an hour, the operating room light went out.
The doctor came out, and Ophelia rushed over: "Doctor, how is he?"
"Don't worry, the surgery was successful. No vital areas were injured, just a mild concussion. He needs to rest well," the doctor said.
Ophelia breathed a sigh of relief and followed the nurse to the ward.
William lay in bed, his face still somewhat pale, eyes closed, brows slightly furrowed.