Meanwhile, Richard placed a call. “Mr. Hanson, everything’s taken care of. It’ll play out exactly how you want. Just wondering about that thing you promised before…”
“Rest assured,” Marcus replied, his tone lofty and dismissive–making it clear he looked down on Richard. “You get
it done, and everything I promised will be yours.”
Richard grinned. “Trust me, it’s as good as done.”
Marcus went on, “But if the plan gets exposed…”
Richard caught the meaning instantly.
He responded immediately, his tone overly respectful, “I’ll take full responsibility, Mr. Hanson. No one will know you had any part in this. Whoever asks, that’s the answer they’ll get from me.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” Marcus said carelessly, and then he ended the call without another word.
Rebecca and Jessica were clueless about what had happened. After locking up the villa, they got in the car, ready to pick Samuel up from school.
Just as Rebecca started the engine, she got a call from Jeffrey. She picked up right away, “What’s up?”
“Samuel’s stuff for the summer camp is still at Rebecca’s Manor. Should I bring it over, or do you want to take him to the manor?” Jeffrey’s voice was low and steady as he eyed the pile of Samuel’s belongings before him.
Rebecca was about to say he should bring it over when Jessica spoke up.
“Rebecca,” Jessica called out.
Rebecca glanced over, “Yeah?”
“I think something’s wrong with the car,” Jessica said, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “I just hit the brakes, and nothing happened.”
“Put it on speaker,” Jeffrey’s calm voice came through the phone.
Rebecca quickly switched to speaker and cranked the volume all the way up.
Jeffrey didn’t waste a second. “Pump the brake pedal a few times and see if there’s any response.”
Jessica kept a firm grip on the wheel, tried the pedal a few times, and then said, “No response.”
“Turn on your hazard lights and honk the horn,” Jeffrey said, his voice steady amid the sounds of him moving in the background.
He thought of the car that Jessica usually drove and said, “Keep the electronic handbrake engaged. Don’t let go, just wait for the car to slow to a stop.”
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Rebecca and Jessica did exactly what he said, but nothing happened–the car didn’t slow down at all.
The speed limit here was 100, and Jessica was already doing over 80 when she suddenly realized the brakes weren’t working.
“Is the speed dropping?” Jeffrey asked, typing a quick message to Riley to get Rebecca’s current location as he started his own car and pulled out of the driveway.
“No.” Jessica forced herself to stay calm as she answered.
“Where are you right now?” Jeffrey pressed, still waiting for Riley to reply.
“Section 2 of Jelasburg Avenue,” Jessica reported tensely. “There’s a traffic light in about 6 miles, but the speed won’t drop. What should I do?”
Jeffrey sped through the map of Jelasburg in his mind and said, “You’ve got two choices. Either use the roadside barriers to slow down by force, or get onto the expressway at Section 1.
“There’s an emergency escape lane about 12 miles ahead. But both moves are risky.”
“Understood,” Jessica replied, drawing in a shaky breath.
“Just keep your eyes on the road,” Jeffrey said, his knuckles pale as worry left him covered in cold sweat. “I’ve already notified the police for you.”
He thought, ‘There’s just no way Jessica’s car would randomly have brake issues like this–something’s definitely off. None of the cars she’s owned have ever had brake failures, not even once.
For the next ten minutes, Jeffrey kept coordinating everything while racing toward them, following the real- time location Riley had sent.
Rebecca’s heart skipped a beat as she scanned the road. Checking the rearview mirror, she caught sight of a massive truck looming behind them. “Jessica,” Rebecca said, her voice tense, “That big truck behind us—it’s right on our tail.”
Jessica shot a nervous glance in the mirror, her grip tightening on the wheel as she checked for herself.
Without missing a beat, Jessica flicked on her turn signal and swerved into the next lane, trying to avoid a collision. Getting run over by that beast was no joke.
“He’s following us,” Rebecca said, her voice tight with worry as she watched the truck mirror their move.
“What the hell is wrong with this guy?” Jessica muttered, quickly switching lanes again. At this speed, if that thing hits them, they’d be dead meat. “Why’s a truck going this fast?”
“Is he doing this on purpose?” Rebecca muttered, putting two and two together. “First, the brakes fail, and now this truck’s been glued to our rear bumper the entire way.”
Jessica didn’t know what to say. She thought, ‘Could we be any unluckier?‘
Speeding up was out of the question–if she went any faster, there’d be no slowing this car down.
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“Mr. Hanson, is there any emergency lane closer by?” Jessica asked urgently into the phone. Rebecca still kept the call on speaker.
“Just stick with me,” Jeffrey said, suddenly showing up in the lane right next to them. “I’ve already got someone dealing with that truck.”
“Got it!” Jessica said.
Jessica spotted that familiar license plate and instantly merged in behind him, not hesitating for a second.
Rebecca finally felt a little calmer as well.
Neither of them realized that Jeffrey had quietly become the guy they could count on–the one who made them feel safe. No matter how much he’d pissed them off before, in a crisis like this, they just couldn’t help relying on him.
With Jeffrey clearing the way, the drive went off without a hitch.
Five minutes later, Jeffrey pulled over by the roadside and said to them, “Swing onto the emergency lane.”
Jessica followed his instructions, and within moments, the car finally came to a safe, steady stop.
Jessica and Rebecca finally felt the tension melt away–relief washed over them as their hearts settled for real.
“God, that was terrifying. I really thought we weren’t going to make it…” Jessica began, about to tell Rebecca they’d just survived something together.
But right then, the passenger door swung open and Jeffrey appeared–on the outside, he looked steady, but Rebecca could see the worry in his eyes.
Jessica was about to say something, but she swallowed her words at the last second.
She thought, ‘Forget it. Since he saved us today, I won’t scold him today. I’ll leave them alone for a while.’
Jeffrey checked Rebecca worriedly and asked, “Are you alright? Did it scare you?”
Rebecca took a deep breath, feeling that her heart had settled to a quieter beat. “I’m okay.”
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