Chapter 56
Hearing Joel’s words, Kaia quickly put on his jacket.
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It wasn’t the first time she’d ended up like this. She’d caught a fever once, all because she hadn’t dressed warmly enough.
The senior professors at the institute would fuss over her like doting grandfathers, all talking at
once.
“Dr. Bennett, you’re a pillar of the nation. You can’t afford to have anything happen to you,” one of them said.
“Even though you’re still young and healthy, you need to take care of yourself. Otherwise, you’ll regret it when you’re older,” another added.
The third chimed in, “I just had the kitchen whip up some chicken noodle soup for you. Don’t forget to drink it! And remember to get enough sleep–early to bed, early to rise, and make sure you eat a balanced diet…”
Normally, those senior professors treated her with the utmost respect in academic matters, but the moment her health was involved, it was like they all turned into her family elders.
Kaia was snapped out of her thoughts by Joel’s wary tone.
“Something’s off,” he said.
Kaia shook herself out of her thoughts. “What do you mean?”
Joel checked the rearview mirror. “See that car behind us? Feels like it’s been tailing us for ages.”
Kaia hadn’t noticed anything strange, but she trusted Joel’s instincts. If he thought something was wrong, she believed him.
“You think someone in that car is spying on us?” Kaia asked.
“Could be,” Joel replied.
Kaia raised a hand to her chin, her sharp eyes glinting with intelligence.
“If they’re just snapping photos, I don’t care. But if they’ve been tailing us this whole time, they’re definitely up to no good. This is the only road to Moreno Manor, and the whole mountain is the Moreno family’s territory. There really shouldn’t be any other cars out here,” she said.
“Makes sense. So what’s our next move?” Joel asked.
Kaia glanced at the car in the rearview mirror, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Spin the car around and ram them.”
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“Wait, what?” Joel stared at her, completely taken aback.
Kaia’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Are you serious?” Joel asked.
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“Isn’t this thrilling?” Kaia was practically buzzing with energy. If Joel hadn’t been behind the wheel, she probably would’ve already floored it and crashed into them herself.
“But you’re still in the car,” Joel said, his brows furrowing.
“No worries. Hit them!” Kaia shot back.
Joel gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the wheel. “Then hold on tight.”
“Yeah.” Kaia said, cool as ever.
nwhile, Tobias had just gotten the latest update from Devin. He stood by the window,
oculars in hand, scanning the road below. Sure enough, he spotted the car tailing Kaia and Joel.
Who the hell is following them?‘ he wondered.
Just as he was trying to figure it out, he saw Kaia’s car suddenly spin around and speed up, heading straight for the tailing vehicle.
A loud crash echoed through the night, shattering the silence.
Tobias’s eyes widened in shock, his anger flaring.
‘If Kaia got a scratch, I swear I’ll make whoever is behind this wish they’d never been born. Tobias seethed.
Tobias slammed down the binoculars and didn’t waste a second. He tore out of the room and sprinted straight for the crash site.
Devin was totally floored. The last thing he expected was for Kaia’s car to suddenly spin around and, without even a hint of hesitation, slam straight into the other vehicle.
Joel is seriously hardcore, Devin thought. ‘When he says he’ll crash, he crashes. Doesn’t even care if Kaia might get hurt along with him!
Kaia threw open the car door and jumped out, Joel right on her heels. He grabbed the man who was trying to bolt.
“Spill it. What’s your deal? Why were you tailing us? Were you the one snapping photos of us in the shopping district?” Joel demanded, yanking the guy by his collar.
The guy’s name was Josh Marshall.
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Josh was dizzy and dazed, but what gripped him was pure terror.
“You, you’ve got it all wrong. I wasn’t following you. 1…” Josh stammered.
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“Still trying to play innocent?” Joel yanked him harder, nearly cutting off his air.
Josh was backed into a corner, but he stubbornly refused to admit anything.
“I swear, I wasn’t following you!” Josh insisted.
Joel’s frown deepened. “Looks like you won’t confess until things get ugly.”
“What, you gonna hit me now? I know exactly who you are–Joel, the champion fighter. If you lay a finger on me without proof, I’ll take you to court for assault!” Josh snapped.
‘Wow, this guy’s got some nerve,’ Kaia thought.
Kaia stepped forward, glancing at Joel.
“Let me handle this,” she said.
Joel nodded.
Kaia stood over Josh, her face cold and unreadable. Before she could even open her mouth, Josh jumped in, trying to speak first.
“You can forget it. I already swore–no matter what you do, I wasn’t following you,” Josh insisted, stubborn to the end.
“Relax. We won’t kill you,” Kaia said coolly, her gaze steady. “I just want to lay something out for
you.”
“W–What do you mean?” Josh stammered, dread twisting in his gut.
“It’s not really a secret–just my take on things,” Kaia continued. “You were tailing Joel, and maybe that doesn’t sound like much. But Joel isn’t just anybody. He’s Dr. Bennett’s top bodyguard. So, maybe on the surface, you’re after Joel, but in reality, you’re trying to find Dr. Bennett through him. Am I right?”
As soon as Kaia mentioned Dr. Bennett, Josh’s face drained of all color, panic written all over him.
“N–no, that’s not it…” Josh blurted out with panic all over his face.
Kaia ignored his protests and kept going, her tone cool and sharp. “Dr. Bennett just developed a brand–new nanomaterial and already announced a partnership with the Moreno Group. My guess? Some group sent you to track her down and force her into working with them.”
“No! I swear that’s not true!” Josh sputtered, looking even more desperate.
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“Oh? If that’s not it, maybe you’re working for some foreign power–jealous of her research–so you were sent to kill Dr. Bennett,” Kaia added, her voice icy cold.
Kaia was piling on the accusations so fast that Josh nearly lost his mind from fear. He looked like he might faint right then and there,
Josh knew he was just a low–level errand boy, but if anyone bought Kaia’s story, he’d never be able
to clear his name.
With that thought, Josh blurted out without thinking.
“I wasn’t following Joel! I was following you! So I’m not trying to harm Dr. Bennett at all!” Josh
shouted.
Kaia and Joel exchanged a glance, barely holding back their laughter.
‘Now you’re not just indirectly targeting Dr. Bennett, but you’re basically admitting you’re after her directly, Kaia thought.
“Oh? You were following me? I’m not some big shot. Why are you even tailing me?” Kaia shot back, her voice cool and challenging.
Josh finally gave up trying to hide it.
“It was Miss Andrea Bennett from your family. She told me to track you to where you’re staying,” Josh admitted.
Kaia blinked in surprise, then it all clicked.
‘Guess Andrea got suspicious since I haven’t been home these days, she thought.
“Back on Britera Pedestrian Walk, you were taking pictures, right?” Kaia asked.
Josh reluctantly pulled out his phone, looking miserable as he handed it over.
Kaia flipped through the photo gallery, then asked, “Did you send all these to Andrea?”
“Y–Yes,” Josh stammered.
Kaja didn’t say anything else. Suddenly, she heard someone coming.
“Who’s there?” Kaia called out.
Devin shuffled out from the bushes, looking embarrassed.
“Miss Bennett, it’s me,” he said, sounding sheepish.
“Devin” Kala frowned and shot Joel a look.
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Devin cleared his throat, about to say something, when Tobias came charging over, fury in his eyes and his steps heavy with anger.
“B–Boss,” Devin stammered.
Kaia spun around at the sound, only to meet Tobias’s stormy, handsome face head–on.
