Chapter 11

The rain made it difficult to see. Maverick couldn't get a good look at the car's number plate before it drove off. Bianca went up to him. "What's wrong, Maverick?" It was only at this point that Maverick looked away. Bianca was holding an umbrella up with both her hands. Worried that he would get caught in the rain, she held the umbrella right above his head. She, on the other hand, was getting drenched in the rain. At that moment, Maverick seemed to see a flicker of Laurelle in Bianca. Laurelle had also done such silly things in the past. Maverick shook his head. He didn't love Laurelle. Why was he thinking of her out of the blue? Noticing that Bianca was shivering from the cold, he removed his suit jacket and put it around her shoulders. In a low voice, Bianca said, "Laurelle was so determined when she left home. She isn't serious about calling off her engagement with you, is she?" "That's impossible." Maverick took the opportunity to put his arm around Bianca's shoulders. "As long as she's Laurelle, there's no way that she will leave me. Hasn't she just been scheming to grab my attention?" "But she looked like she was really furious tonight." Bianca pressed her lips together. "Shall we call her to ask where she went?" Maverick waved his hand. In a nonchalant manner, he said, "Why do we have to call her? She'll apologize to me on her own accord once she comes around." Maverick had never taken the initiative to call Laurelle. Between the both of them, Laurelle had always been the one making the first move. No matter who had been in the wrong, she had always been the first to apologize. For such a trivial matter like this, she would stay mad for a couple of days. After that, she would get in touch with him to reconcile. This was something Maverick had already been used to. … The atmosphere felt tense and the weather was gloomy. A heavy thunderstorm was raging outside the window, as if a hole had been torn through the skies. Owen observed the woman lying unconscious in bed. In a soft voice, he said, "Ms. Fletcher has a concussion. The doctor said she might need to be hospitalized for a couple of days for observation." The muscles in Zachariah's jaw were tense. He didn't respond but simply kept his eyes fixed on Laurelle's ankles. Owen took a quick glance before lowering his head. He reiterated the doctor's words, "She was cut by a shard of glass. As she got treated too late, that scar might stay with her forever. That said, her bones should be fine." Zachariah pressed his lips tightly together. The deep look in his eyes didn't reveal any emotion. Even so, the frigid air around him was obvious. The woman lying in bed was in terrible condition. Although she'd been changed out of her wet clothing, her overly frail body made her lack the liveliness of a young woman. Someone had also slapped her across the face, leaving an obvious mark on her cheek, which contrasted with the fairness of her skin. That must have hurt. Zachariah pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. He held it between his teeth and was about to light it up. On second thought, he put the flame out, fearing Laurelle might choke from the smoke. "Mr. Pace is still waiting for you." Owen took a brief look at the time and prompted, "It's getting late. The gathering will soon be dismissed if you don't make your way there." "They can go ahead and dismiss it if they wish. I'm not going." Zachariah sat down by the bed. "I will be staying here tonight. I won't be going anywhere." A gleam flashed across Owen's eyes. He was about to speak up when Zachariah's phone started ringing in his pocket. Seeing as Laurelle wasn't sleeping particularly well, Zachariah held onto his phone and went to the corridor to answer the call, lest it disturbed her. Jeremy Pace's voice sounded loudly from the other end of the call. "Zach, what's the matter with you? Why did you leave without saying a word? Some of us thought you were seduced and lured away by some woman." Zachariah smirked. "Yeah, I was lured away by a woman. Why, are you jealous?" "What are you daydreaming about?" Jeremy laughed. As he held onto his phone in his hand, he teased, "Did you really think the government's gonna give you a wife for being an officer for a few years? Wake up, Zach. There's a storm out there tonight, but don't lose your marbles." Zachariah held the cigarette at the corner of his mouth and remained silent. He and Jeremy were childhood friends who'd grown up together. Otherwise, Jeremy wouldn't have dared to tease him like this. "Hurry up and come over here. We're all waiting for you," Jeremy urged. He added, "Oh, right. Your nephew is here as well." All of a sudden, Zachariah narrowed his eyes fiercely. "Maverick?" "Yeah, word about the incident at the Fletcher residence has already spread within our circle. Your nephew is mentally quite strong, isn't he? He's still in the mood to come for drinks even after such an incident." A dark look came across Zachariah's eyes. His lips curled upward, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. On the contrary, his gaze was terrifyingly cold. "Wait for me. I'll head over right away."