Chapter 7

Sunlight streamed in through the half-open car window, casting a warm glow on a stern face. That face belonged to Xander, the owner of the construction site where a business building was being erected as the new headquarters of his group. The streets were crowded and the traffic sluggish. He glanced through the car window to see the woman from last night sitting still on the opposite set of steps. She was staring up at the towering building in progress. Xander retracted his gaze disdainfully, stepped on the accelerator, and merged into the slow-moving traffic. Despite his skillful maneuvers, he still ended up stuck in the middle of the road. It was the peak of the after-work rush hour. To add to the delay, there had been an accident further up front, and traffic police were busy trying to smooth the flow of vehicles. Both big cars and small cars lined up in a continuous string, with no signs of movement at all. A frown creased his brow. His impatient fingers drummed against the steering wheel. The traffic in Boston was getting worse. Even a small jam could cause a delay of several tens of minutes. Yet, he had arranged to have lunch with a client. His phone chirped again and again. It was his secretary hurrying him. The European clients had already arrived at the hotel, waiting to discuss a new project. "Damn," he swore under his breath. He switched off his phone, got out of the car, locked the doors, and started sprinting towards his destination. At that moment, Eliza was walking slowly along the road. During a traffic jam, walking was much faster than driving. Eliza listlessly kicked a white cap of a mineral water bottle that was lying on the road. The bottle cap shot far ahead, bouncing off a pair of shiny black shoes, before bouncing back. Xander shot Eliza a glare, to which Eliza unconsciously raised her head, brushed off the long hair obstructing her face and looked at him - this arrogant fellow! Her eyes widened suddenly, she stepped forward, grasped his arm, and asked loudly, "It's you, isn't it? Tell me, where is Jake?" What in the world was she talking about? Annoyed, he shrugged her hand off. The hotel had called him two hours ago to inform him that a lot of money had been found in his room; it was all collected and kept safe. This clearly indicated, this woman didn't take any money. So was she regretting it now? He had no time to waste on her. He despised these kinds of women who cling to him intentionally. Jerking out his hand, he continued to stride away. Eliza caught up quickly. She couldn't hear, so she could only control the volume and tone out of habit. "Stop! Come with me to the police station and clarify everything. Where is Jake?" she demanded while fishing her phone out of her pocket and dialing the police emergency number. Seeing her serious about her claim, Xander got irate. The traffic jam had already wasted enough of his precious time. He had to reach the hotel within ten minutes. "Let go." His voice is icy and stern. Eliza ignored him. Even if she could hear him, she wouldn't let go. "Let go." His temper flared up, and he forcibly pulled his hand from hers and ran off. His sudden action caused Eliza to fall to the ground, appalled by such a despicable man! She decided to make a scene, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Catch the pervert!" Her voice was sharp and somewhat distorted. As she screamed, she pursued him relentlessly. At the intersection ahead, traffic policemen dealing with an accident heard her cries. They rushed over and grabbed the running figure of Xander, dragging him back in her direction. "Madam, is this the man?" one of the traffic police officers asked, pointing at Xander. "Yes, that's him. He's a nasty pervert." Eliza stared at the officer's mouth, understanding what he said. Only then did she gasp for air and lower her head to look at her hand. She rolled up her sleeve. Given the early summer, she only wore a thin blouse. A large patch of skin on her elbow scraped off, with streaks of blood seeping out.