After hours of working, Victoria was just about to take a well-earned break when her phone buzzed. It was a call from Edmund.
“Come out. I’ll take you to dinner,” he said.
Victoria, almost instinctively, began to decline.
“No need, I can—”
Before she could finish, Edmund interrupted, his tone resolute.
“I’m downstairs waiting for you.”
With that, he hung up.
Victoria’s mind raced back to that morning; his expression had been all tight lines and frustration. She knew him well enough to recognize that he’d be up here in a flash, ready to drag her out if she refused again.
There weren’t many meals left between them anyway. With that thought, she sighed, quickly freshened up and headed downstairs.
The weather wasn’t cooperating, with a light drizzle falling through a thick mist, creating a soft blur of the world outside.
Throughout the drive, Edmund wore a solemn expression as though a storm of words was brewing inside him, but he was hesitant to be the one to speak first.
Victoria pretended not to notice, her eyes fixed ahead.
It wasn’t until they halted at a red light that Edmund finally broke the silence.
“About yesterday, I was wrong—”
But before he could finish, his phone rang.
The Bluetooth amplified Isabella’s frantic voice. “Edmund! Come save me!”
Edmund’s expression hardened in an instant, his eyes sharp with urgency. Without a second thought, he swerved into the next lane and floored the gas pedal, sending the car racing in the opposite direction.
The sudden lurch threw Victoria back into her seat, her breath catching in her throat.
“Edmund, do you even realize what you’re doing right now?” she demanded, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Thankfully, there were no cars behind them, or the consequences could’ve been catastrophic.
“Victoria, stop being unreasonable! Didn’t you hear Isabella? She’s in danger! Do you have any empathy at all?” Edmund snapped, his frustration boiling over.
Victoria’s eyes flickered to the phone screen, where Isabella’s desperate messages flashed in frantic succession.
[Edmund, hurry!]
[Edmund, I’m so scared!]
[Edmund, where are you?]
Victoria’s grip on the safety handle tightened, her knuckles turning white. She said nothing, her silence speaking volumes as she watched the roads blur before her.
With each passing second, Edmund pushed the car faster, the speedometer needle climbing past 150 kilometers per hour.
The world outside spun into a smear of colors, trees and guardrails, becoming little more than streaks as they raced toward the outskirts. The wind howled, a haunting sound that blended with the roar of the car’s engine.
Victoria wasn’t typically prone to motion sickness, but the breakneck speed rattled her. Her body trembled and her lips lost all color.
Had she eaten, she might have been sick, but her stomach remained a knot of unease at that moment.
Oblivious to Victoria’s mounting concerns, Edmund was solely focused on confirming Isabella’s location. His hands gripped the wheel tighter as the phone crackled with Isabella’s excited voice.
“Edmund! Edmund, I see you! I’m in the car right in front of you; come save me!”
Edmund’s tone remained calm, though the tension in his voice betrayed his anxiety.
“Isabella, don’t worry. I’ll save you, I promise!”
But the car ahead of them didn’t slow. In fact, it accelerated its taillights a blur as it rushed into the distance.
Isabella’s frantic voice crackled over the phone again, this time breaking into sobs.
“Edmund, just following him like this won’t work! You need to cut in front of him!”
The call ended abruptly, leaving a silence thick with tension.
Victoria’s mind cleared instantly. She shook off the nausea threatening to overwhelm her and tried to reason with him, her voice strained with urgency. “Edmund, this is a mountain road! You’re going over 100 kilometers per hour! Cutting in front of him like this, it's suicide!”
But Edmund seemed deaf to her words. Without hesitation, he slammed his foot down on the accelerator.
The sudden force pressed Victoria back into her seat, her head snapping backward, a sharp pain shooting through her neck. Dizzy and disoriented, she struggled to keep her thoughts together.
“All you’re doing is throwing your life away!” she cried out, her voice rising in desperation.
Trying to make him see reason, she continued, her words tumbling out in a rush.
“That car in front is worth at least three million. No kidnapper would drive something like that! The driver knows Isabella! She’s probably not even in danger; stop risking your life for nothing!”
