Chapter 208
Noticing Baldwin’s gaze, Calvin chuckled awkwardly, “The mosquitoes here are
obvious.
e relentless.” He scratched his neck again, making the redness even more
“Totally get it,” Baldwin nodded with a knowing smile.
He thought, ‘Sure, blame the mosquitoes. As if they’d leave a mark like that. Why aren’t mosquitoes biting me?”
The next second, Baldwin slapped his arm, squashing a mosquito. He gave an awkward laugh and looked up. “Where’s Audrey? She has been gone a
while.”
Indeed, until she returned, Calvin couldn’t head back to the car either.
He thought, ‘Now that Yann has Audrey, he’d ease up on clinginess. But whenever he sees her, something around him just shifts.”
That was why Calvin could always sense Audrey’s presence.
He kept Baldwin talking until a message finally gave him an out.
“I’ll reach out if anything comes up. See you. Don’t keep Mr. Winifred waiting too long.” Baldwin grinned as he saw Calvin off.
On his way back, Calvin ran into Audrey. Her eyes were suspiciously red. “Are you alright, Mrs. Winifred?”
Audrey stared at him for a moment, then walked past without a word.
Scratching his head, Calvin muttered, “What did I do wrong?”
Back in the car, he couldn’t resist asking, “Mr. Winifred, did I upset Mrs. Winifred somehow?”
“She knows,” Yann said, not looking up from the documents in his lap. His voice carried a slight hoarseness.
Calvin froze. “She must’ve suspected me for a while, then?”
“And Steven.”
Calvin’s jaw dropped.
As Audrey reached the third floor, a car horn sounded. She turned to see the black Mercedes van pulling away.
Baldwin stood by the railing, thinking Calvin was waving at him, and eagerly waved back.
Watching the car disappear, he said to Audrey, “Mr. Jenkins is quite impressive. I’ll arrange a gathering sometime. You should get to know him.”
“Sure.” Audrey nodded.
Clayton returned home to retrieve the certificate of title, planning to mortgage it for emergency funds. But when he opened the leather document holder where it was kept, the certificate was gone.
He was tearing through the drawers when Cheryl returned with Luna. “What are you doing?”
“Who touched this bag?” Clayton’s face was dark with anger.
Cheryl glanced at it, then at the ransacked master bedroom. “That’s in your room. How would I know?” She tugged Luna toward the kitchen.
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Chapter 208
Outwardly calm, Cheryl already had her suspicions. The moment she entered the kitchen, she pulled out her phone to call Valerie, but the line was busy.
In the living room, Clayton was pacing, phone pressed to his ear.
After what felt like forever, Valerie finally answered, “You dare call me? Where were you last night? Do you know how I suffered alone at the hospital?”
Clayton cut straight to the point. “Did you take the certificate of title?”
Valerie froze. “What?”
“It wasn’t you?”
“I’m in the hospital. How would I take anything? Clayton, I just lost my baby, and instead of asking how I am, you’re interrogating me now?” Valerie’s voice cracked with barely suppressed sobs.
Clayton dragged a hand down his face and sighed, “Forget it. I’ll keep looking.”
Valerie’s tone turned sharp. “Why do you need it?”
Wary of pushing her to desperation, Clayton kept his voice even. “Loans, medical bills, penalties… Money is tight. I need a quick loan to tide things over.”
“Oh.” Valerie hung up and immediately texted Jade, urging her to speed things up.
Clayton tidied up the mess he had made and headed straight to the real estate agency. With his personal documents, he could apply for a replacement certificate of title.
The fastest processing time was three days. After checking property values at the housing center and arranging everything, he slumped into his car and exhaled heavily.
Opening the ride–hailing app, Clayton prepared to take orders. With his law firm shut down, his license suspended, and lawsuits piling up, driving was his only way to make ends meet.
A regular job wouldn’t pay enough, and it certainly wouldn’t allow frequent court appearances. Therefore, ride–hailing was his only option, flexible and low–investment.
An order popped up. Clayton drove off immediately, circling the overpass only to realize the passenger was waiting at the real estate agency’s other exit.
“Sir, could you…” Paige froze the moment she recognized the driver–the same one who had nearly made her late last time.
She almost bolted, but canceling now would be impolite. Remembering Audrey was waiting, she forced herself back into the seat. “Please take the outer ring road. Less traffic.”
“Got it.” Clayton verified her phone number and followed the navigation. “You’re headed to the municipal hospital’s east district project site?”
“Yeah,” Paige responded.
Clayton wasn’t a bad driver, just unfamiliar with the roads. Most of the time before, his assistant had driven him around.
Thanks to Paige’s directions, the trip took a bit longer but went smoothly without any traffic.
Audrey had something to take care of and hadn’t left with Baldwin. Instead, she asked Paige to pick her up after bringing over some documents.
From a distance, Clayton spotted Audrey waiting, wearing a light blouse, cropped pants, and white sneakers. Her hair pulled into a high ponytail, making her look efficient and energetic.
As Audrey spoke on the phone, one hand casually tucked in her pocket. The breeze lifted a corner of her shirt, revealing the graceful curve of her hips and accentuating her lean legs.
Clayton couldn’t take his eyes off her.
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Chapter 208
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He thought, ‘Audrey is so much more beautiful and captivating than Valerie. Was I blind or just stupid to leave her for Valerie back then?”
“We’re here. Just pull over by the curb,” Paige urged, tapping the back of his seat when Clayton didn’t slow down.
Clayton snapped back to reality, gripping the wheel tighter. He thought, ‘Pull over right next to Audrey? Let her see me driving a rideshare? No. That’s too humiliating.”
He suddenly accelerated, speeding past Audrey.
Audrey frowned, turning to catch a glimpse of Clayton’s car.
“Hey! What are you doing? You missed the spot. Stop!” Paige was furious, thinking Clayton was insane.
“Sorry, I zoned out for a second,” Clayton muttered, eyes fixed ahead. “No stopping around here. I’ll loop back up front. I won’t charge you extra.”
“It’s not about money. You’re wasting my time!” Paige twisted around in her seat, but the car was already too far. Audrey was out of sight.
She thought, ‘Damn it! I’m gonna get chewed
out for this.‘
Clayton circled back and stopped at the nearest intersection to the project site. “Hop out here. I won’t go any closer.”
“You’re seriously messed up. I must’ve hit rock–bottom luck getting you as a driver!” Paige grumbled as she slammed the door shut. The moment she got out of the car, Clayton floored it and sped off.
“Hey!” Paige stomped her foot in frustration. The ride–hailing app charges based on distance. That detour cost her an extra three dollars.
