16
Rufus placed the phone face down on the passenger seat, his expression extremely grim.
Five minutes ago, he had just hung up on the private detective, who said they spotted Carice in the airport surveillance footage, but her trail went completely cold afterward.
Due to the weather, a large number of flights had been canceled, so it was temporarily impossible to determine where Carice had gone.
The watch’s hand jumped to seven o’clock as Annalise’s call came in. He stared at the screen for two seconds before finally answering.
“Rufus, what are you up to?”
go uy
Annalise’s voice was sickly sweet,‘I found a newly opened French restaurant, shall we go
Rufus turned the steering wheel and drove out of the underground garage:“Send me the address, I’ll pick you up.”
In the rearview mirror, he saw the heavy dark circles under his eyes. Ever since discovering Carice‘ disappearance, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep for days.
On the road, Annalise was talking about her favorite foods as usual, but Rufus acted out of character, only occasionally responding with a
“Hmm.”
Even when the car stopped at the restaurant entrance, he kept frequently checking his phone, hoping the detective would send new information
“Sir, this is our new seasonal dessert, specially made with imported cream.
Would you
like to try it?
The waiter recommended with a bright smile.
Rufus nodded expressionlessly: “Okay.”
Annalise‘ eyes instantly lit up, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the dining table.
She suddenly imagined whether there might be a special surprise hidden inside when cutting the cake, like a ring
But when the cake was brought out and Annalise cut into it with a knife, her smile froze instantly,
There was absolutely nothing inside the cake.
“Rufus, did you forget something?”
She poked at the cream on the cake, her tone carrying a coquettish complaint.
Rufus was looking down at his phone messages and casually replied:“What?”
Annalise face completely darkened. She simply stopped talking, and the dinner ended awkwardly in silence.
On the way back, she sulked without speaking, staring at the night scenery outside the window in silent anger.
Suddenly, Rufus’s phone vibrated wildly in his pants pocket.
He thought it was the detective reporting Carice’s whereabouts, slamming the brakes to a screeching hal
The tires screeched against the pavement, and a cacophony of honks erupted from the cars behind them.
“Rufus! Are you insane? Annalise turned pale, the seatbelt digging painfully into her chest.
But Rufus had no time to comfort her, answering the call with trembling hands “Got her? Where is she?”
An unfamiliar voice came through “Hello, this is bank customer service. Your credit card just had an unusual transaction…”
Rufus’s grip on the phone turned white–knuckled, and Annalise stared at him in disbelief:“So, you nearly killed us just to take this call?”
The waiting for a very important call right now.”
Rufus restarted the car, his voice icy.
Annalise’s eyes reddened instantly, biting her lip and falling silent.
The night wind rushed through the half–open window, carrying a chill, and the atmosphere in the car grew more oppressive than ever.
