Chapter 4 The Taxi

Though Serena had said she was going outside to meet someone, Tad remembered Damien's orders and moved to stop her. Just then, a foreign man stepped out of a taxi parked outside the hotel, pulling along a suitcase. Seeing Tad about to block her path, Serena subtly shifted her body, raising her left hand to better conceal her face. At the same time, she waved her right hand energetically toward the foreign man who had just gotten out of the car, and called out cheerfully, "Honey, I see you! I'm right here!" The man, startled, glanced at her. Seeing her bright smile, he couldn't help but smile back. Though he didn't know her and wasn't sure if she was talking to him, a polite smile seemed like the proper response. Serena then spread her arms wide, running toward the man with enthusiasm and passion. Tad, who had been about to intercept her, paused. Damien had only ordered him not to let anyone leave the hotel. This girl was clearly just heading out to greet a guest. After all, if she was picking someone up, she'd naturally bring him back inside. There was no need to stop her. It was obvious from their interaction that the two were familiar, likely a couple in the throes of romance. Otherwise, why would she be so eager? Today's young women are so passionate. The guy had only just arrived, and she couldn't wait a single minute longer! But what Tad didn't expect was that, instead of jumping into the foreign man's arms, Serena ran right past him—straight into the taxi, slamming the door behind her in one swift move. "Driver, go! Quickly!" she urged as soon as she was inside, not even waiting for her seatbelt to click into place. "Hey! Wait, where are you going?" Tad snapped out of his daze just as the taxi sped off down the road. "Wasn't she here to meet you? Don't you know her?" Tad turned to the foreign man, utterly confused. The man shrugged, looking just as puzzled, and shook his head. Realization hit Tad like a truck—he had been duped. How could this happen? Wasn't there any trust left between people these days? But why had she tricked me? Tad turned around, just in time to see Damien approaching. The icy expression on his boss's face made him think of something even worse. His heart sank as a chill ran through his body. "Mr. Ashford ... that girl just now ... she wasn't the one you were trying to stop, was she?" "What do you think?" Damien's cold gaze pierced through him, sending a bone-chilling shiver down Tad's spine. The atmosphere around Damien grew increasingly lethal, his entire being radiating a suffocatingly dangerous aura. It seemed Damien had underestimated her. Even after he had instructed Tad to guard the exit, she had still managed to slip away. Good. Very, very good. "Mr. Ashford, I got her license plate number! I'll get the car right away and chase her down!" Tad's legs almost gave out from the fear, but fortunately, his quick thinking kicked in. If he didn't make up for his mistake right now, the consequences would be unimaginable. Still, Tad couldn't help but wonder what that woman had done to offend Damien. He'd been working with Damien for years, and this was the first time he'd seen him this angry. Less than five minutes later, a sleek, understated yet luxurious Maybach pulled up in front of the hotel. Damien's face turned ugly with fury as he swiftly climbed into the car. Although a bit of time had been lost, the car's speed more than made up for it. It was just past 4 AM, and the roads were mostly clear. Tad accelerated, and before long, they spotted the taxi up ahead. "Mr. Ashford, that's the one," Tad said, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. Thank goodness they had caught up. Judging by the look on Damien's face, if they had lost her, Tad was sure his boss would've killed him on the spot. Luckily, they managed to catch up. The taxi driver must have noticed them because the car sped up. "Still trying to run, huh?" Tad didn't wait for Damien's orders this time. He pushed the Maybach even harder, quickly closing the distance and forcing the taxi to pull over at the side of the road. Tad jumped out of the car and hurried over to the taxi, but when he opened the door, there was no sign of the girl. Only the driver sat behind the wheel, looking back at him. Tad was dumbfounded. "Where is she? The girl who got into your taxi back at the hotel! Where is she?" "I have no idea," the driver replied with a dismissive shrug, his tone clearly avoiding the question. "What's going on?" Damien stepped out of the car, his cold gaze sweeping over the scene. The danger in his aura reached new heights, radiating with a lethal intensity that was impossible to ignore. The driver wilted under Damien's stare, his confidence quickly crumbling. He swallowed nervously and finally confessed, "She ... she told me she had just caught her husband cheating on her at the hotel. And now, he was chasing her. She said her husband was part of the mob—he kills without blinking. If he caught her, he'd beat her to death. She begged me to help her, so ... " Tad's mouth twitched. No wonder the driver had acted so strange. Had the girl said Mr. Ashford was her husband? And he was the one cheating? Since when? And Mr. Ashford, involved in the mob? A ruthless killer? She really knew how to spin a story! As for her saying Mr. Ashford would beat her to death? Well ... Tad thought that part might actually come true. A tremor ran through Tad as he turned to face Damien. The man's expression was a mask of pure rage, a storm cloud promising devastation. Tad instinctively recoiled, fear gripping his throat.