Chapter 127

The sky darkened ominously, the clouds hanging oppressively low. Evelyn Roland gripped the steering wheel, flooring the accelerator as she sped toward the eastern suburbs.

Raindrops began pelting the windshield.

"Isabella, what are you trying to do...?" She bit her lower lip, her fingers turning white. She couldn't risk alarming her parents—she had to handle this alone.

The rain intensified suddenly, the wipers struggling uselessly against the torrential downpour. Two blinding headlights flashed in the rearview mirror.

Two black sedans closed in like phantoms.

"Here they come." Evelyn smirked coldly and slammed the gas pedal. The car skidded on the slick pavement, but she steadied it with sheer force.

BAM!

The first impact came without warning. The airbag deployed, slamming her forehead against the wheel. The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth.

"You want me dead? Not that easy!"

She jerked the steering wheel hard. Tires screeched against the wet road as she executed a sharp drift. The pursuing car swerved too late, crashing into the guardrail.

But her own vehicle had reached its limit.

The engine gave one final groan before dying completely. Evelyn staggered out, instantly drenched by the rain.

Headlights pierced through the downpour in the distance.

"Sir, it's Miss Roland," Theodore Ashcroft said in surprise.

Sebastian Valdemar lifted his gaze to the slender figure in the rain. Soaked to the bone, her hair clung to her pale face, yet her spine remained defiantly straight.

"Stop the car."

When the door opened, Evelyn's pupils constricted slightly.

"Mr. Valdemar?" She wiped rainwater from her face. "What a coincidence."

His eyes flicked to the wreck behind her. "What kind of performance is this, Miss Roland?"

"Car trouble." She spread her hands. "Mind giving me a ride?"

He stepped closer abruptly, his icy aura pressing in. "You'd risk your life for the Colorado Mines project? What's your real connection to the Rolands?"

Raindrops traced the sharp line of his jaw.

Her heartbeat stuttered, but she lifted her chin. "Alexander Roland saved my life. That's all."

"Is that so?" His eyes narrowed.

"What else would it be?" She met his gaze head-on, a faint smile playing on her lips. "What do you suspect, Mr. Valdemar?"

The rain softened, but the tension between them crackled like live wires.