Chapter 1967


    ?


    ric held the phone high above his head, just out of Hertha''s reach. Seeing the frustration on her face, ric remained cool as a cucumber, a mischievous grin ying on his lips. "Chill out, will you? Just stand back and let me handle this."


    "Stand back? ric, have you lost your mind?" Hertha couldn''t believe her ears. It was her car and her mess to deal with. What did he mean by telling her to stand back?


    ric ignored her for a moment, pulling out his own phone to make a call. "Yeah, it''s down by Dream Street. Hurry up, we need this car towed." Once the call ended, Hertha scoffed, "Wow, I thought you had some master n. But you just called a tow truck, didn''t you?"


    ric''s smile widened, "Well, the tow service I called is not quite the same as the one you''d call."


    Hertha''s curiosity was piqued. "How so?"


    "You''d have to pay out of your pocket for a tow service. The one I called? They''ll be paying us." With that, ric tossed Hertha''s phone back to her.


    Hertha, caught off guard, managed to catch her phone just in time. That could have ended in a costly disaster.


    Her curiosity turned to skepticism as she eyed ric, "What kind of service did you call that they''d actually pay us instead?"


    "If only it were that easy!" she quipped.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    "Let''s not worry about that. We''re hailing a cab to Royal Estates," ric said with a yful smirk, gesturing for her to follow him to the roadside. Hertha was utterly baffled but followed, calling out, "Hey, ric, aren''t you going to wait for the tow truck?"


    "No need. They know what to do," came ric''s voice, floating back to her.


    Hertha quickened her pace to catch up, peering up at him, "Seriously, what service did you call? I''ve never heard of such a thing where they tow your car, don''t charge you, and then pay you on top of it."


    "The less you worry, the better. Just wait for the money," ric teased, clearly enjoying holding back the information.


    The more he withheld details, the more Hertha''s curiosity grew. "No way, you have to tell me. It''s like there''s an itch I can''t scratch."


    "I said no," ric responded, his own amusement growing with her frustration.


    Seeing her so eager and curious brought a genuine smile to ric''s face. It had been a while since he''d seen Hertha this animated and adorable.


    "Oh, you won''t tell? Fine, I''ll find out myself!" Hertha huffed, and in a bold move, she reached into ric''s pocket, where he had just stashed his phone.


    As her hand made contact, a warm


    rush spread from the back of her


    hand to her palm, creating a tingling


    ?


    sensation that seemed to spark something between them.


    Her hand froze.


    And Hertha''s cool touch, through the thin fabric of ric''s jeans, ignited a primitive urge within him. His body reacted instinctively...


    Initially, Hertha thought she had


    e2


    grabbed a second phone, but as the


    realization dawned on her, shee


    gasped, her eyes widening as she


    looked up at ric in shock.