Chapter 546


    The verbal sparring match had finallye to an end, but Marguerite couldn’t shake the disgust


    crawling beneath her skin. The rest of the workday dragged on, her motivation as absent as the warmth


    in a mid-winter’s breeze,


    When quitting time rolled around, she and her adversary made their way to the parking lot in a silent


    procession. There, parked with precision, was the familiar Maybach. Chuck, always the professional,


    stepped out from the passenger side and with a bow of respect, opened the back door for Frederick,


    who slid into the seat without so much as a backward nce.


    Marguerite caught sight of the scene and turned to her own ride, a second-hand car, when Chuck’s


    voice floated toward her, “Marguerite, where are you off to? Get in!”


    She paused, her gazending on the tall figure now settled into the leather upholstery, fully aware of


    his current disdain for herpany. With a stubborn shift of her eyes, she replied:


    “I’m good. I left my car herest time, and I might as well drive it home today.”


    Chuck stood puzzled. He remembered the days Marguerite would hitch a ride without a second thought


    about her own vehicle. What had changed today?


    Were they fighting?


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Chuck scrambled to find a way to keep her there, oblivious to the growing impatience of Frederick


    inside the car, who suddenly barked at the driver, “Drive!”


    Chuck shivered, stealing a nce at Marguerite before hurriedly hopping into the vehicle. The driver


    floored it, and the Maybach shot away, leaving Marguerite coughing in a cloud


    of exhaust.


    Cursing under her breath, she found her car and after several attempts, the weary engine roared to life.


    She set off at a crawl, her mood sour and her concentration scattered so much that she didn’t even


    notice the steady creep of the speedometer.


    The car wobbled down the road, rounding a bend and approaching a red light. Marguerite moved to


    slow down but was met with the heart-stopping realization that her brakes had failed.


    She mmed the pedal to the floor to no avail, careening out of control. A frantic nce in the rearview


    mirror revealed the chaos unfolding behind her, but in her haste, she didn’t see the Maybach reappear,


    now on a collision course with her.


    Before she could react, it surged forward, positioning itself in front of her.


    Then came the thunderous crash as both vehicles mmed into a curbside nter.


    The impact sent Marguerite’s head crashing into the steering wheel, pain splintering


    09:22


    through her skull, her vision whiting out.


    Dazed and confused, with the acrid stench of smoke assaulting her senses, a pair of strong hands


    dragged her from the driver’s seat. The familiar, husky voice wasced with a mix of anger and


    concern, “Driving without a seatbelt? What, are you trying to kill yourself?!”