Callie ran out and grabbed a shared bike, pedaling away quickly. It was indeed faster than a car.
It took twenty minutes to get to Oconnor Group. With a bag on her back and traffic lights to cross, she thought it might take a bit longer, but the meeting was in an hour. At worst, she would miss clocking in, which was not a big deal.
Callie paid close attention to the road conditions. The morning rush hour traffic was like a river, everyone in a hurry. Riding a bike among them was quite dangerous.
After riding for a while, she suddenly noticed a car following her.
It was a black Mercedes.
Unsure, she made two consecutive turns, but the car stayed on her tail. If it was just someone heading to Oconnor Group for work, that would be fine, but the intent was too obvious. The car followed her every move, speeding up when she did and slowing down when she did.
Callie frowned, unable to think of anyone who would target her like this.
She couldn’t figure out what the person wanted. Riding with one hand, she struggled to pull out her phone and called Litzy. As soon as the call connected, Litzy shouted, “Do you know there’s only one minute left before clock-in time? You better be downstairs already!”
Callie had a headache. “I can’t make it in time. I’m still on the road. How’s the company?”
“The meeting room is ready. The leaders will arrive soon. Should I stall for you?”
“That would be best. I’m dealing with something tricky here and will get there as soon as I can.” Callie said, eyeing the intersection ahead. There was an alley where cars couldn’t go through.
She gritted her teeth and made a sharp turn into the alley, braking and putting one foot on the ground. She looked back to see the Mercedes stop abruptly, unable to follow.
Callie laughed. “Nice try.”
Though she didn’t know who it was, the person seemed to give up and drove away. She continued pedaling, taking a detour through the alley to reach Oconnor Group.
On the way, Callie wondered who could be in that car. It probably wasn’t someone sent by Nelson; Jeffery was still stuck in traffic.
She didn’t have any enemies either. Could it be Jaquan?
As she exited the alley, she looked up and saw the Oconnor Group building logo. A smile appeared on her face; hope was just ahead.
However, as she crossed the tree-lined path and reached the road, the Mercedes suddenly appeared from the left like a lurking leopard, speeding straight towards her with clear intent.
Her pupils dilated. The Mercedes aimed directly at her with such speed that there was no time to dodge or brake. The next second, a huge impact hit her, throwing her to the ground. Her insides felt twisted with pain.
Callie lay on the ground, her laptop thrown aside. She saw bright red blood and more and more people gathering around.
All hope vanished. She wanted to move but had no strength left.
“No…”
Inside Oconnor Group.
Skye paced outside the meeting room, staring at the elevator with sweaty palms. “What’s going on? She’s not here yet, and the meeting is about to start.”
Her voice was low and shaky.
The meeting room was already filled with leaders from various departments. Litzy gritted her teeth, holding a coffee tray. “I’ll entertain the leaders for now. Skye, Callie will be here soon; she’s already on her way!”
Litzy entered the meeting room, serving coffee and water while explaining that Callie was stuck in traffic and asking for everyone’s patience.
At exactly ten o’clock, Nelson came down from the top floor with Cora following behind him. “Mr. Oconnor, you don’t need to attend this small design department meeting,” Cora said.