She responded with a nod.
“Alright.” Nelson held her trembling body in his arms, gently stroking her head. “I’ve already started investigating. We’ll have results in a few days. For now, focus on recovering, okay?”
Callie buried her face in his warm chest, inhaling his clean scent. Her shaking subsided a bit. “I always thought I wasn’t afraid of death, but at the moment of the crash, I felt the distance between life and death. Nelson, I don’t want to die…”
Tears soaked through his shirt, sending a chill to Nelson’s heart. His expression grew increasingly grim.
“As long as I’m here, you won’t die.”
After a moment, she asked, “How did the meeting go? Did I ruin it?”
Nelson didn’t let go. “I told you, with me backing you up, nothing can go wrong.”
A warm feeling filled Callie’s fearful heart. “Do people have a bad impression of me?”
“If you want to make up for it, pull yourself together and attend the online meeting tomorrow.”
Hearing that there was still a chance to fix things, Callie finally stopped crying and pulled away from his embrace. “Really?”
Her face was covered in tears. Nelson took out a tissue and wiped them away. “Really.”
Callie was about to say something when she noticed a figure standing at the door out of the corner of her eye. She froze. “Cora?”
Cora held some documents and had been standing there for an unknown amount of time, her expression unreadable.
Callie realized something was wrong and quickly pulled away from Nelson’s embrace. Nelson’s hand fell empty as he sat down. “What’s the matter?”
Cora finally walked in, glancing at the person on the bed with a hesitant look.
Nelson knew what she was thinking. “She’s one of us. Just say it.”
Cora bit her lip. “The trap set for Nash has caught Larry.”
Nelson opened the documents and skimmed through them, understanding the situation. “Where is he?”
“He was caught on his way to the airport and is being taken for questioning. He knows very little. Last night, he signed the divorce agreement.”
“What about Mrs. Blair?”
“She’s also in custody.”
“Ensure she gets out unscathed before this is over.”
Callie leaned against the pillow, carefully observing Cora’s businesslike expression. She was surprised by Nelson’s words. “Are you really going to protect her? Mr. Oconnor, if she does something against us…”
“You don’t understand a mother’s mind; she won’t.” Nelson reassembled the documents, speaking lightly as if he had everything under control.
Cora left, closing the door behind her, restoring silence to the room.
Callie regained her composure and rationality, though her voice was still hoarse. “Mr. Oconnor, aren’t you afraid I’ll spill such big secrets?”
His face was softly lit from an angle, making him look gentle as he smiled. “Even if I gave you the courage to speak, would you dare?”
Callie was at a loss for words, feeling somewhat aggrieved. “You let Cora know my identity so easily; aren’t you afraid something will go wrong?”
“She won’t.”
Callie had nothing more to say. The next day, Cora brought a computer for her to attend the online meeting.
Nelson left the room with his men, catching a glimpse of Callie nervously exhaling at the computer.
“How’s the investigation going?” He held an unlit cigarette in his mouth, lacking a lighter. Cora pulled one from her bag and lit it for him.
“The Mercedes was rented from a dealership. I checked the driver’s identity; he has no connection to anyone within Oconnor Group. It probably wasn’t their doing.”