Callie was forcibly pressed into the passenger seat as Jaquan fastened her seatbelt. Seeing this, she gave up struggling entirely. Jaquan sped through the deserted streets without saying a word to her until they reached near the Paucaster Villa, where he finally hit the brakes.
He didn’t rush to open the car door. “Do you believe that in the next few days, the headlines won’t be about the engineering issues, but rather about the Ellison family’s beloved daughter returning home?”
Callie believed him. She looked despondently at everything in front of her. Jaquan had the power to suppress news of the engineering failure, and Maevelyn’s return home could indeed shock the entire nation. After all, the Ellison family had been searching for their daughter for over a decade, a fact known to everyone. Now that she was finally found, the media would have plenty to write about.
Jaquan glanced at her. “Your car will be brought back tomorrow.”
The vehicle unlocked. Callie didn’t respond. She unbuckled her seatbelt and walked directly into the Paucaster Villa.
In the dead of night, only a dozing servant was on duty at the villa. She was startled to see Callie return looking so distraught and glanced back several times. “Madam… why are you back at this hour? I thought you were staying at the old mansion tonight…”
Callie, exhausted, had no energy to explain. The servant didn’t dare ask more and could only watch her back, hesitant to speak.
Tonight had been overwhelming, with each event exceeding her emotional limits, leaving her utterly drained. She wanted to sleep well, but lying on the cold bed, she couldn’t fall asleep.
If it weren’t for the occasional sound of fireworks outside, she might have forgotten it was New Year’s Eve. She mustered the courage to unlock her phone, which was empty-no return call from Nelson, not even a message.
She couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing now. Was he with Maevelyn? They must have a lot to talk about. The thought cut her like a knife. She curled up, covering her ears with her hands, trying to stop herself from overthinking.
No, Nelson wouldn’t do that. Callie, you should trust him.
She hypnotized herself this way and finally fell asleep, only to have a nightmare. In it, one moment Elisha was talking to her, and the next she was a corpse in the ruins, horrifyingly disfigured. She ran frantically but stumbled upon Nelson embracing another woman intimately, as if they were the real couple.
Callie couldn’t bear it and woke up with a scream, drenched in cold sweat. She looked outside; dawn was breaking.
A servant knocked on the door. “Madam, is everything alright? Do you need me to come in?”
Callie’s lips were dry and cracked. She murmured, “No need.”
She didn’t dare sleep again and just curled up, waiting quietly for daylight.
Three hours later, it was fully bright outside. A car engine sounded-it was Jaquan’s people bringing her car back. The servant negotiated with them.
About half an hour later, the sound of a Porsche engine echoed as it parked steadily in the yard. The servant approached. “Sir is back.”
The sound was downstairs but felt as distant as the horizon. Callie listened as Nelson entered, climbed the stairs, and carefully turned the doorknob as if afraid to wake her.
Once inside, Nelson walked lightly. He lifted the blanket to check on her closed eyes and steady breathing before tucking her in again. Then he went into the bathroom, and the sound of running water began.
Callie opened her eyes. Suddenly, she didn’t know how to ask him anything.