Chapter 267
After the students had wiped their eyes and packed up, they all headed home. Kaylee and Flora walked side by side, the weight of the day still heavy on their shoulders.
Flora glanced over at Kaylee, noting the dark circles under her eyes and the pallor of her skin. She figured Kaylee was just stressed about the upcoming exams. “Don’t worry too much,” Flora said, trying to be reassuring. “If you just do your best, you’ll be fine.”
“Yeah,” Kaylee replied, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
The truth was, her stress wasn’t just about the exams. It was about her future. She had told her mom she wanted to study fashion design, but her mom was dead set on her pursuing finance. This had led to several heated arguments between them.
On the third floor of their high school, across from Class E, the class president caught up to Carina. “Hey, you forgot your pencil case, he said, handing it to her.
Carina had been lingering in the hallway, lost in thought. “Thanks,” she mumbled, taking the pencil case.
“What were you looking at?” he asked, curious.
“Nothing much,” she replied, shaking her head.
“Well, good luck on your exams. I hope you have a bright future,” he said with a smile.
“You too,” Carina said, but her eyes were elsewhere. She watched Flora and Kaylee walking together below and clenched her pencil case tightly. With Flora around, it seemed like her own future would always be in the shadows.
Determined, Carina hurried downstairs, trailing behind Kaylee and Flora.
At the school gate, Faith’s car was waiting. After saying goodbye to Flora, Kaylee got into the car.
“Good luck on your exams, Flora,” Faith said, rolling down the window.
“Thank you, Mrs. Faith,” Flora replied with a smile.
Faith drove off, and Flora waited a moment longer until she saw Henrik’s car. She jogged over, opened the passenger door, and hopped in, tossing her pencil case and admission ticket onto the back seat.
From her spot under a large tree, Carina watched Henrik’s car pull away. She took out her phone and made a call. “They’ve left the school. The license plate is…”
Inside Henrik’s car, the atmosphere was relaxed.
“Dad wants to know what you’d like for dinner,” Henrik said.
“Lobster Thermidor!” Flora exclaimed without missing a beat.
“No way,” Henrik said, shaking his head. “You can’t have greasy food two days before the exams. It might upset your stomach.” Flora slumped in her seat, defeated. “Fine, whatever…”
Henrik chuckled at her reaction. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a taxi that seemed to have been following them for a while. He frowned, but shook off the feeling. Who would be following them, anyway?
In the taxi, Carina ducked slightly, sensing Henrik’s gaze.
At a red light, Henrik stopped the car, waiting for it to turn green. Once it did, he drove off, taking a turn onto an arch bridge where the traffic was lighter.
Suddenly, a truck from the opposite direction swerved out of control, heading straight for them. Henrik’s heart raced as he yanked the teering wheel to the side. But a car was in the lane next to them, leaving him with no safe direction to turn.
There was a woman holding a child in the passenger seat of the other car. Henrik made a split–second decision. He turned the wheel hard to the right, aiming for the bridge railing. Slamming on the brakes, he leaned over, pulling Flora into his arms, holding her tightly as they braced for impact.