Free Web NovelChapter 151: There’s A Car Following Us
Knowing that her daughter was coming, Corrine felt so relieved. But what she didn’t realized was that Michael had been following her the moment she got into her car, all the way to her office. He only left for the carpark when she had reached.
He didn’t intentionally go after her because he knew that she was not ready to see him yet.
As long as he still could see her now and then, Michael was willing to give Corrine time and space to digest the truths she had found out yesterday.
The moment Corrine reached the office, she noticed the tray of cut fruits placed on her table.
The way the fruits were plated, she knew they were cut since the morning.
Who put the tray of fruits on her table? Corrine knew very well.
Indeed, shortly after, someone came through the door.
Jill walked in, took a look at Corrine, and while smiling, drew near, "Corrine, I cut some fresh fruits for you this morning. Try some please."
Corrine pushed the fruit tray aside. It was very obvious that she was still angry.
She had always treated Jill like a sister. Her betrayal this time was something that Corrine could not accept. At least, it would take her some time to accept this.
"Please don’t be angry," Jill pulled on Corrine’s sleeves and whined. "I know I am at fault. Please forgive me. From now on, I promise to be on your side and no one else’s."
Corrine pushed away Jill’s hand and turned around in her chair, back facing her.
Jill immediately went to the other side and continued with her apology. "Corrine, my dear Corrine, I am so sorry. Think about it, I didn’t stand to gain anything out of this matter. I saw that Michael was really serious about you so, I decided to help him. At least, you both got to talk about what happened in the past. What happened in the past was just a misunderstanding. Now that it is all cleared up, don’t you think I had actually helped the both of you unknowingly?"
After hearing Jill’s explanation, Corrine threw the document in her hands on the table and swiveled around to stare at Jill.
Jill was stunned by the angry look. The smile on her face became awkward.
"JILL!" Corrine shouted her name.
"Yes..." Jill replied timidly.
"So, now you think that you are helping me?"
Corrine found this whole situation so ridiculous. "You really thought that I didn’t know that you were purposely provoking me? I guessed it but I didn’t want to risk it. I was afraid that you were serious about Michael. I was concerned that you might get hurt. So, even though I knew this could be a trap that Michael and you set up, I still went ahead. Do you know why? Because I genuinely treated you like my sister! What about you? Did you treat me like one too?"
Jill felt a wave of guilt and shame coming upon her after hearing Corrine.
Initially, she just wanted to know what exactly happened between Michael and Corrine. So, she went to seek out Michael out of curiosity. She didn’t know it would bring so much hurt to Corrine.
"I am really sorry," Jill hung her head down and whispered. This time, her apology was heartfelt.
Sensing Jill’s sincerity, Corrine couldn’t help but sigh.
After all, Jill was still young. And to be honest, she really did help her last night. She finally knew what exactly happened five years ago.
"Remember what you said today. I don’t wish to have a repeat, understand?" Corrine warned in a serious, no-nonsense tone.
Jill stood in attention with a salute and replied quickly, "Yes, madam! Understood."
"You can leave now," said Corrine.
Jill turned around and walked out. But halfway through, she came back and sheepishly asked,
"So, what is the situation now with you and Michael? I am on your side. Tell me, should I help you to reconcile or stop him from coming near you?"
"Mind your own business!" Corrine picked up the cup on the table and pretended to throw it towards Jill. But of course, she was just scaring her. This Jill could really be such a busybody.
Jill quickly escaped for her own safety.
***
Corrine was having a great day so far. The thought of Leah’s coming made her day.
After arriving home from work, she shared the news with Jake.
Jake was overjoyed to hear that his sister was coming!
Todd and Leah’s flight was scheduled to arrive at 10:30 a.m.
Corrine woke up early the next morning. She quickly dressed herself and her son. After taking their breakfast, they left for the airport.
Michael was on his way to Corrine’s house. He had bought her favorite breakfast and was on his way up to the house. But before he could do that, he saw Corrine leaving in her car.
Instinctively, he followed behind. Where was she going?
After a while, he realized that she was driving towards the airport.
He frowned, deep in thought.
What was Corrine doing at the airport?
Was she fetching someone?
Following quietly behind her, he realized she was not alone. She even brought Jake along with her.
This made Michael even more curious about who she was fetching. This person must be so important that she would bring Jake along.
There were several people at the airport, but Michael was still careful not to let Corrine notice him.
Corrine held on to Jake’s little hand. Her face was beaming with joy when she asked, "Your sister is reaching soon. Are you happy, Jake?"
"Yes! I’m so happy!" Jake excitedly replied. "The last time I saw Leah was at the airport in Rheinsville City. We were standing at a distance, but I could see her crying her heart out."
"Mummy is planning to take you back to Rheinsville City soon to live with Leah. Right now, she has no idea about your father. So, Jake, remember not to mention anything about Michael to her, ok?"
Corrine knew Leah had always wished that her father was with her, just like any other child. But her relationship with Michael now was complicated.
She had made up her mind to leave. To avoid disappointment, Corrine had no intention to tell Leah about her father. After all, ignorance is bliss.
Jake understood what his mum was trying to say. He nodded his head and said, "I know mummy. You’ve already told me last night. Leah is here as Uncle Todd’s daughter. I know what you are worried about. Don’t worry, mummy, I won’t let him know that Leah is also his daughter. I won’t allow the Lucas family to take us away from you."
Corrine was glad that her son was so sensible. But being so sensible could be tiring sometimes.
She caressed his head and led him to wait for the arrival of Todd and Leah.
It was finally 10:30 a.m.
Corrine scanned the crowd with expectation. She couldn’t wait to meet Leah.
Finally, she spotted Todd carrying Leah. They were both walking out with the crowd.
Following behind them was Todd’s assistant carrying their luggage.
Todd was also looking around and spotted Corrine. His face broke into a smile and he quickened his steps towards her.
"Mummy!" Leah exclaimed happily.
Corrine stretched out her arms. The next moment, Leah was in her embrace.
She kissed her little face lovingly and asked, "Was it tiring to be on the plane, Leah?"
"Not at all! Not at all!" Leah replied while showering kisses on Corrine’s face. "I wanted to see mummy, so the journey was not tiring at all."
"Really?"
After three long months, Corrine finally got to see her daughter. The last time she saw her was from a distance at the Rheinsville City airport.
"Really!" Leah answered with her big, round eyes wide open and pretended to be serious. What a cute kid!
"Thank you, Todd," said Corrine as she turned to Todd. She was sincerely grateful to him for bringing Leah.
"I’ve made reservations for your hotel. Let’s go over to put down your luggage. Once you have settled in, we can go for a meal. What do you think about my arrangement?"
Todd certainly had no objection. He would gladly follow her plan. They followed her out of the airport.
Michael was sitting in a corner. He saw Corrine fetching three people - two male adults and one little girl. His expression became solemn.
To avoid being discovered, he had kept a distance from Corrine. With the noise of the people around, there was no way he could listen to their conversation. But he noticed that Corrine was delighted to see the three of them.
He had rarely seen her smiling this way. It was a smile from the heart.
Subconsciously, Michael felt a sense of enmity towards the three people.
His senses told him that they were not just anyone. They must have meant more to Corrine than he imagined.
Without much thought, Michael followed after them.
Todd and the rest got into Corrine’s car and were happily chatting away.
He was sitting at the passenger’s seat while his assistant, Jake, and Leah were sitting behind.
"I heard that you’ve resigned from HG Enterprise. If you don’t mind me asking, is it because of challenges at work or personal reasons?" Todd asked Corrine after all the casual talk.
Her smile disappeared when he asked the question.
Todd realized that and immediately changed the topic. "I was just casually asking. You don’t have to answer me."
Todd had always been so understanding. He didn’t want to put anyone in a difficult spot.
Even though he was concerned about the status of Michael and Corrine’s relationship, he didn’t want to overstep his limit. If Corrine didn’t want to talk about it, he would just leave it. freewёbnoνel.com
"It’s not a secret," Corrine answered. "It’s just that I had thought it through. I want to go back to Rheinsville City and start my life afresh with Jake and Leah. Now that I know what happened five years ago, I no longer hate Michael as much. All I want is for my family to live a happy and peaceful life. By the way, I am planning to bring Jake and Leah to visit my mum tomorrow. I hope to be able to convince her to leave with me to Rheinsville City, but I think she might not agree."
Corrine’s mum was a primary school teacher. She had devoted her entire life to educating children. She probably would not go anywhere before her retirement.
She was barely 50. She could still take good care of herself without Corrine being around. Maybe in a few years’ time after her mum retired, Corrine would take her over to Rheinsville City to live with her. Or by then, Corrine could return to Lake City to live with her and the children.
These matters had always been on Corrine’s mind. But these concern the future. She could take her time to work out the details.
"I’m glad you’ve thought this through. I was concerned that you would be tormented by revengeful thoughts," Todd heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Corrine.
Todd looked out the window, taking in the sun and fresh air. He felt himself relaxing.
"Lake City is not such a bad place."
"Yes, maybe you should consider setting up a branch office in Lake City," replied Corrine. "It’s one of the fastest growing economic hubs in the country."
"Would you want to be the in-charge in the new branch?" Todd asked jokingly.
Just then, Todd looked at the rear-view mirror and his expression turned serious.
"Corrine, did you realize there is a car following us?" ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
"What? There is a car following us?" Corrine was concerned. "I didn’t notice."
"There’s a black car with a unique car number plate that’s filled with eights," Todd shared his observation. "I’ve got a feeling it had been following us for a long time."
Initially when Corrine heard that there was a car following them, she was afraid that someone was planning to kidnap them. But when she heard that the car plate was filled with eights, she was relieved.
And after that, she felt anger.
The people you wanted - Todd and Leah, were both here.
