Elijah laughed and said, “You don’t think that you can do a business out of what you put in the plan, do you? There is no harm in cooperating with me. In fact, I’ll make your business plan sing.”
“I need you to keep me safe because….”
“I know you have a kid and a husband. Except for your driving skills, I’m not interested in you.” Elijah laughed scornfully.
Scarlett felt speechless and became flushed. After they left, Eve was finally released by Elijah’s henchmen. She bounded Scarlett in a hurry.
“What happened? What did he say? Tell me everything!” Eve said.
“I agreed. I agreed to race for him.” Scarlett replied.
It was now 7:50 pm, and it was getting quite dark outside. Eve was becoming frantic because she still had not received any word at all from Scarlett. She grew increasingly worried and began sweating profusely. After a second thought, she decided to call Francis because she feared that something bad had really happened to Scarlett. What if she lost the race? The earlier she called Francis, the better Scarlett’s chances of surviving this dangerous deal. She cursed herself for having let Scarlett cut this stupid deal to begin with.It’s Eve, Francis. I’m calling you because Scarlett is in trouble. Or at least I think she might be....”Upon hearing that, Francis instantly sat up and asked worriedly, “What happened? Is she okay? Tell me what’s going on. I need to know all the details. Don’t leave anything out.&rd
Amanda was waiting right outside the arrivals exit for Scarlett. Scarlett saw her as soon as she got out and waved at her enthusiastically.“Madam!” Amanda said respectfully, nodding her head a little bit.Once Scarlett and Francis had separated, Amanda had had a hard time figuring out how she should refer to Scarlett. She had no time right then to consider the various possibilities, so she just went with “madam” at the moment. She hoped nobody would notice how awkward she was about the whole ordeal.Scarlett jumped into the car and asked carefully, “So…what exactly is going on? Was it just an accident? Or was it, like, a hit and run? Please tell me! I have to know the details as soon as possible.”Sitting in the car, Amanda pee
Francis reached his hand out to tenderly wipe away Scarlett’s tears. Her cheeks were streaked. “Scarlett, you know what, since I married you, I promised myself that I would never do anything that might endanger my life. Do you know why? It’s because I’m a family man. I’ve always been like that. I don’t want my loved ones ever to be worried about me….”When she heard that, Scarlett knew she was wrong again, so she just stayed quiet.Francis continued, “I never doubted that you’re basically a pro racecar driver… but I couldn’t help but worry about you. How did you feel when you heard that I had a car accident? How do you feel? Does your heart hurt?”“I feel like I’m in hell!” she answered
With a big smile on her face, Scarlett felt, if only for a moment, that the world was indeed a wonderful place.Scarlett gave a big kiss on his face and felt refreshed and full of energy. After that, she jumped out of bed and went to the kitchen to make some soup for Francis.Once she got the soup ready, she sat at the table and read a magazine. She intended to call Francis first before she went to the hospital, but after a second thought, she changed her mind. She would surprise him instead.Right then, Scarlett heard crying from upstairs. She saw Grace walking with Carlos in his arms. Apparently, Carlos had become very upset when he didn’t see his mother as he got up. He lost his temper and had started to cry profusely.“Oh, my little sweetheart, don’
Old Mrs. Sandler reached her hand out, with her well-manicured nails, and gently patted Carlos’s back. Her eyes were filled with pure affection.After he finished his meeting, Francis started to have the time to entertain his parents.“I’m very fine. Don’t worry about me! You didn’t even have to come all the way down here just to see me.” he said concisely.“When did she come back?” His father asked, referring to Scarlett.“The day before yesterday!” Francis said as he looked up. He knew that Scarlett was trying to avoid her parents, and that’s why she was busying herself with mundane, menial tasks.And then Old Mrs. Sandler sat up and said, “I’ve n
“What? Weren’t you married to him? How the fuck did you marry someone who won’t even listen to you then, Eve?”“Well, I was blinded by love then. I know you know exactly what that’s like, Scarlett.” Eve said, scoffing at Scarlett’s high-minded advice.“What about your mother’s first boyfriend? Could he help you?” Scarlett asked.“Him? If I ask him for help, my mother will kill me!” Eve said angrily. Something occurred to her, and she said, “Do you know how long Vivian was sentenced for?”“How long?” Scarlett asked.“Ten years!” Eve said happily.“Okay,” she
“So, what do you think we should do? Do you have any ideas?” Scarlett asked in a whisper. She was worried that Francis would overhear the conversation, so she had run into the bathroom and was speaking as quietly as she could to avoid getting found out.“We gotta use our wisdom to defeat them!”Scarlett knew that Eve was in the same boat as she was, but Eve was hardly thinking straight right then. Scarlett disconnected the call and sauntered out of the bathroom. What awaited her was, of course, Francis’s cold shoulder.Fortunately, she was a little busier than Eve; at least she had her studies to stop focusing on Francis's issues.That same day, all kinds of people came by the hospital to see Francis. As his wife, Scarlett had to entertain t
Francis held her in his arms and brushed the hair back from her face, and asked, “Are you hungry?”However, Scarlett didn’t answer him. It turned out that she had fallen asleep again.Francis just breathed a deep sigh. All said and done, he felt relieved. Scarlett was pregnant with their baby, not suffering from any life-threatening disease that might kill her. The pregnancy signaled joy and hope for the future. Now, with another baby on the way, she would be compelled to stay with him and bring the child up with all the love and compassion she had in her heart.Francis bent his head down and kissed her cheek gently. He whispered, “I’m sorry, Scarlett. I’m sorry for everything. I hope you know that I love you more than anyone in this world. I’ll keep you safe no matter what.