Female Novel
Chapter 1358 Tenacious
Lúca landed a punch on the steering wheel and then slowly lifted his right foot, placing it on thedashboard. His ankle was visibly swollen and bruised, resembling a giant eggplant.
Abel and Emmeline were immediately stunned. It was evident that Luca had twisted his ankle duringthe fight last night, but he had kept it to himself.
“I really can’t control the throttle and brakes anymore. Luca said dejectedly. “I can’t feel my foot, and Iworry about causing an accident.”
“F*ck,” Abel cursed softly. “Are you trying to get us killed?”
Luca hung his head in silence, looking utterly defeated.
Abel picked up a water bottle and took several big gulps. Then he got out of the car, opened thedriver’s door, and shouted, “Get out of the car!”
Luca hung his head, almost on the verge of tears, and said, “I’m really sorry!”
Abel started the engine, ignited it, and the extended pickup truck instantly sped down the county road.
His face was covered in sweat, and only he knew how painful his ribs were. With one hand gripping thesteering wheel and the other unbuttoning his shirt, he pulled it off halfway, revealing his torso as hecontinued to drive forcefully.novelbin
By the time they crossed the provincial line, it was already lunchtime, and there was a farmhouserestaurant along the county road.
After parking the car, they had lunch in the shade of a tree.
Abel’s face was pale, and he had no appetite for food. He concentrated on carefully shucking corn forEmmeline.
“Abel. you should eat something. Skipping meals won’t do you any good,” Emmeline insisted.
“Don’t worry about me. I can go without food for three days,” Abel said with furrowed brows.
Emmeline picked up a garlic butter clam and fed it to him. When he ate it, she followed with a slice ofcorned beef.
With determination, she managed to feed him several bites of food.
“You two look like a couple from a fantasy novel, Luca remarked. “I feel so guilty; it’s all my fault.”
“Do you often encounter such incidents during your business trips?” Emmeline asked him.
The security situation has improved a lot in recent years,” Abel said. “But in the early years when westarted in sales, it was chaotic. We used to carry baseball bats under the car seats every day”
“Why would you do that?” Emmeline was puzzled.
“A baseball bat is a good weapon” Abel chuckled. “It’s handy in a fight, packs a punch without beinglethal!”
“I think you’re just a violent guy! Emmeline teased, wrinkling her nose at him.
Abel burst into laughter at her remark, but his laughter was quickly followed by a painful grimace as heclutched his ribs.
Emmeline was startled, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” Abel said while gritting his teeth. He gently rubbed her head. “Don’t be afraid. I’m atough guy!”
After finishing lunch, the sun was scorching hot, so the three of them took a short rest.
Emmeline curled up in the front passenger seat while Abel and Luca spread a blanket on the sandyground underneath the car and took a nap.
Luca’s foot was feeling better by the afternoon, so they took turns driving. They returned to Altney at9:20 p.m.
Luca drove back to the company, and along the way, he dropped the two of them off at the entrance totheir community.
The next day, Emmeline and Abel went to the hospital for an X-ray, confirming that Abel had twobroken ribs on his left side. Luckily, they were not displaced, and no surgical treatment was needed-rest and recovery would suffice.
Maxwell and Kimberly were unaware of the incident, and Emmeline understood that she couldn’t tellher parents. They doted on Abel like their own son, and if they found out that Abel had been in a fight,they would be furious.
On Tuesday, Emmeline returned to school as scheduled and met Joseph and Ysabel. Both of themhad. indifferent expressions as if nothing had ever happened.
At 5:30 p.m., her phone rang. Emmeline stepped out of the office and answered it.
It was Abel’s voice. “Did the… couple do anything to you?”
“No,” Emmeline mumbled. “It’s like I’m the one feeling guilty.”
“That’s good. Don’t worry too much. In a few days, everyone will forget about it.”
“Yeah.” Emmeline nodded.
“Um… Have you had any strange dreams?” Abel asked. Emma, have you?”
“Abel!” Emmeline scolded him. “Don’t be so superstitious. Mr. Murphy was probably just joking
“It’s better to believe there’s something rather than nothing.” Abel said, sounding somewhat uneasy.
“Says the guy who dared to sleep in a graveyard as a child,” Emmeline teased him. “If you’re soscared, why don’t you predict my future now?”