Chapter Nineteen
Monica's scream tore through the car as a figure stumbled directly into their path.
Alex's hunter instincts immediately took over. Her foot slammed on the brake, her arm shooting out across Monica's chest as the tires shrieked against the asphalt.
The car lurched to a stop mere inches from the woman who had collapsed onto the hood, her palms splayed against the warm metal, her entire body trembling.
Ren's eyes snapped open in an instant at the sudden impact as he almost got thrown in the front. His grip on the passenger seat tightened as a sudden headache rose in his head from his disrupted sleep. 'What the hell!?'
A blue screen flickered immediately in front of his eyes.
[A useful connection has appeared! All rewards of the special mission have been transferred to the host. Have a good day!]
'What?' Before Ren's mind could register the words on the screen, Alex's sudden voice spiked his headache.
"What the hell! If you want to die, find another car!" Alex threw the car into park, her heart hammering against her ribs.
After a good three seconds of trying to control her erratic heartbeat, Alex's angered eyes finally lifted from the steering wheel as they landed on the figure of the woman whose hands were on the car hood as if she could stop it with them.
'Crazy wom–,' Alex's curse freezed in her mind as her eyes landed on the shiny piece of jewel on the victim's finger. 'That ring…'
"Miss Lavel?"
'Fuck! Of all people, why is it Elena Lavel?!' Panic kicked into Alex's veins as she slammed her side of the door open and rushed to the front, bowing herself in a perfect ninety and fisting her trembling hands behind. "Miss. Lavel, are you okay? I apologise for what happened!"
The lady in the front, pulled back from the vehicle as she ran her fingers through her monochromatic pink hairs, pushing them back and controlling the trembles running through her body before looking up through the mirror, drowning in a set of beautiful onyx eyes immediately.
Ren's eyes locked with the beautiful pink ones as a lump formed in his throat upon witnessing this royal like beauty. 'If this is the important connection given by the system, I must leave a good first impression on her.'
Ren immediately opened his side of the door, shocking Alex as she stood straight immediately, confusion brimming her eyes. 'How does a broke college professor know Miss Lavel? Hmmm… Ren Esper, you are making my time spent seducing you worthwhile.'
"Miss Lavel seems in a hurry to get to her job that she didn't even have time to notice a speeding car before crossing the road." Ren smiled gently at Elena, making a blush crawl up her cheeks as she tore her gaze away from Ren's onyx eyes.
"I..." Elena's voice came out as a whisper, barely audible over the idling engine. She cleared her throat, straightening her posture with visible effort. "I apologize for the inconvenience. I wasn't paying attention since I am getting late for my new job."
Alex's head swiveled between Ren and Elena like a tennis spectator.
Her emerald eyes narrowed, trying to decipher the sudden tension crackling in the air. 'Elena Lavel, the daughter of Rounah Lavel, director of Elexian Tower and the undercover researcher of Hunter Safety Association, is apologizing to Ren? Why?'
Monica, still in the passenger seat, gripped the door handle until her knuckles turned white. Her ruby eyes fixed on Elena's face, then drifted to Ren's profile, then back to Elena.
'How dare this bitch look at my boyfriend like he's the last man on earth.' Monica's jaw tightened as she cursed at Elena in the back of her back which was completely new for someone as sweet as Monica. 'I knew today was going too well.'
Ren, oblivious to the storm brewing behind him, took a step closer to Elena. His eyes dropped to her hand still pressed against the car hood, noting the way her fingers trembled slightly.
"Where do you work?" Ren clicked his tongue at Elena's shivering state before taking a glance at the jealous Monica inside. 'Monica is acting weird. Maybe it's because she's hungry. Haiz… I need to solve this useful connection situation quickly.'
"Takeway Restaurant. DM Mall." Elena mumbled, staring at Ren with the eyes of a shy lover. Her cold, analytical brain turned into a complete mess. 'Who is this guy? Why can't I look away from him?'
Ren opened his mouth to respond, but Alex beat him to it, though her tone was no longer panicked. "What a coincidence! My gym is on the second top floor of DM Mall. Vance? You might have heard of it."
"I have."
"Then, it's settled. Please allow us to drop you, Miss Lavel, to make up for this accident." Ren offered with a smile, making Elena's quickened heartbeat beat even faster as she withdrew her hand from the hood.
"Only because I'm getting late." Elena whispered as her side glance fell on the lady seething with jealousy inside the car, making her shiver.
Ren acknowledged her with a quiet nod. He guided Elena to the backseat, opened the door, and waited until she was comfortably seated before closing it with a soft click.
"Alex, sit in the back. I'll drive." Ren sighed. His smile fading in an instant as he made his way to the driver's seat.
However, before he could open it and settle inside. His eye fell on the tiny glint in between leaves, flashing on the rear view mirror that was twisted a little upwards.
'I need to get that weapon draw as soon as possible.' Ren sucked in a huge breath as without another thought he quickly settled inside, making the engine roar to life.
"Boss, this is our chance. Should we shoot them all down? The target is in clear view." High above, tucked into the thick branches of a nearby tree, a sniper asked for approval keeping his gun fixed on the target and body motionless.
Beside him, his boss rested with unsettling calm, closed eyes, breathing even and leisurely chewing on a grass straw, as if the thirty-foot drop beneath him didn't exist.
"No." The boss whispered as he opened his eyes, looking down at the car that was now driving away from the location. "No need."
"Let them go." His red eyes were filled with disinterest as he spat out the grass straw, allowing his lips to curve into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"It's been a while, old friend."