Bill leaned up against the school bus and dialed Annaâs number. He remembered it because he had stolen Peaceâs phone before.
It took Anna a long while to answer the phone. She left the auditorium quietly through the side door. After pressing the answer button, she lowered her voice and asked, âHello?
âThe bus has a brake issue. Tell them to change buses.â
The moment she heard it, Anna tensed up and became terrified. Before she could ask who that was, Bill hung up the phone. Her mind kept replaying the straightforward but shocking message. It wasnât until a minute later that she called back immediately, only to find that she couldnât get through.
Just as Anna was about to return to the auditorium, she noticed the doors had been opened. And people rushed out of the jammed doorway. Immediately after that, Anna became alarmed and dashed toward the underground parking lot.
She instantly stopped in front of the bus owned by Birmingham High School. The last students were just getting on the bus at that point. Anna slammed the door shut and asked the driver to get out because she thought she had no time to explain to him what happened.
âWhatâs the matter with this woman?â The driver asked, frowning as he slowly began the engine.
Tammy, who heard the noise, looked out the window and exclaimed, âStop the car!â
The driver had no choice but to stop, Tammy jumped out of the car as 476 The White Lie soon as the door opened.
âBrake!â Anna yanked the driver out of the driverâs seat, panting.
The driver was startled after checking the brakes suspiciously. âDear God!â he exclaimed. After coming back to his senses, he asked Anna, âHow did you know there was a problem with the brakes?â
Anna didnât have time to explain, so she ignored him. She called the police first and hung up before saying, âIâll explain this to the police.â
For three days, Birmingham had been raining nonstop, and the air was extremely humid.
When Anna woke up in the bedroom, she heard the sound of raindrops outside the window. Frowning slightly, she opened the curtains and looked out.
The sky was so dark that Anna thought it was night. Somehow, as she looked up at the dark sky, Anna felt anxious and sorrowful for no reason.
After a shower, she entered the dining room and saw Wayne and Matthew reading the Financial Times. Tammy then walked downstairs in her school uniform. When she noticed the extra cutlery in the dining room, she asked, âIs Grandma back?â
âItâs Ryan,â Wayne looked up at her and answered.
Sitting next to Wayne, Anna sipped her milk. She raised her eyes âI heard he was helping police catch criminals abroad. Is this mission over?â Anna asked.
âYes, heâs now taking a break.â Wayne flipped over the paper, seemingly unconcerned about the situation. What surprised Anna was that Ryan had not told her of this but had instead told Wayne. 476 The White Lie âRead it after you finish your breakfast,â she said and snatched the newspaper from both of their hands.
Wayne and Matthew exchanged glances and skimmed their lips immediately brought breakfast to the two of them.
At that time, Tammy had already wiped her mouth and walked upstairs. She returned to the dining room a short time later with her schoolbag, saying, âLet the driver take me to school earlier today. You donât have to come with me.â
With that, she dashed to the entrance to change her shoes. The maid handed her an umbrella before she went out.
Wayne looked up at Tammy as she was about to take the umbrella âTammy, you donât have to go to school for a while,â he said slowly and softly.
âWhy?â Tammy loosened her grasp, and the umbrella thudded to the floor. Upset, she stood at the front door and looked over at Wayne, retorting, âI told you | didnât want to work for your company.â
Yesterday, Wayne offered Tammy a break from school to work for his company after returning from the police station with Anna.
Tammy refused and even got mad at him. She assumed Wayne wouldnât bring it up, but she wasnât expecting him to say that again.
Tammy went out again because she was so angry. However, as she turned around, she She stumbled a little as she smelled the rain, and Ryan caught her before she fell.
âAre you going to school? Why didnât you wait for me? You know Iâm going to come back home,â Ryan said to Tammy with a slight frown.
âOh, Uncle Ryan!â Tammy said with a smile after a brief pause.
Ryan then placed his hand on her shoulder. The heavy fabric of his uniform made her feel safe. They then walked to the dining table 476 The White Lie together.
âThe plane doesnât take off until ten oâclock. Please wait a little longer, Tammy:â Dressed in a soaked uniform, Ryan walked into the dining room, leaving muddy footprints from the doorway to the dining room Then he began eating the toast that was on the table.
âUnele Ryan, what are you talking about?â Tammy was baffled as to why even more confused when she heard his words.
âAh, you donât know about that? Didnât your dad tell you about it?â Ryan appeared to be hungry and quickly finished that slice of toast. He then glanced at Wayne unhappily.
âSorry, I havenât had a chance to tell her yet,â Wayne said calmly, setting his bowl down.
âAre you going to tell me about taking a break from school to work at the carousel?â Tammy asked angrily.
âHuh? No! | want you to go on a study tour to the US. New York University has recently begun recruiting students in England for a study tour. These students will spend a month and a half studying at ten most prestigious universities in America. This is an incredible opportunity for you!â
Tammyâs eyes widened as she exclaimed, âHuh? Attend college? But Iâm not yet in high school.â
âYou may also be eligible for guaranteed admission to a well-known local high school. If you have this experience, you might be able to get into the college you like later on!â
Ryan said, âI have two spots available here. Matthew has expressed an interest in going there, so there is only one spot left. Do you want to go, Tammy? If you donât want. III give it to a friendâs child.â 476 The White Lie âII go!â Tammy exclaimed joyfully and laughed. She had always wanted to study in America.
Wayne nodded as he took up the newspaper next to him, saying, âMatthew, you canât always work with me. You can travel to America to see if there is a college you want to attend and then prepare for it. You and Tammy can attend high school together in America next semester.â
Matthew nodded and seemed not interested in Wayneâs suggestion. He looked at Tammy thoughtfully. Tammy didnât notice their expressions, so she asked excitedly, âUncle Ryan, where did you get the spot?â
Ryan said, without looking up, âWe worked on an international information fraud case in collaboration with American authorities.
A Canadian police officer was in charge of the meeting with us. His father is a UNESCO employee who was recently in charge of the study tour. He brought it to me, so | asked for two spots for you guys.â
Right after Ryan finished his words, Anna realized that he was lying through his teeth. However, as innocent as Tammy was, she flushed with excitement and didnât even doubt a single word that Ryan had just uttered. She asked, âSo, when do we leave?â
Ryan looked at his watch as he lifted his wrist. âAt ten oâclock. You have two and forty-three minutes to get ready.â
Then Tammy took Matthewâs hand and led him to the second floor.
âDidnât you tell me that you had to go to school?â Wayne asked Tammy, raising his eyebrows.
Tammy took the final step and shook her head, saying, âThis matters more than school. Maybe Iâll be able to attend my dream college!â
âDonât worry, honey. You will make it,â Wayne looked at the last page of the paper and said gently. AT6 The White Lie Ryan raised his brows and smiled triumphantly as he watched them leave. Wayne caught a glimpse of his expression and then put the paper higher, pretending not to notice anything.
At the same time, Anna wrapped her arms around her chest, cast a serious look at the two men in front of her, and asked, âYou two planned all of this, right? âThe head of UNESCO? A study tour?â Tammy will realize youâre lying to her once she gets there.â
Knowing that Anna was about to blame him, Ryan lowered his head to eat his breakfast and used his elbow to poke Wayneâs arm. To Ryanâs surprise, Wayne put down the newspaper he was using to shield his face and said seriously, âIt was Ryanâs idea.â