The Scent of 26

Chapter 26

Zeke didn’t expect her to agree so decisively. “You…”

Celeste stretched out her hand as she said, “Thank you for taking care of me over the years.”

Zeke hadn’t yet recovered from his surprise but still reached out to shake her hand. “It was nothing.”

Then, Celeste packed her things and left.

Zeke was still in disbelief as Celeste walked away.

“Why are you zoning out?” Jacob patted him on the shoulder.

“Celeste left the company,”

Jacob paused for a moment. “Really?”

He couldn’t believe it.

He then said with a snort, “She might be leaving now, but that doesn’t mean she won’t find a way to come back. I bet not long from now, she’ll be back with help from Mrs. Heming Senior.”

Zeke didn’t say anything. Though it seemed unbelievable, he was starting to think Celeste might actually be serious about leaving after the way she had been acting recently.

After leaving Fleming Group, Celeste went straight home. She didn’t receive any calls from Jordyn in the next two days as the latter was probably occupied with Wynn.

Late into the night the following day, Lottie developed a fever.

Celeste hurriedly closed the book she was reading, grabbed the car keys, and left the house.

It had been raining all day, and the rain showed no signs of letting up even at this hour.

Lottie lived in the old town area, and there were hardly any people or cars on the road.

Celeste stopped by a pharmacy near Lottie’s neighborhood to pick up some medicine. As she was getting into the car, she suddenly heard the passenger side door open, and a tall figure got in.

Celeste’s heart skipped a beat. As she turned her head, a black gun barrel was pointed straight at her.

Don’t move.”

The man was dressed in black and wore a mask. The brim of his hat was pulled low to obscure his face, though she could see his cold and sharp gaze.

Celeste raised her hands slightly and remained still.

He took her bag and phone. “I won’t harm you. You can leave after you take me where I need to go.”

Before Celeste could react, he ordered coldly, “Drive.”

The area around them was completely deserted and the pharmacy was a bit of a distance away.

While Celeste assessed the situation, she noticed a strong, pungent smell of blood in the car. She paused, then started the engine and asked, “Where to?”

“Silverleaf Wharf. I’ll tell you the specific directions.”

“No need, I know the way,” Celeste responded and drove off

+25 BONUS

Chapter 26

For the rest of the ride, Celeste focused on driving while the man remained silent.

Silverleaf Wharf was about half an hour away, and Celeste drove with steady precision. The man kept his gun up, and the way he looked at her slowly changed.

But Celeste didn’t notice.

After a while, he spoke again. “Stop under the tree ahead.”

“Okay.”

Celeste smoothly pulled over. The man’s gun was still aimed at her. As he got out of the car, she retrieved her bag and calmly started to go through it.

“I have some medicine for your wound,” she said.

The strong scent of blood in the car grew more intense during the drive, and Celeste knew the man must have been seriously injured.

The man hesitated but ignored her offer. He got out of the car and quickly disappeared into the darkness. Since he hadn’t accepted her help, Celeste didn’t push it. She turned the car around and left.

A few minutes later, the man boarded a boat that had come to pick him up. He removed his hat and mask, and his phone rang. As he had someone tend to his wound, he answered the call.

you. Where

Before he could speak, Miles hurriedly asked, “Beck, are you alright? My men said they didn’t get to you. are you?”

“There was a little incident, but I’m at the wharf now.”

“Good, that’s a relief. What happened? You scared me to death!”

After a brief exchange, Beck hung up the phone and looked at the tree in the distance, deep in thought.

Celeste had returned to Lottie’s place about half an hour later.

After taking her medicine and eating some food, Lottie felt a little better.

“Why do I smell blood? Cel, did you get hurt?” she asked with a frown.

“No.”

It was the man who had been injured. When he took her phone and bag, some of the blood had gotten on them. She had wiped it when she got back, but apparently, she hadn’t cleaned it all off.

Chapter 27

Chapter 27