Chapter 40

Chapter 40 Hey, Josh.” Charlene reached out her hand. “Thanks for looking out for me all these years.”

Josh was still in a daze but shook her hand. “Don’t mention it.”

After gathering her things, Charlene left.

Josh couldn’t believe Charlene had gone.

“What are you spacing out for?” Coy slapped him on the shoulder.

“Charlene left the company.”

Coy paused, “For real?”

Could she bring herself to leave? He was skeptical.

He scoffed, “Sure, she’s gone now, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try to worm her way back in. Just wait. She’ll be back before we know it, probably with Irma pulling some strings for her.”

Josh remained silent. It seemed unbelievable, but he felt she was serious based on the vibe he’d been getting from Charlene lately.

After leaving Henderson Group, Charlene went straight home.

Seemingly preoccupied with Vesta again, she didn’t get any calls from Jasmine for the next few days.

Late in the night, Connie started running a fever. Charlene quickly shut her book, snatched up her car keys and bolted out the door.

It had been raining all day and hadn’t stopped till then. Connie lived in the old town area. At this hour, the streets were empty.

She stopped by a pharmacy near Connie’s place to pick up some medicine. When she returned to her car, the passenger door slammed open, and a towering figure slid in.

Charlene’s heart skipped a beat. As she turned, she saw a black gun pointed at her.

“Don’t move.” The man was in black, wearing a mask and a hat that pulled low, obscuring his face, but his gaze was cold and sharp.

Charlene raised her hands slightly, not daring to move further.

The man took her purse and phone. “I won’t harm you. Just drive me where I need to go, and you’re free to go.”

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

The area was eerily quiet, with no cars or people, and the pharmacy was some distance away.

While Charlene was figuring out what to do next, she picked up a heavy scent of blood in the car.

Taking a moment, she started the car and asked, “Where to?”

“Keep going to Silver Wave Port. I’ll tell you the way.”

“No need. I know the way,” Charlene said, pulling onto the road.

Then, as Charlene focused entirely on driving, she didn’t miss a beat, her driving smooth and meticulous. As the man saw this, gun his hand, he started seeing her differently, but she was clueless.

Eventually, he instructed, “Stop under the oak tree ahead.”

“Okay.” Charlene parked smoothly by the roadside, his gun still trained on her. As he got out, she retrieved her purse, calmly searching through it before him. “I have some first aid supplies here.”

The smell of blood had only grown stronger in the half–hour drive. Charlene knew he must be seriously injured.

The man paused but ignored her offer, exiting the car and quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Seeing he didn’t want her help, Charlene didn’t insist, turning the car around to leave.

A few minutes later, the man boarded a boat waiting for him, removing his hat and mask. His phone rang as he was getting his wounds treated. Picking up, he heard Moran’s anxious voice before he could speak, “Granger, are you okay? My guys said they didn’t pick you up. Where are you?”

Granger answered, “I ran into trouble, but I’m at the dock now.”

Moran sighed. “That’s a relief. How did such a thing happen? I was worried sick!”

After a moment, hanging up, Granger stared at the distant oak tree, lost in thought.

Charlene returned to Connie’s half an hour later.

After popping her pills and slurping some soup, Connie’s mood brightened a bit, but then she frowned, “Why do smell blood? Charlene, are you hurt?” she asked.

.

09:51 It was the man who was injured. When he took her phone and purse, his blood had smeared onto them. She had cleaned them upon returning, but it seemed she hadn’t wiped them down thoroughly.

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