But her car remained stubborn and unresponsive, and she made several attempts to start it.
Meanwhile, Derekâs car was almost upon her.
Finally, the engine roared to life.
Nicole gripped the steering wheel tightly, veering to one side to avoid Derekâs imminent collision.
In terms of speed, her old manual car didnât hold a candle to Derekâs vehicle.
For now, her only choice was to evade him and run.
Even as she swerved, Derekâs silver sedan slammed hard into the left rear of her car, causing a loud boom.
The impact forced her trunk open, but Nicole was too busy to worry about that.
She floored the accelerator, speeding away in the opposite direction of the silver sedan.
This maneuver bought her some time as Derek turned around to chase her.
Just as Nicole anticipated, the silver sedan had also suffered damage from the crash and stalled several feet away from her.
However, Derek managed to quickly restart the car.
Just then, Derekâs phone screen lit up with an unknown number.
When he picked up the call, Alecâs voice came through.
âHave you taken care of it?â
Derekâs reply came through heavy breaths, his nose bleeding uncontrollably from the impact.
âNot yet successful,â he managed to say.
âYou canât handle one sickly woman?â Alecâs voice was laden with impatience.
âHer driving isnât bad, actually better than mine.
Itâs the first time Iâve ever hit anyone.
I just couldnât manage it well.
â
âDo it quickly,â Alec commanded, detached and cold.
Shivering, Derek pleaded, âCan I quit? Find someone else, please.
I can leave tonight and promise never to return.
Isnât that enough?â
Derek no longer wanted to be involved in this.
He yearned only to escape quietly.
Switching materials was one thing, but committing murder was something he couldnât fathom.
Initially, Derek had accepted money from Alec, agreeing to have Leighton move the blood samples with the understanding that he would flee the country once the job was finished.
Yet, Derek and Leighton had been involved before, and he had planned one last rendezvous before his departure, which delayed him.
He intended to slip away the next day by routes that would leave no trace.
Yet, when the situation escalated when Nicole confronted him, Derek called Alec in a panic, not anticipating that Alec would demand outright murder against Nicole.
However, Nicole was a living person.
Derek couldnât bring himself to kill her.
âYou can quit, sure,â Alec responded dismissively.
Derekâs relief washed over him.
âThank you! Youâre such a good man.
Iâll keep my mouth shut, I promiseâ¦â
âBut give me back the money I had paid you, and I wonât pay the rest,â Alec replied coldly.
Derekâs heart skipped a beat.
âBut thatâs not how it works.
â
He protested, âIâve completed the job.
How can you not pay? We had an agreement.
If you renege, I might not stay quiet!â
âThen go ahead and speak now.
If that woman doesnât die today, sheâll expose everything regardless.
Sheâs onto you.
Itâs more than just money at stake.
Brace yourself for the worst,â Alec snapped back.