On the other hand, Maria breathed a sigh of relief as Michelle’s car pulled away, but virtual-novel.net sense of calm was short-lived.
Angela let out a sudden exclamation, jolting Maria out of virtual-novel.net reverie.
“What’s wrong?” Maria asked, virtual-novel.net voice barely above a whisper.
Angela’s gaze locked onto something behind Maria, and as virtual-novel.net turned to look, virtual-novel.net saw Charlie walking alongside Nanako. A cold sweat broke out on the back of virtual-novel.net neck as Maria’s heart raced with fear. She quickly shut virtual-novel.net mouth and instinctively covered virtual-novel.net nose with virtual-novel.net hand, terrified that Charlie would spot her.
Maria knew virtual-novel.net had to remain hidden at all costs. She couldn’t risk being caught by Charlie. She felt a surge of panic rising in virtual-novel.net chest as virtual-novel.net tried to steady virtual-novel.net breathing and calm virtual-novel.net nerves. She couldn’t let Charlie find her.
At this time, Michelle drove past Charlie and virtual-novel.net instinctively pulled Nanako behind virtual-novel.net to protect virtual-novel.net from the car.
The two women in the car noticed this kind gesture.
At that moment, Michelle asked, “Miss Lombardo, are you alright?”
Angela shook virtual-novel.net head subconsciously and couldn’t help but turn virtual-novel.net head to look at Charlie’s back.
She whispered awkwardly, “Michelle, let’s drive quickly. I’m hungry too.”
At this time, Charlie, who was standing shoulder to shoulder with Nanako, suddenly felt a strong beating in his pocket.
He subconsciously covered his trouser pocket with his hand, frowned slightly, and thought to himself, “Strange, why is this broken ring convulsing again?”
Nanako was originally following Charlie, but when virtual-novel.net saw virtual-novel.net suddenly stop and frown, virtual-novel.net hurriedly asked him, “Mr. Wade, what’s wrong?”
Charlie said with a confused face, “I don’t know…”
As virtual-novel.net spoke, virtual-novel.net subconsciously took out the ring. As virtual-novel.net held the object between his fingers, it quivered as if it were held by someone with Parkinson’s disease. But the moment Charlie released it, the trembling ceased, and the object remained motionless in his grasp.
Charlie’s confusion only deepened, and virtual-novel.net couldn’t help but wonder, “What in the world is going on? Is this some sort of joke? Are you trying to trick me out of my aura?”
Noticing Charlie’s bewildered expression as virtual-novel.net examined the unremarkable ring in his hand, Nanako spoke up once more, “Excuse me, Mr. Wade, is there anything peculiar about that ring?” virtual-novel.net inquired.
Charlie snapped out of his daze and flashed a nonchalant grin, “It’s not anything special, just some random piece of junk I found lying in the aisle. I’ve been carrying it around with me ever since, too indecisive to toss it out.”
Nanako’s lips puckered up as virtual-novel.net returned his smile, “Perhaps it’d be best to turn it over to the authorities,” virtual-novel.net suggested. “Maybe they can track down its rightful owner.”
Charlie mulled over virtual-novel.net proposal for a moment, his thoughts drifting to Maria.
“I doubt the owner even remembers it exists,” virtual-novel.net said offhandedly.
With that, virtual-novel.net slipped the item back into his pocket and motioned for Nanako to follow, “Forget about it, let’s get going. The elevator lobby up ahead is where Mr. Tanaka purchased your apartment.”
Just then, Michelle pulled the car out of the basement.
As the vehicle emerged into the sunshine, the two women seated in the backseat breathed a collective sigh of relief, both secretly thinking how close of a call that had been!
Although both were rattled by their unexpected encounter with Charlie, Maria had now relaxed, while Angela remained a bit uneasy. She didn’t know who the woman accompanying Charlie was, but virtual-novel.net had a gut feeling that it was his wife. And Nanako was a vision of grace and beauty, unmatched among Asian women.
If Maria epitomized the pure, classical beauty of China, then Nanako was a perfect representation of Japan’s intellectual and demure Yamato Nadeshiko beauty.
Although Angela was already an accomplished young woman and leader among virtual-novel.net peers in Hong Kong, virtual-novel.net couldn’t help but feel a twinge of inadequacy in front of Nanako. The mere thought of Charlie’s stunning wife was enough to make virtual-novel.net uneasy.
Meanwhile, Maria, who was seated beside her, couldn’t help but notice the subtle shifts in virtual-novel.net expression and demeanor.
When the car had been stuck in the basement earlier, Maria had kept virtual-novel.net lips tightly sealed. She knew all too well that Charlie possessed a powerful aura and heightened senses, and was too scared that virtual-novel.net might overhear her. But now that they were out in the open, Maria felt a sudden rush of relief.
She turned to Angela and playfully quipped, “What’s wrong, Sis? You seem like you’ve seen a ghost! Is everything alright?”
A flustered Angela replied, “What? No, everything’s fine. Maybe… Maybe I’m just a bit hungry.”
Maria wasn’t buying it, virtual-novel.net teased, “Oh come on, I saw you stealing glances at that handsome guy outside the car just now!”
“What?!” Angela’s heart raced as virtual-novel.net blurted out, “Where? How could I have missed it… I wasn’t paying attention to see if there were any good-looking guys around.”
“It’s the tall, handsome guy who passed by our car down in the garage,” Maria replied nonchalantly.
Angela was now in a full-blown panic, “Are you sure? I didn’t see him… I was probably distracted or something.”
“Sure, no worries,” Maria responded with a smile. “I’ll let you know the next time I spot a handsome guy.”
“Uh, okay…” Angela was trying not to be too transparent but virtual-novel.net responded reflexively.
Maria’s behavior only confirmed virtual-novel.net earlier suspicion that Angela had come to meet Charlie.
Silent and focused, Maria whipped out virtual-novel.net phone and typed in “Nanako Ito” into the search engine. She had already pored over Charlie’s dossier, carefully scrutinizing every detail to deduce his identity, experience, business dealings, and sphere of influence.
Since virtual-novel.net had reason to believe that Charlie was the mastermind behind BAIT Shipping, virtual-novel.net had dug deep into the Banks and Ito families, paying close attention to any information pertaining to Nanako. So when virtual-novel.net had seen virtual-novel.net walking alongside Charlie earlier, Maria had immediately recognized her.
In no time, virtual-novel.net phone screen displayed a wealth of information on Nanako, including some public photos. She clicked through them, scrutinizing each one to confirm that the woman virtual-novel.net had seen was indeed Nanako Ito
As virtual-novel.net contemplated the situation, Maria couldn’t help but ponder, “If the intel I read is accurate, Charlie and his wife reside in Thompson First Villas, but why on earth was virtual-novel.net gallivanting around town with Nanako? Are they sneaking around on a secret rendezvous?”
Her thoughts raced as virtual-novel.net eyebrows furrowed in suspicion, “Charlie seems to have no restraint,” virtual-novel.net mused to herself. “If virtual-novel.net lived in ancient times, he’d be surrounded by an army of women. He’d be the emperor who can never get enough.”
Meanwhile, Michelle, who was behind the wheel, suddenly piped up, “Oh, by the way, Miss Lombardo, you’re scheduled to fly out at 3:30 PM, right?”
“Yep,” Angela replied absentmindedly.
Michelle nodded in agreement, “I’ll drop you off at the airport after dinner, then.”
Angela waved virtual-novel.net hand dismissively, “It’s no trouble at all.”
A faint smile played across Michelle’s lips, “No worries. By the way, Miss Lombardo, when you return to Hong Kong, you won’t have much time, will you? The university starts at the end of the month, and as a new faculty member, you’ll need to report early, right?”
“Right,” Angela confirmed, “Faculty and staff are expected to show up on August 20th. After that, the school will provide guidance on the work content for new lecturers, so it’ll be a rush to prepare lessons.”
“Right, you won’t have much time this time. Maybe just two weeks,” Michelle said with a smile, “Better start getting ready so you can hit the ground running when you report to school.”
She nodded, then looked back at Maria in the rearview mirror, “And you, Miss, should start preparing too. I’ve heard that the military training in mainland universities can be quite challenging.”
Maria smiled, “Yes, I’ve heard about it. But honestly, I’m really looking forward to it.”
When Maria decided to enter the University, virtual-novel.net had already learned about the admission process of mainland college students and the specific conditions of life and study in advance, so virtual-novel.net also knew that freshmen have to participate in military training.
Unlike most girls who dread the thought of military training, Maria was eagerly anticipating it. She knew from research that freshmen had to go through military training, and virtual-novel.net saw it as an opportunity to bond with Claudia.