Chapter 9 Near-death Experience

"Elena, did you use a honey trap on Flint? Why did he sign a contract with you? You seduced him, didn't you?" Addy was displeased as they left the Hogan Company.

The numerous contracts he signed in the past three days were huge.

However, they were nothing compared to the one Elena just signed. Hers was worth three hundred million dollars.

It was far more valuable than all of Addy's contracts in total.

This only meant one thing. Elena was going to remain the president of Hytai!

For a moment, Elena's ambition had driven her to consider using a honey trap. But to her surprise, Flint readily agreed to sign the contract without needing her any effort. It was a miracle!

"Watch your mouth, Addy. Don't talk nonsense!" Elena's face darkened.

"Nonsense? I had painstakingly lobbied to get a deal from Flint, but he refused. However, he readily signed a contract with you once he met you. How was that possible if you didn't offer your body to him? Do you take me for a fool, Elena?" A ball of fury erupted in Addy's head. The fact that Elena beat him at the last minute made him even more furious. It was as if the position of president was snatched away once it almost touched his hand.

"Addy, have you forgotten my warning? Do you want to get beaten so bad?" Lyndon walked up to him with a murderous glint in his eyes. Addy cowered and stepped back.

The next second, he felt ashamed of himself for quivering in the face of a loser.

"Grandma must hear this. I'll tell her that you sold your body to Flint. You are destroying our family's reputation!" Addy shouted, entered his Porsche, and drove away before Lyndon could make good his threat.

"Elena, I knew you could do it. Good job!" Lyndon praised her with a proud smile.

Elena still couldn't believe her luck. She asked in a low voice, "Who owns the number you gave me? Why was Mr. Ortiz so polite to me?"

Lyndon had already cooked up a believable lie before now. He explained, "It belongs to an old friend of mine. As for Mr. Ortiz, I heard that he's a brilliant and educated man. He's naturally reasonable and he can see through people. Your proposal was good and you were honest with him.

As a businessman, his top priority is to make profit. He saw an irresistible opportunity, so he took it. That explains why he was so polite and willing."

This explanation made sense to Elena. She nodded her head thoughtfully. It seemed that her efforts had finally paid off.

But she did the barest minimum to convince Flint. Why did this not work on the other clients?

Doubtful thoughts began to creep into Elena's mind again. However, she quickly shook her head to wave them aside. She didn't want anything to kill her joy now that she had finally signed a huge deal.

A gust of cold wind suddenly blew. It ruffled her hair and made her legs tremble.

Elena took a look at the electric bike and said, "It's late and cold. Let's leave in my car."

Lyndon couldn't believe his ears. This was the first time she offered him a ride in her car.

They both entered the car. Much to their surprise, the engine refused to start. The car seemed to have developed a fault.

"Well, I guess it's time to buy a new car." Elena rubbed the steering wheel and sighed helplessly. The car was a gift from her grandfather years ago.

It was a luxury car back then.

She had used it for so many years, so she reckoned that it was time to let it go.

Catching the helplessness in her eyes, Lyndon said, "No worries, I'll just hail a taxi."

"Why hail a taxi when we can take your bicycle? It runs, doesn't it?" Elena pointed at the bicycle.

She walked over to it.

Lyndon was stunned. He couldn't believe that she wanted to take a ride on his rickety bicycle.

"I don't think that is a good idea. The night is cold and you are wearing thin clothes. Let's take a taxi instead." Lyndon didn't want her to catch a cold, so he tried to talk her out of riding his bicycle.

Stamping one of her feet, Elena insisted impatiently, "Cut the crap, Lyndon. Time is not on my side. Or don't you want to give me a ride?"

"Of course, I'd love to give you a ride." Lyndon couldn't refuse anymore. He got on the bicycle immediately.

Never had he ever given Elena a ride on his bicycle.

Lyndon helped her put on the helmet. He also assisted her to sit behind him. His eyes caught glimpse of her beautiful legs under the dim light. "Sit still, Elena."

Lyndon looked at her beautiful face and then rode his bicycle.

"Oh, my beloved bicycle is like a rocket. It runs fast and never gets stuck in a traffic jam. It gets me home safely and keeps me away from any harm. You can feel the wind on your ears as it takes us to our destination!"

Lyndon rode his bicycle on the road. He was so happy that he composed a song and sang it wholeheartedly.

His mind was void of any worries. Everything seemed just right at this moment.

Elena couldn't help shaking her head as she listened to the melodious song. A smile was plastered on her face.

The past few months had been hectic for her.

All the problems that she faced in the company had completely stressed her out.

But that changed tonight. She was happy and at peace now.

"Ahem! Lyndon, I've always been curious about something. My family has made life hard for you. Why do you always smile through it all?" Elena asked curiously.

"Because of you." Lyndon suddenly sped up.

"Huh? Because of me?" Elena stared at his back in a daze.

Everything he did tonight was also because of her. He had kicked Addy to the floor because of her.

He also came to pick her up tonight and helped her secure a huge deal.

It occurred to Elena that Lyndon wasn't bad like her family painted him to be.

"Are you... Are you cold?" It wasn't until this moment that Elena noticed his thin clothes. She felt bad for not caring about his well-being before now.

"Actually..." The hairs on Lyndon's skin suddenly stood up. Instinctively, he paused and turned around.

A truck was drifting towards them at a high speed. It didn't honk or showed any sign of braking.

Since it was already late at night, the vehicles on the four-lane road were very few.

The truck was going to crush anything in its path if the driver didn't hit the brakes.

Lyndon changed lanes. But the truck still followed him. Something occurred to him at this time.

The truck was here to kill him!

Or maybe kill Elena.

In a split second, Lyndon turned around and grabbed Elena by her waist. He abruptly stepped one tiptoe on the ground and jumped sideways to the other lane.

The truck sped past. A pile of scrap metal lay on the road afterward. It was Lyndon's electric bicycle.

After a while, Elena opened her eyes and looked at the scene fearfully. She would have died if Lyndon hadn't taken action just in time.

Her heart was pounding as she lay in Lyndon's arms. Being in his embrace made her feel a little safe.

A myriad of thoughts swirled in Lyndon's mind as he stared at the receding truck. He wondered who could have tried to kill them.

"Lyndon! Are you all right? What are you thinking about?" Elena waved her hand to draw Lyndon's attention. Worry, gratitude and confusion filled her eyes as she stared at him. She wondered how he was able to jump so far.

Lyndon came to his senses and let go of her. He uttered awkwardly, "Nothing. I'm... I'm sorry."

He apologized for touching her without her consent.

Elena blushed. Their bodies had been so close. In fact, her bosom had been pressed against his chest.

"Thank goodness we didn't get hurt in that accident. The traffic police will handle the damages. Let's just take a taxi to meet Grandma now. Otherwise, we will be late." Lyndon glanced at his watch. It was almost midnight. If the clock chimed twelve before they arrived, things wouldn't end well.

Elena nodded and they took a taxi the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the truck was driven to a deserted land.

There was no license plate on the truck. A strong man who was wearing a baseball cap and a face mask was seated in the driver's seat. He checked the vehicle dash cam. When he got to the road scene, he paused the recording and zoomed in on Lyndon.

Afterward, he dialed a number and said respectfully, "Mr. Nixon, I... I screwed it up."

An angry voice came from the other end of the line. "What? You failed that simple task? All you had to do was to kill that loser! Why couldn't you do that?"

In an embarrassed tone, the driver replied, "Are you sure that guy is a loser? He didn't seem like one. No one has ever escaped death by a whisker when I set out to crush them with my truck. But this guy escaped!"

"Could it be that you targeted the wrong person?"

"No, I'm sure it was him." The driver snorted and sent the video recording to the person he was speaking to.

On the other end of the line, a young man was sitting on a sofa. He watched Lyndon in action once he received the video recording. His eyes blazed with fury.

"Son of a bitch! Everyone says you are a good-for-nothing. How come you are so strong? Well, this is interesting!" The man sneered, clenching his fists.