Filed to story: Unmasking the Billionaire: Don’t Mess with the Ex (Victoria & Carter) Book PDF Free
If it weren’t for the child, Victoria would have been gone the moment she sensed the danger.
If she moved, the truck would hit the girl.
She didn’t dare imagine what would happen if a truck that size struck a small child.
“Oh my god – there’s someone on the curb!”
“Move! Get out of the way!”
“Miss, look out!”
Everything happened too fast. By the time people noticed the figures by the roadside, it was already too late to warn them.
Some shut their eyes, too scared to watch what came next.
From a car parked across the street, someone saw it all unfold.
Inside, Eugene sat in the back seat, one leg crossed over the other, reviewing a contract for a supply chain acquisition in Capaville. A cigarette rested between his fingers. The noise outside felt distant, unimportant – until his car jerked to a sudden stop.
Eugene shifted, irritated by the interruption.
“Mr. Rosewood, there’s some kind of accident outside!” the driver called out.
Eugene looked through the window just as the runaway truck roared past. He saw the driver leap out, roll across the ground, and crash into the fence.
His eyes darkened. An out-of-control truck in a district this crowded? This would be bad.
Then his gaze landed on the woman standing directly in the truck’s path.
Is she stupid? Why isn’t she moving?
One more second, and his expression tightened.
That woman…is Victoria.
He recognized her immediately.
Why wasn’t she running? Then he saw the small child beside her, and he understood.
It didn’t matter who that girl was.
The truck was heading straight for them. They were both in deadly danger.
For a split second, Eugene’s hand shot toward the door handle.
“Stop the car!” he ordered.
“Mr. Rosewood, do you want to – ” the driver began, but Eugene was already out of the car before it fully stopped.
It all happened in an instant. The truck swerved, smashed into the curb, and plowed through a section of fence, knocking over a streetlamp with a deafening crunch.
Then – silence.
When the dust settled, a few people cautiously stepped forward to look.
The impact had sounded horrible. If the kid and woman by the street had been hit… nobody wanted to think about it…
After the crash, the quickest passers-by rushed to the truck, but didn’t see any blood like they’d feared.
The truck driver, pale and trembling, crawled to his feet. “I don’t know what happened! The brakes failed, it wasn’t my fault, I swear!” He stumbled toward the front of the truck and slumped to the ground, sobbing.
But the ground wasn’t a mess. Aside from the crushed fence and the fallen lamp, there was nothing.
No bodies. No blood.
Where was the little girl? Where was the woman?
All anyone could see was a single strawberry mousse cake, flattened under the truck’s front tire.
The driver sat on the ground, shaking, unable to stand. He had braced for the worst – but there was no accident at all.
“Wow, that was fun! Can we do it again?”
A child’s cheerful voice cut through the tension.
Everyone turned. Across the street stood the young woman, holding the little girl safely in her arms.
“Nina!”
An old man rushed over, his steps unsteady. The scene had terrified him. Only now, hearing the girl’s voice, did he finally calm down.
“Grandpa, that was amazing! It felt like flying!” the little girl chattered excitedly, still clinging to Victoria. “Miss, can we do that again?”
Victoria stayed silent.
“Nina, you scared me half to death. If your grandma heard about this, she’d never forgive me.” The old man looked at Victoria, his eyes full of gratitude. “Miss, thank you… thank you so much.” His hands trembled as he gently took the girl from her arms.
“Pretty lady, I want to play again!” The girl reluctantly let go of Victoria’s hand.
Victoria glanced at her, then at the smashed cake nearby. She shrugged. “Too bad. I was going to give you that cake.”
“Go buy the child another cake,” a deep voice said.
Victoria turned. A tall man stood nearby.
He was so tall she had to look up. He seemed familiar, like she’d seen him somewhere before.
When Victoria grabbed the girl earlier, this man had moved too. He’d tried to help, to save them both, but Victoria was faster. He never got the chance.
She moved so quickly, no one else even noticed – maybe no one ever would.
Victoria smiled at him. “Thank you for trying to help, sir.”
Eugene smiled back. “I overestimated the situation. I didn’t really do anything.” He paused, studying her. “You’ve got some serious skills, miss.”
Victoria’s gaze sharpened. So he had noticed.
“That truck was headed straight for us. I had to book it, you know? I like being alive and all.” She chuckled. “When your life’s on the line, you find that extra push. You moved pretty quick yourself, didn’t you?”
No one else had been close, but this man appeared in a flash. He wasn’t ordinary.
Eugene gave a faint smile.
They looked at each other, neither saying more.
“Mr. Rosewood, I have the cake.”
