Chapter 12

The managers hurried back to work, relieved to escape.

They couldn't stop wondering what happened.

Jensen never lost his temper like that at the office.

He turned his phone over in his hand, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"I'll remind you about the meeting in ten minutes," Liam said.

He stepped out.

[Tomorrow at three. I'll see you at the courthouse.]

Jensen scoffed.

Lauren’s tactics were as clumsy as ever.

She sounded so convincing yesterday.

But when the appointed time came, she disappeared.

Lauren was as irritating as ever.

Jensen put thoughts of her aside and held his meeting.

He listened as his staff reported their progress.

The anger he carried all day gradually faded from his face.

Everyone else relaxed too.

By the time work ended, they felt fortunate to have made it through the day.

Rain had been pouring since the previous night, and the streets were badly flooded by evening. Employees who drove themselves left first.

Several women remained in the office, chatting while they waited for someone to pick them up.

As Jensen passed, he heard one of them exclaim, "There was a landslide on the western outskirts. A car was crushed with someone inside!"

"Why are you shouting? It's not anyone you know..."

"How awful. When was the last time Cloudhaven had rain like this?"

"Some people have such bad luck they could choke on a glass of water."

The western outskirts?

Lauren said yesterday that she was going there.

Jensen slowed, a frown forming before he could stop it.

"Sir."

One of the employees noticed him and quickly greeted him.

Everyone knew he was in a bad mood. The women fell silent.

Jensen nodded and walked on.

"Your parents called earlier. They'd like you to come home for dinner," Liam said as he followed.

"All right."

Jensen rubbed his forehead. He didn't sleep the night before.

His head felt heavy.

Rain struck the car so hard that the wipers couldn't clear the windshield.

There were few pedestrians, and even the roads seemed quieter than usual.

Severe storm alerts appeared on his phone one after another.

At a crossing, Vivian stood under an umbrella.

Rain soaked much of her long dress.

Liam braked and glanced back at Jensen. "I think that's Miss Shea."

"Let her in."

Jensen lowered the window and looked out.

"Jensen!"

Vivian’s eyes lit up.

She climbed into the car and sat beside him, shivering. "I didn't want to trouble you, but I suppose..."

"You shouldn't be walking alone in rain like this. We'll take you home first," Jensen said.

Liam looked at Vivian in the rearview mirror, then silently started driving.

Vivian lived in the opposite direction from Jensen’s parents, and the evening traffic was heavy.

Before long, his parents called again to ask where he was.

Vivian bit her lip. "If you need to go somewhere, you can let me out. I'll see if I can get a ride..."

"I'm having dinner at my parents’ house," Jensen said.

"You can come with me."

Vivian stared at him.

Even Lauren, Jensen’s lawful wife, visited the Shaw family home only a handful of times.

Vivian hid her delight and asked softly, "Are you sure that's all right?"

"It's fine," Jensen said.

Lauren wanted to play hard to get?

He would show her how badly that could backfire.

It was after seven when they arrived.

Jensen’s mother, Rachel Shaw, waited at the door.

The sight of her son with a rain-soaked woman made her visibly uncomfortable.

She and her husband didn't like Lauren.

But that didn't mean they welcomed their son’s lover into their home.

The Shaw family had a reputation to protect.

She asked someone to take Vivian to change.

Then she walked inside with Jensen and spoke quietly. "That's Vivian, isn't it? Even if you don't like Lauren, you should show her some respect. Why did you bring this woman here?"

The mention of Lauren irritated Jensen. "We crossed paths. I gave her a ride."

Inside, his father, Richard Shaw, watched the evening news.

The broadcast showed the landslide on the western outskirts. Heavy rain sent rocks tumbling down the hillside, and more than ten people died.

The news anchor’s formal voice grated on Jensen’s nerves.

Richard turned. "Jensen, you're here. Come, let's eat."

Vivian returned wearing clothes Lauren once left at the house.

She greeted Jensen’s parents gently.

Rachel hid her discomfort.

Richard didn't.

His face darkened. "Where's Lauren? Jensen, when did you get a new wife without telling your father?"

Jensen opened his mouth to answer.

His phone rang, and he picked up.

Wind and rain roared in the background. "Is this Mr. Jensen Shaw? The owner of the car with plate number Y9A721 died at the scene of an accident. Please come and identify her."