Chapter 4

"Lucinda, I—"

I tried to call after her, but Lucinda had already helped Owen into the passenger seat.

My cries were lost in the cloud of dust.

I didn't remember blacking out, or how a passerby found me and called the police.

Thanks to timely treatment, I pulled through.

I called the police immediately, then asked around and found out which hospital room Owen was in. The license plate at the scene was indeed Owen's, and the police launched an investigation right away.

However, Owen had been scared out of his wits.

"I'm sorry, Warren. I don't know what came over me. I was sick at the time."

"Does being sick give you the right to treat a human life like it's nothing?" I brought my hand down on the table. "Do you know I almost died?"

"Shut up!" Lucinda pushed me away. "He has depression. Don't make things hard for him."

"Depression?" I echoed with a frown.

Lucinda flung a psychiatric evaluation report in front of me.

"Owen was in the middle of an episode at the time. Do you have any idea how badly depression has been eating away at him?"

I held the report and laughed in exasperation.

"You can buy a report like this from any agency for pocket change. What kind of depressed people find a blind spot with no cameras and floor it the whole way? He was trying to kill me!"

"Stop hounding a sick man! Do you need him dead before you'll believe he's sick?"

Furious at her excuses, I grabbed Owen by the collar. "Very well, then. We'll let the police decide if he's really sick."

"No! Don't!" Owen started trembling.

I'd barely pulled him, yet he acted as if I'd yanked him hard. He collapsed to the floor with a thud, and the medical equipment toppled around him, cutting his skin.

The police rushed in.

"Officers, I'd like to report Mr. Calhoun for picking a fight," Lucinda said through gritted teeth.

Owen soon produced a new evaluation, complete with the seal of a reputable doctor.

When Lucinda submitted the report, I saw at a glance that the doctor's signature belonged to one of Lucinda's business partners, Adrian Perkins.

"Lucinda, I'm the victim here!" I shouted hoarsely.

Lucinda instinctively shielded Owen behind her.

"That's enough. Under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, you'll be held in detention for a while. I'll come pick you up in 15 days."

When I saw Owen smirking smugly behind her, it finally dawned on me that he had set this whole thing up.

Only two days remained before my departure. That meant I'd miss the departure window for the overseas posting entirely.

There was only one spot for my position to begin with. If I missed it, Lucinda had more than enough capital and connections to get Owen in. Meanwhile, he'd escape any legal consequences, all thanks to his mental issues.

"Lucinda, you can't do this to me! What you're doing is fabricating evidence!"

Owen acted like he was the victim. "Warren, do I really have to die for you to believe me?"

With that, he suddenly lunged toward the wall. He was about to ram his head into it when Lucinda shot her hand between his forehead and the wall.

Then, she slapped me in the face.

"Are you that ruthless?" she roared angrily.

"Lucinda!" I lunged forward like a madman.

But the police were on high alert and pulled us apart.

"Mr. Calhoun, if you keep this up, you'll only be looking at a longer detention."

Faced with the police's warning, I could only grit my teeth and watch as Lucinda escorted Owen away.

"I'll come pick you up in 15 days."

I had completely lost hope. My one and only chance of leaving had been shattered.

I spent two days in a daze in the detention center.

My phone had been confiscated, and Ms. Hoffman didn't know what had happened to me. If she couldn't get a hold of me in two hours, she would probably leave without me.

I felt awful for letting her down. She kept pushing promotions my way, and the one time I finally agreed to go abroad with her, I left her hanging.

"Warren Calhoun?" A police officer came over. "Come with me. Someone just posted your bail."