On the other hand, Maria breathed a sigh of relief as Michelle’s car pulled away, but her sense of calm was short-lived.
Angela let out a sudden exclamation, jolting Maria out of her reverie.
“What’s wrong?” Maria asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Angela’s gaze locked onto something behind Maria, and as she turned to look, she saw Anderson walking alongside Jamie. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck as Maria’s heart raced with fear. She quickly shut her mouth and instinctively covered her nose with her hand, terrified that Anderson would spot her.
Maria knew she had to remain hidden at all costs. She couldn’t risk being caught by Rowan. She felt a surge of panic rising in her chest as she tried to steady her breathing and calm her nerves. She couldn’t let Anderson find her.
At this time, Michelle drove past Anderson and he instinctively pulled Jamie behind him to protect her 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 her head subconsciously and couldn’t help but turn her head to look at Anderson’s back.
She whispered awkwardly, “Michelle, let’s drive quickly. I’m hungry too.”
At this time, Albert, who was standing shoulder to shoulder with Jamie, 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?”
Jamie was originally following Albert, but when she saw him suddenly stop and frown, she hurriedly asked him, “Mr. Wade, what’s wrong?”
Anderson said with a confused face, “I don’t know…”
As he spoke, he subconsciously took out the ring. As he held the object between his fingers, it quivered as if it were held by someone with Parkinson’s disease. But the moment Anderson released it, the trembling ceased, and the object remained motionless in his grasp.
Anderson’s confusion only deepened, and he 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 Anderson’s bewildered expression as he examined the unremarkable ring in his hand, Jamie spoke up once more, “Excuse me, Mr. Wade, is there anything peculiar about that ring?” she inquired.
Anderson 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.”
Jamie’s lips puckered up as she returned his smile, “Perhaps it’d be best to turn it over to the authorities,” she suggested. “Maybe they can track down its rightful owner.”
Anderson mulled over her proposal for a moment, his thoughts drifting to Maria.
“I doubt the owner even remembers it exists,” he said offhandedly.
With that, he slipped the item back into his pocket and motioned for Jamie 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 Albert, Maria had now relaxed, while Angela remained a bit uneasy. She didn’t know who the woman accompanying Anderson was, but she had a gut feeling that it was his wife. And Jamie was a vision of grace and beauty, unmatched among Asian women.
If Maria epitomized the pure, classical beauty of China, then Jamie was a perfect representation of Japan’s intellectual and demure Yamato Nadeshiko beauty.
Although Angela was already an accomplished young woman and leader among her peers in Hong Kong, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of inadequacy in front of Jamie. The mere thought of Anderson’s stunning wife was enough to make her uneasy.
Meanwhile, Maria, who was seated beside her, couldn’t help but notice the subtle shifts in her expression and demeanor.
When the car had been stuck in the basement earlier, Maria had kept her lips tightly sealed. She knew all too well that Anderson possessed a powerful aura and heightened senses, and was too scared that he 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, she teased, “Oh come on, I saw you stealing glances at that handsome guy outside the car just now!”
“What?!” Angela’s heart raced as she 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 she responded reflexively.
Maria’s behavior only confirmed her earlier suspicion that Angela had come to meet Rowan.
Silent and focused, Maria whipped out her phone and typed in “Jamie Ito” into the search engine. She had already pored over Anderson’s dossier, carefully scrutinizing every detail to deduce his identity, experience, business dealings, and sphere of influence.
Since she had reason to believe that Anderson was the mastermind behind BAIT Shipping, she had dug deep into the Banks and Ito families, paying close attention to any information pertaining to Jamie. So when she had seen her walking alongside Anderson earlier, Maria had immediately recognized her.
In no time, her phone screen displayed a wealth of information on Jamie, including some public photos. She clicked through them, scrutinizing each one to confirm that the woman she had seen was indeed Jamie Ito
As she contemplated the situation, Maria couldn’t help but ponder, “If the intel I read is accurate, Anderson and his wife reside in Thompson First Villas, but why on earth was he gallivanting around town with Jamie? Are they sneaking around on a secret rendezvous?”
Her thoughts raced as her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion, “Anderson seems to have no restraint,” she mused to herself. “If he 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 her 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, she had already learned about the admission process of mainland college students and the specific conditions of life and study in advance, so she 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 she saw it as an opportunity to bond with Claudia.
