Capítulo 32: A Different Car?

Soon, the two pilots went over all the safety instructions for the helicopter and demonstrated what to do in an emergency. Maya listened carefully since it was her first time on a helicopter and Lucas stared at her serious expression in amusement. Today, she was dressed in a cute white sweater with a pair of light blue jeans and it made her look extra pure and innocent.

Tiffany had slept in due to a long night and Sam was preoccupied with getting breakfast for Delilah, so they didn't get the chance to dress her today. Thus, Maya was wearing her own clothes. They were a lot more comfortable than the tight and revealing outfit from the previous night. Even on her feet, she was wearing a comfortable pair of sneakers.

After the two pilots were done, they started helping Maya and Lucas onto the helicopter. As one of the men checked Maya's seatbelt, he chuckled and teased softly with a wink, "Your boyfriend must love you a lot. He couldn't take his eyes off you earlier."

Maya felt herself blush a little when she heard the word, 'boyfriend'. Lucas was not her boyfriend; he was a suspect and a potential future brother-in-law, but she did not correct him.

As the two pilots climbed into the cockpit and got the helicopter ready for lift-off, Maya turned her attention to the window with excitement. She had been on a plane before, but this was an entirely different experience. While she was trying to contain her excitement, she suddenly felt something go over her head and cover her ears. Maya reached her hands up to her ears in surprise and felt a pair of hands holding onto a set of headphones. She turned her head and glanced at the man sitting beside her, just as she heard through the headphones, "Alright, Mr. Lee and Miss Yeung, thank you for joining us on this trip to the Grand Canyon. We are really pleased to have you here with us today. Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

Maya realized the headphones were used for communicating with the pilots and a huge grin appeared on her face. It had been a long time since she had done a tour or participated in any similar activity. Lucas smiled and gently drew his hands away; he was glad to see that she was enjoying the experience so far.

Soon, the helicopter started rising off the ground. "We have lift-off," the pilots cheered.

Maya looked out the window as they rose above the large casinos and hotels along The Strip and felt goosebumps on her arms. As she wasn't a gambler, she actually enjoyed looking at The Strip from above more than from below.

"It's beautiful!" she gasped.

Lucas glanced at the woman. Last night, she had made the same reaction when she saw the fireworks. It was a genuine reaction that warmed his heart. He looked out the window as well. Sure, the view was beautiful, but for some reason, the woman's reaction made it all that more special.

At that moment, Maya suddenly leaned against the window excitedly and pointed to a square. Someone had used chalk to write a message on the floor. From ground level, one had to look carefully to see what was written, but from the helicopter, Maya read out clearly, "Anyone have some change?" In the bottom corner, there was a familiar logo: L7.

"It's L7!" she exclaimed.

"Since it's written in chalk, he must have done this recently. It looks fresh. Does that mean he's in Vegas as well?" Maya mumbled excitedly.

The message was simple, yet so smart. It was a play on words: change referring to both money and the act of becoming different. In a city where almost $10 billion in revenue was made annually, it was the perfect place to suggest that change needed to occur in the world.

As Maya was admiring the message, a deep voice suddenly said beside her ear, "If only change could occur in a day..."

Maya turned her head in surprise and found that Lucas' face was right beside her ear. From this close, she could smell the man's cologne and feel the warmth emanating from his body. Unlike the previous day, when she was on the ladder, there was nowhere to escape. So she faced the front again and asked, "Why do you say that?" She was hoping he would naturally move away and answer her.

But the man leaned even closer and chuckled, "Because it's forecasted to rain tonight..."

Maya rolled her eyes as she scanned the sky. Although it was winter, the sky was blue and there wasn't a single cloud. "I think the forecast might be wrong."

Lucas' eyes curved in amusement. He could feel the woman's back against his chest and he could smell the soft floral fragrance in her hair. The pleasant mix of chamomile and hibiscus was calming and it seemed to soothe him of all the stress in his life.

Maya could feel the man's slow and steady breathing beside her ear and could sense that he was calm. Taking advantage of the pleasant vibe in the helicopter, she decided to take the risk and continue with her questions from earlier, "Lucas, you know how I was talking about Z Hotel earlier... I swear I saw your car outside when I was leaving the pool party. It was the same one that we rode in today... Are you sure you've never visited before?"

Maya paused and waited for an answer, hoping that her question wasn't too suspicious.

But, to her surprise, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and she gasped as the man gently rested his chin on her shoulder. She instinctively tried to shake him off, but he held onto her and whispered beside her ear, "I told you I'd get the wrong idea if you mention hotels again..."

Even he didn't know why, but he suddenly had the urge to hug the woman.

But he then said something that made Maya sit still in shock: "Since you keep asking about it, I'll be honest with you. I sent my assistant, Ryan, to spy on you at the pool party that day and I got Noah to drop off my car at the lobby of Z Hotel for him... I wasn't there that day and I've never been there before..."

Maya fell into deep thought. Ryan? Who was Ryan? Ryan clearly sounded like a man's name. In that case, who was the woman that almost drove the black Mercedes into her sister...? Was it unrelated to Lucas? Had Noah been wrong all along?

Could it...

...could it have been a different car...?

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