บท 10: Back To The Drawing Board
"Holy fuck!" Matt swore as the sound of grinding metal filled the air and the car lurched to the side.
One second, Matt and I were cruising behind Mila, high on victory and anticipation, and the next, we were slammed sideways by some idiot who clearly thought red lights were optional.
The world tilted, and my seatbelt dug hard into my shoulder as the Senna's tires squealed.
Matt cursed, and I gripped the door handle, my heart racing in my chest but this time, it was not from excitement.
The car stopped just as suddenly as it had been hit and my head slammed into the headrest.
I blinked, looking around in alarm and confusion.
The Senna had been damaged, that much I knew, but I couldn't feel anything wrong with myself. No pain. No blood.
"Matt, you good?" I asked, looking at him.
He rubbed his forehead, which had hit the steering wheel connected a little too hard, but he nodded. "Yeah. I think so. You?"
I let out a deep breath, unbuckling my seatbelt and shoving the door open. "I'm fine. But the Senna… Jesus."
I stepped out, staring at the damage like it was a crime against humanity. The side of the car had taken most of the impact.
The body of my precious McLaren Senna was mangled. The car looked like the victim of a serial killer.
The crumpled metal and broken glass still managed to look like an artist's painting but I could already tell it was going to be an expensive fix.
I winced at the sight, but at least the idiot who hit us hadn't totaled the thing.
Matt joined me, shaking his head. "That's brutal, man."
We'd drawn a crowd, some of them already filming the whole thing.
I turned to look at the car that had hit us. It was a beat up sedan, the front of the car totally destroyed. After hitting us, it had swerved to stop along the curb.
The driver stumbled out of the car, looking as pale as a vampire. He swayed, his eyes wide and panicked, as he took in the damage.
"Fuck." He swore, his hands coming up to rub his face. "Fuck!" He swore again, stumbling.
It looked like he was drunk.
I sighed. Who the fuck drinks and then drives during daytime? I'm not saying to drink and drive but during the day?
The man swayed and Matt stepped forward as the guy tried to regain his balance. "You alright, man?" He asked.
The guy mumbled another curse but that's none of my business. I fished my phone out of my pocket and called my insurance company.
Thankfully, I had insurance that covered pretty much everything short of the apocalypse, so at least financially, I wasn't sweating it.
After giving my details to the insurance rep and having Matt grab a couple of photos of the damage, I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
The drunk guy had sat down on the curb, holding his head in his hands.
That was when Mila and Riley walked towards us.
"Nico! Are you guys okay?" Mila asked.
I forced a smile. "Yeah. We're fine. The Senna's another story though."
"We didn't realize it was you guys in the crash until we drove for a minute and couldn't see you guys following." Riley said, wringing her hands in anxiety.
I could tell she felt a bit guilty about it or something.
"Thank God you two aren't hurt." She said.
"Yeah." I had no idea what else to say.
"Looks like we'd have to take a rain check on those drinks. You guys will be sorting this out."
The crash had ruined our plans. The celebratory drinks, the easy opportunity to bond with Mila and get into the country club was gone.
And that stung more than the wreckage of my car. This would put a hold on my plan to seduce Mila and any loss of momentum could mean losing out on two hundred million dollars.
Insisting on still celebrating after this accident would totally ruin the vibe. And bringing up the club would only expose my motive.
"I guess we can reschedule for later."
"Yeah." Riley chimed in, glancing at her phone. "But Mila's got a packed schedule over the next few days. It'll be tough to lock something down."
Mila nodded in agreement. "I'm slammed for a bit, but we'll make it happen soon, promise."
I nodded, hiding my frustration.
Timing was everything, and this delay wasn't ideal but pressing her now would be stupid.
All it would do would be to make me look desperate and there's never been a faster turn off for women than that.
Besides, I could tweak my plans and approach from another angle.
"Let me know when you're free." I said, keeping my tone casual. I had to play this cool. "We'll figure something out."
Mila smiled, offering a quick hug before she and Riley hopped back into the Aventador. I watched as they drove off, leaving Matt and me with the mess.
Matt clapped me on the shoulder. "Could've been worse, man."
I sighed, watching Mila's taillights fade. "Yeah. But it's a setback."
We waited for the tow truck, both of us slumped against the mangled Senna, lost in thought.
Once the car was hauled away, I called a ride service to get us home.
When the car came, Matt and I sat in silence as we were driven to my house.
The adrenaline I'd been feeling earlier today was completely gone, replaced by the irritation of knowing the night hadn't gone to plan.
When we finally got back to my place, Matt crashed onto the couch while I paced, trying to figure out my next move.
Mila being busy for the next few days put a serious kink in our strategy. Now, there was no chance of me striking while the iron is hot.
But hope is not completely lost. I can still recover from this if I play this smart. Yeah, she was an influencer and will probably move on to her other endeavors but all I needed was to hold her attention until she's free.
Matt sat up. "So what's the plan now?"
I stopped pacing and sighed, sinking into the chair opposite him.
"Technically, the plan hasn't changed." I said. "All I need to do is establish a connection when things calm down. Luckily, we have something we can use."
"The wish?" Matt asked with a smile.
"The wish." I nodded. "First, I'll text her in a day or two. Nothing pushy, just something light to keep the connection warm. And when we 'coincidentally' meet next time, I'll cash in on my wish."
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