บท 112: Chapter 112: Coercion
Hugo said, "This is a peculiar city, primitive, and perhaps unique. Combine Versailles and Antwerp, and you get Bordeaux."
In the sunset, a light yellow Beetle car slowly headed towards the Plum Blossom Square on the Bordeaux Bay highway.
It's close to Moon Harbor here, and along the way, you can see the blue river with many white and blue cruise ships shuttling back and forth, painting a picturesque scene.
"Lima, neither you nor Kate answered my calls. Do you have any activities this afternoon?"
Luca put down his camera and asked.
"I didn't pick up because I didn't want to,"
Lima replied with a snort.
"Uh, okay, I can understand why you're mad and not picking up, but why didn't Kate?"
"Kate was taken by the police,"
Lima said, biting her lower lip.
"What?!"
Luca froze. "Taken by the police? Why?"
As he was asking, he suddenly noticed Lima's strange expression, as if she was smiling. "Lima, stop joking. What really happened?"
"I'm not joking,"
Lima said, curling her lip. "Last night's car chase led to Raul Balmay being seriously injured, possibly becoming a vegetable. The police believe Kate is responsible."
"So the police came and took Kate away today?"
"Yes."
"Was she handcuffed?"
"She was."
Lima pursed her lips and nodded.
"Did the police say how many years she'd get?"
"Emm~ about seven or eight years, I guess!"
"Haha, do you think I'm a fool?"
Luca lifted her chin and laughed. "An incident happened last night, and today they came to arrest someone, and it's a well-known foreign writer? Are the local French police this efficient, and do they have the authority to sentence? You dare to fool me, little chubby girl?"
"Stop it!"
Lima shot him a look and said with a blush, "The police really came at noon, and they took Kate away from the book signing to question her. Even the local bookseller's intervention was of no use."
"Taken straight from the book signing?"
Luca frowned. It was obvious that someone wanted to embarrass Kate.
"Does that guy Raul have a lot of money?"
"Billionaire."
"Just a billionaire?"
Luca shook his head. "Even if his family has hundreds of millions of dollars, so what? You didn't do anything wrong. You saw a friend in danger, took action, and almost got shot.
"Moreover, Raul being thrown out of the car was purely accidental. The primary responsibility lies with Raul and that driver. Morally or legally, Kate has no responsibility.
"Why did the Balmay family call the police? Aren't they afraid that exposing the incident will harm their reputation? Or is Raul particularly cherished in his family?"
Lima shrugged. "It doesn't seem like the Balmay family called the police. Now the Balmay family is here, having a meeting with Nina and Kate to discuss how to handle this."
"Is that so? You said Kate is in a meeting. She came back already?"
Luca smiled slightly.
"I don't know!"
Lima glared at him, then suddenly took out a lady's cigarette from her bag, lit it, and took a drag.
Luca was taken aback. When did she start smoking?
"What are you looking at?"
Lima asked fiercely, her face stern.
"Nothing, you look cool smoking."
"You don't mind?"
Lima asked, a bit disappointed.
Luca shrugged and smiled. "Got another one? Give me one."
"None left!"
Lima took another drag and blew smoke in his face, pouting.
Luca waved it away and took the cigarette from her lips, leaned back in the seat, and took a puff himself.
"This cigarette has a nice flavor, rich and smooth, with a hint of sweetness..."
Before he could finish, the cigarette was snatched from his mouth and thrown into an empty drink bottle.
Luca twitched his mouth. He thought taking away her game console would calm her down, but it seems he was too naive.
"Lima, Britney and I are just friends. She's a big star; being friends with her is great. If it goes beyond that, it could be a big problem. I know my boundaries. Don't you believe me?"
"You really didn't sleep with her?"
Lima slowed down, moving slowly along the riverbank.
"No! Lima, what are you doing?"
Suddenly, Lima parked the car on a staircase leading to the river and gradually released the brake. The car slowly moved downward.
"Luca, I want to hear the truth. If you dare lie, I'll drive the car into the river."
"Lima, stop it. There's really nothing between us!"
Luca grabbed her hand.
"Really?"
Luca nodded seriously.
Lima stared into his eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled broadly. "Luca, you're too timid. That's Britney Spears, a huge star. Why didn't you sleep with her? You're my boyfriend; if Britney likes you, that shows you're excellent. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
"Happy?"
Yeah, right!
Seeing the car slowly sliding down, he sighed, "Stop joking, Lima. We really didn't sleep together."
Lima snorted softly. "Luca, you've changed. You used to cheat so many times without hiding it. Why not say it this time?
"Just speak freely. Since agreeing to date you, I've been prepared for you to cheat, so I won't get mad or break up like other women. So, one more time, did you sleep with Britney?"
"Alright, alright, I'll confess,"
Luca stared into her eyes, then suddenly smiled, "Still no!"
"Luca, you bastard! How dare you lie to me!"
Lima pounced on him angrily, but she forgot they were on a slope.
"Careful!"
Luca shouted, ready to pull the handbrake, but it was too late. In a flash, the Beetle slid down the stairs, and the five-meter-high slope would soon reach the water.
"Ahhh~ Luca, we're going to fall into the water!"
"Get ready to jump!"
"No, let's just die in the water together, shall we?"
Lima clung to his neck, shouting.
"Little chubby girl, just wait, I'll deal with you tonight,"
Luca muttered while opening the car door. As the car fell into the water, he dragged Lima to the surface.
The Garonne River originates from the Pyrenees Mountains, and due to the Atlantic warm current, the water in May is warm, perfect for swimming.
If not for the growing crowd of onlookers, he would have liked to swim around a bit.
"Luca, you go up first!"
Just as he was about to climb ashore, Lima suddenly let go of his hand and dived into the water.
"Lima, what are you doing?"
Luca asked in surprise.
Lima didn't answer. She agilely dived back into the car and retrieved a box from the control room—his gift, the game console.
"WTF!"
Blub blub~
(End of Chapter)
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