Chapter 548 Aren't you Embarrassed?
After mulling it over for a bit, Elara frowned and looked at Harry, who was buried in his newspaper. "Dad, do we have any properties that are kinda off the grid?"
Harry glanced up, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
"Just tell me," Elara insisted. "I need it for something."
Harry eyed her suspiciously. "What are you up to?"
"Do we or don't we?" Elara repeated, a bit more impatiently.
"Are you planning something shady?" Harry asked, scrutinizing her. "Or is this about that person you're chasing after?"
"You've got quite the imagination," Elara said coolly, not giving anything away. "If you won't tell me, I'll ask Mom."
She started heading upstairs, calling out, "Mom!"
"Hold on!" Harry panicked, clearing his throat and trying to sound stern. "You're a grown woman, still running to your mom for everything. Aren't you embarrassed?"
"Not really, but if I tell Mom what you just said, you'll probably be sleeping on the couch tonight," Elara shot back, clearly knowing how to handle him.
When Elara saw another message from Jesse asking about her address, she urged, "Come on, Dad, just tell me. Do we have any old, secluded neighborhoods, preferably in our area?"
"In the upstairs study, on the computer desktop, there's a folder named 'Family Properties.' You can find the list there. Check it yourself," Harry grumbled, giving in.
Elara dashed upstairs.
As soon as she was out of sight, Harry called his secretary.
"Keep an eye on Elara's activities for the next while and monitor who she's interacting with," he instructed.
The secretary got to work immediately.
Elara had no clue Harry was onto her. She found an old neighborhood on the computer, picked a spot, and sent the address to Jesse.
Jesse: [Need help packing?]
Elara: [Nope!]
She didn't have any stuff to pack anyway.
Once the time was set, she casually packed a few suitcases and had someone help her send them over.
On Saturday, Elara took a cab early in the morning.
She didn't want the family driver taking her because she didn't want Harry tracking her.
At exactly ten o'clock, Jesse showed up at the address Elara had sent.
He helped her move the suitcases from downstairs to the parking lot. After making sure everything was moved, he said, "Check if anything's missing."
"Nope," Elara replied quickly.
There were only three suitcases; nothing could've been left behind.
Jesse, being more experienced, asked, "Did you have the landlord inspect the place?"
Elara nodded. "Yep."
Jesse continued, "Did you get your deposit back?"
Elara replied, "Yep."
Jesse added, "What about the keys?"
Elara answered, "It's a keypad lock; the landlord changed the code."
"Good," Jesse said, thinking Elara had really changed over the years. "Get in the car."
Elara's eyes sparkled with a smile as she happily hopped into the passenger seat.
As the car rolled away, Jesse chatted with her briefly, his expression as cold as ever. "You've changed a lot over the years."
"Have I gotten prettier?" Elara asked, never shy about her vanity. After all, she was naturally cute.
Jesse replied seriously, "No."
"You used to hate cleaning. Every time it was our group's turn to clean, you'd make Mark and me do it," Jesse reminisced. "But that place we just left, you cleaned it pretty well."
It was spotless, like new.
Elara felt a bit nervous, coughing lightly and feeling guilty. "Even though I made you two do the work back then, didn't I always help you with your homework? And I did all your art assignments too."
"I was just wondering if you've had a tough time these past few years." Jesse glanced at her, a hint of concern in his eyes.
To him, Elara was a cherished part of his youth, a reliable partner, and a classmate he and Mark cared for. Elara had always sat between the two of them, and they had always looked out for her like a little sister.
"Actually," Elara hesitated.
Jesse asked coolly, "Actually what?"
"That place wasn't cleaned by me," Elara admitted, scratching her face. "I hired a cleaner after I packed up."
"No wonder," Jesse uttered lightly.
Elara asked, "No wonder what?"
Jesse didn't answer, glancing at the rearview mirror, his expression growing serious.
Elara hadn't noticed anything unusual yet and asked, "Why aren't you talking?"
"It looks like a car is following us," Jesse explained, having taken several turns with the car still behind them.
Elara glanced back and saw it was a car from her family's company, instantly becoming nervous. She quickly took out her phone and messaged Harry: [Did you send someone to follow me?]
Harry: [Impressive, you noticed.]
Elara: [I'm gonna tell Mom.]
Harry: [Her phone is with me.]
Elara looked back again. She didn't care much about being followed, but she didn't want to cause trouble for Jesse. Knowing Harry's personality, if he found out about Jesse, he would definitely investigate him.
"Do you know the car behind us?" Jesse, ever perceptive, immediately noticed her unusual behavior.
Elara didn't answer but asked, "Can you help me lose them?"
Jesse nodded. "Yes."
Elara continued, "Then please do."
"Okay," Jesse agreed and started driving in circles to shake off the car behind them. At a traffic light, he timed it perfectly and quickly lost the tailing car.
Once he was sure they weren't being followed, he asked, "Why were they following you?"
"Well," Elara couldn't think of an excuse and had to improvise. "It's complicated."
Jesse didn't press her, just quietly driving.
Elara was still thinking of what to say. Before she could come up with something, her phone vibrated. It was Harry calling.
Elara didn't hesitate to hang up and sent him a message: [I'm busy right now, can't take your call.]
Harry: [So you think I'm embarrassing you?]
Harry: [I already know the license plate of the car you're in. One call and I can find out who it belongs to.]
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