Chapter 159
""Don't worry, I'll go downstairs and take care of it right away.""
...
Cassie had been waiting downstairs for half an hour when someone finally escorted her to Mr. Willow's office.
Mr. Willow poured her a cup of tea and they had just taken their seats when suddenly, his phone rang.
After he hung up, he apologized, ""Miss Brooks, there's a bit of an emergency in the engineering department. If you don't mind waiting a bit longer?""
Cassie nodded reluctantly.
The wait turned into another twenty minutes, as the clock neared 5:30 p.m. Anxious thoughts crept in as she realized she’d be running late yet again.
To prevent Joseph Hernandez from getting suspicious, she made the preemptive move of calling him. ""I might be home late tonight; I'm still waiting on a client.""
He was pleased with her proactive update but couldn't help feeling irked at the thought of his woman having to wait for someone. ""Where are you waiting?""
""Peace Group,"" she replied.
Joseph glanced outside; it wasn't far from the Peace Group. He grunted an acknowledgment.
Cassie quickly ended the call after sensing he wasn’t going to probe further.
Not long after, a man in a black suit came in. ""Hello, are you Miss Brooks? Mr. Willow is tied up at the moment and asked me to take you to the site to measure out the space for a project. Here’s my business card.""
Cassie glanced at the card and learned his name was Tom.
""So, we can just walk into the property?"" she inquired, a tad puzzled.
""One of the buildings is roofed but lacking exterior walls; we can take a look inside. The company is placing significant emphasis on this turnkey project, hence all decoration firms we look into are expected to take onsite measurements,"" Tom explained with a smile.
A thought struck Cassie. ""Have other decoration companies been here?""
""Yes, another firm is also acquainted with one of our other managers.""
They chatted and walked out, with Cassie fishing for more information about the competing companies, not realizing they had ventured into the construction area.
""Miss Brooks, through there,"" Tom indicated, ducking under a scaffold.
As Cassie was about to follow, a man's stern warning boomed from behind.
""Get out of the way!""
Before she could react, a figure darted towards her, tackled her to the ground, and in the next second —
[The excerpt ends here, and as instructed, it has been localized to fit the American culture and everyday language.]
With a thunderous crash, tiles plummeted from where she stood moments ago, shattering on the ground and scattering ceramic shards everywhere.
Cassie was swiftly sheltered beneath the man's chest, remaining hidden in his embrace until the chaos subsided. Pale-faced, she emerged and stammered, ""Are you... are you okay?""
It was Joseph Hernandez!
""What are you doing on the construction site?"" With one arm, Joseph urgently ushered her to safety.
""I was... taking measurements,"" Cassie replied, her legs shaking uncontrollably. She seriously wondered if she was cursed this year; danger seemed to follow her every step.
""And why didn't you wear a hard hat?"" Joseph snapped. ""Don't you realize if I hadn't been nearby, you could've cracked your skull open?""
""I'm sorry, I forgot,"" she murmured.
Suddenly, Cassie noticed dust on his right arm and recalled the falling tiles. He had hardly used his right hand when he shielded her. ""Is your hand injured from the tiles?"" she asked, reaching out to inspect his shoulder only for him to flinch violently. ""Don't touch.""
Instantly realizing the severity of his injury, she exclaimed, ""I'll call an ambulance right away.""
As soon as she hung up the phone, Tom rushed out of the building in a panic. ""Miss Brooks, are you alright? I'm so sorry, I had no idea this would happen.""
""So, you're the one who brought her here?"" Joseph snarled. Seizing Cassie's hand, he made for the exit.
Despite his quick pace, his pallor deepened. Cassie, distressed, urged, ""Please, can we just wait for the ambulance?""
""Don't worry, it's just a scratch,"" Joseph said, his demeanor as calm as still water."
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