REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight

Chapter 165: I mean it... stay behind me.

The driver didn’t look away immediately. He kept staring at her through the mirror with a gaze that felt strangely cold to Elara. It was as if he wasn’t even paying attention to the road anymore.

Then finally, he broke eye contact and returned his attention to the highway ahead.

Elara’s jaw clenched tight as a wave of suspicion washed through her. She looked away slowly and turned her attention back toward the window.

A faint crease instantly appeared between her brows.

Wait.

How had she not noticed earlier that this road did not lead toward Solmere at all?

Even though there were different routes leading back to their apartment, she knew immediately that this definitely was not one of them.

Her eyes moved back toward the rearview mirror again, landing on the driver’s reflection as he focused silently on the road ahead.

Where exactly did this man think he was driving them to?

Quietly, she moved her hand across the seat until her fingers landed on Ziva’s thigh. Then she pinched her lightly.

Ziva immediately looked up, her eyes locking with Elara’s. Before she could even ask anything, Elara pinched her again, hinting to her to keep quiet.

Ziva furrowed her brows deeply, staring at her with an annoyed and confused expression. Elara ignored the look completely and subtly pointed her fingers toward the driver.

Ziva followed the direction of her gesture before lowering her voice a bit. "What is it?" she muttered.

Elara took a small breath, her eyes flickering toward the rearview mirror once again. "This is not..."

Before she could even finish whispering the words, the car suddenly sped up violently. The sudden force jerked both of them forward harshly.

"What the fuck?!" Ziva shouted in shock, her eyes widening in terror. Thankfully, her seatbelt held her back against the seat.

But Elara had not fastened hers. The violent force threw her body forward instantly, her chest slamming painfully against the back of the front seat. A sharp pain shot through her body immediately.

"Are you insane?!" Ziva yelled furiously at the driver before quickly moving toward Elara.

She was still bent forward from the impact, her breathing uneven from how hard her chest had crashed against the seat.

Ziva grabbed her shoulders quickly, panic filling her face. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

Elara inhaled deeply, forcing herself to sit upright despite the throbbing pain spreading through her chest. Her eyes slowly darkened as she lifted her gaze toward the driver.

Her lips pressed into a thin cold line. "Who are you?" she muttered quietly. "And what exactly do you think you’re doing?"

Ziva blinked in confusion, her eyes moving between Elara and the driver as her brows furrowed tighter.

Then suddenly, the driver let out a cold mocking laugh. The sound alone shocked Elara to the bones.

"You noticed too late."

The voice that came from the driver’s seat was completely different from that of the driver who brought them to the venue.

Ziva’s eyes widened instantly in shock. Her gaze snapped away from Elara and fixed on the man in front. Fear spread across her face, making her entire body go tense.

"Who the hell are you?" she screamed. "Stop the car!"

But instead of slowing down, the man pressed harder on the accelerator, making the car shot forward even faster.

The sudden speed made the engine roar loudly as the city lights blurred past the windows.

Ziva quickly reached for the door handle trying to force it open, but it didn’t move at all. She tried unlocking it repeatedly, her fingers shaking badly as she pulled at it harder and harder.

Nothing happened.

Elara remained still in her seat, though her chest was still rising and falling heavily from both pain and anger. "Stop the car right now," she muttered coldly, each word slipping out through her clenched teeth.

When the man ignored her again, she suddenly lunged forward from the back seat. But before she could even grab him, he caught her wrist instantly with one hand while the other remained on the steering wheel.

"Don’t act recklessly Miss," he said calmly. "I don’t value my life very much... but I assume you two still value yours."

Elara’s lips pressed tightly together as she jerked her hand away from his grasp. Then she retreated to her seat but she didn’t lean against it anymore. Beside her, Ziva quietly sent her a knowing look.

Elara eyes darkened in thought at her signal, then she gave a nod while Ziva quickly lifted her tab and turned the screen on.

"Turn that screen off." The man spoke again immediately, his voice colder than before. "Or I turn this wheel."

Ziva’s fingers froze instantly above the screen. Then she slowly lifted her eyes toward Elara.

"And think carefully," the man continued with a faint smile. "Maybe you secretly call the police... but by the time they arrive, all they find are three burnt bodies." His eyes shifted toward the massive bridge ahead of them. "Or maybe they won’t even find the bodies at all."

The car fell into a cold silence.

Elara’s eyes slowly moved forward.

Ahead of them was Oris Bridge, one of the longest bridges in Aurelia. Beneath it was a dark river that spread endlessly into the distance, its waters were deep enough to swallow anything whole.

The man chuckled softly to himself. "I’ve always liked dangerous situations," he said casually. "Especially the kind where everyone starts praying to survive at the last second."

Elara clenched her fists tightly, countless thoughts racing through her mind at once. Just then, a phone suddenly rang from the front seat.

The man picked it up calmly and lifted it to his ear.

"Yes," he said casually. "She’s out. We’re on the way."

Both Elara and Ziva went still immediately, trying to process what those words meant.

The man listened quietly for a few seconds before speaking again. "Of course," he replied with a dry laugh. "By the time you see them again, you might need help identifying which face belongs to who."

A mocking scoff escaped Elara’s lips but before she could speak, her eyes suddenly caught sight of headlights behind them.

Another car.

It was speeding toward them at an alarming pace.

Elara narrowed her eyes as she stared through the rear window. The car behind them was moving far too aggressively for it to be ordinary traffic.

It was following them. But despite its speed, it still couldn’t close the distance between them.

Her brows furrowed faintly.

This was Adrian’s car. That alone explained why the other vehicle was struggling to catch up. But what confused her was something else entirely.

How did this man even know so much about the car?

The way he handled it so smoothly made it feel as though he had driven it for years. A cold thought crossed her mind.

Could he be one of Adrian’s own men?

Her fingers slowly tightened around the fabric of her gown. No matter how she thought about it, she could only hope this was some kind of sick prank.

But what kind of sane person would do something like this?

"Someone’s following us," Ziva whispered nervously, her worried eyes locking onto Elara’s.

Elara gave a faint nod.

From the way this man kept speeding through turns and switching lanes sharply, it was obvious he was deliberately trying to shake the car behind them off their trail. Which meant the vehicle chasing them was probably not working with him.

The realization only made the situation feel worse. Within minutes, the headlights behind them disappeared completely into the darkness. Elara’s grip on her dress tightened harder.

Ziva lowered her gaze to her Elara’s hands before looking back at her. Fear was written clearly across her face, but somehow, she still managed to place her hands over Elara’s and give a small nod.

"Whatever happens, stay behind me."

Even in a situation like this, the corner of Elara’s lips couldn’t help but lift faintly in amusement.

Ziva was visibly shaking from head to toe. And more than anyone, Elara knew that despite how sharp tongued and energetic she usually acted, she was actually a complete scaredy cat.

Seeing the look on Elara’s face, Ziva’s expression hardened immediately.

"I mean it," she said firmly despite the fear in her voice. "No matter what happens, stay behind me."

Elara stared at her quietly for a long moment, her thoughts drifting elsewhere for a second as a strange warmth spread through her chest.

She opened her mouth to say something. But suddenly, the violent jerk of the car snapped her back to reality.

The vehicle had already left the main highway. Now it was speeding through a dark industrial district lined with abandoned warehouses and dim lights.

The deeper they drove in, the emptier the surroundings became. It wasn’t long before several figures appeared ahead.

Even through the darkness, Elara could immediately tell they were not ordinary men. Their broad silhouettes alone looked intimidating enough.

Ziva instinctively shrank backward into her seat the moment the car finally came to a stop.

"Out." The man in the driver’s seat spoke coldly without even turning around.

Elara’s eyes narrowed dangerously at him but just as she moved to open the door, Ziva quickly reached out and pulled her arm tightly.

"What do you think you’re doing?" she whispered urgently.

Elara had barely opened her mouth to calm her down when the door beside her suddenly swung open from outside. She turned instantly, her heart jerking.

A rough hand grabbed the fabric of her gown harshly.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" Ziva shouted furiously as she lunged forward immediately...