Chapter 309: Chapter 309 Brake Failure
Samantha Hill’s nails dug painfully into her palms as she stepped out of the restaurant.
The sting barely registered.
Her thoughts were still trapped inside the women’s restroom, replaying every word Rose Bennett had spoken.
"Sell tickets."
The calm mockery in Rose’s voice echoed endlessly in her mind.
It wasn’t the insult itself that infuriated Samantha.
It was Rose’s complete indifference.
She had expected anger.
She had expected tears.
She had expected Rose to finally reveal the jealousy she’d been hiding for years.
Instead...
Rose had looked at her with nothing more than mild amusement, as though Samantha’s carefully crafted provocations weren’t worth the energy it took to respond.
"I don’t believe it..."
Samantha muttered under her breath.
"You’re pretending."
She refused to accept anything else.
No woman could remain indifferent after hearing that the man she’d once loved had chosen someone else.
Rose had to be acting.
As long as those words stayed in Rose’s mind...
As long as she wondered whether Ryan had truly chosen Samantha...
That was enough.
Whether Rose admitted it or not no longer mattered.
Taking a slow breath, Samantha adjusted the sleeve of her tailored coat before composing herself.
By the time she walked back into the private dining room, the confident smile had returned to her face.
No one would know how shaken she had been only moments earlier.
*****
Inside the dining room...
The atmosphere had become noticeably lighter.
Most of the difficult negotiations had already been completed.
Morgan closed the contract folder before looking toward Rose.
"I have to admit, Professor Bennett..."
He smiled warmly.
"You negotiate much more gently than your reputation suggested."
Several executives laughed.
Rose smiled politely.
"I’ll take that as a compliment."
"It is."
Morgan nodded.
"Business is easiest when everyone leaves the table satisfied."
"I couldn’t agree more."
Over the next twenty minutes, the remaining details were finalized.
To Rose’s surprise, Morgan voluntarily approved several additional concessions.
The revised pricing was even lower than G.S’s original proposal.
It was a result she hadn’t expected.
After signing the preliminary agreement, she stood and offered everyone a sincere smile.
"Thank you all."
"I know today’s discussions weren’t easy."
"But I truly appreciate your willingness to work with us."
Morgan waved dismissively.
"G.S is one of the most promising companies in the industry."
"We’re investing in a long-term partnership."
Another executive laughed.
"Besides..."
"If Professor Bennett keeps bringing projects like this to us..."
"We’d be fools to say no."
The room filled with relaxed laughter.
Only Samantha remained silent.
Her smile looked flawless.
Her eyes...
Did not.
*****
Nearly half an hour later...
Dinner finally came to an end.
As the host of the evening, Rose insisted on escorting every guest downstairs herself.
The revolving doors opened.
A cool autumn breeze greeted them.
Downtown Manhattan glowed beneath thousands of city lights.
Rush-hour traffic stretched endlessly in both directions.
Car horns echoed through the streets.
Morgan glanced toward the packed avenue before chuckling.
"Looks like everyone had the same idea tonight."
Rose smiled.
"I anticipated that."
She had already arranged transportation before the dinner ended.
One by one, black luxury sedans pulled up to the curb.
Professional drivers stepped out to greet the executives.
Morgan, however, raised his car keys.
"I drove myself."
Rose frowned slightly.
"You’ve had wine tonight."
"Only one glass."
"One glass is still too much."
Morgan laughed.
"You sound exactly like my sister."
Rose folded her arms.
"I’ll consider that another compliment."
Without waiting for an argument, she called over one of the designated drivers.
"I’ve already arranged for someone to drive your vehicle."
Morgan surrendered immediately.
"I’ve officially lost."
"Smart decision."
Even Samantha couldn’t help glancing toward Rose.
There was something almost effortless about the way she handled people.
Firm.
Polite.
Never overbearing.
Within minutes, the executives began leaving.
Each thanked Rose before getting into their assigned cars.
One after another...
The vehicles disappeared into traffic.
Soon...
Only Samantha remained standing beside the curb.
Neither woman acknowledged the other.
Without so much as a goodbye, Samantha opened the rear door of the final sedan and climbed inside.
The door closed with a dull thud.
Rose watched the vehicle pull away before quietly noting its license plate out of habit.
Then she looked around.
Everyone else had safely departed.
Only she remained.
She reached into her purse and unlocked her phone.
Might as well book a ride home.
Her thumb had barely touched the screen—
When—
Screeeeech!
A deafening sound of tires scraping asphalt shattered the evening.
Several pedestrians screamed.
Someone shouted,
"Watch out!"
Rose’s head snapped upward.
About a hundred yards ahead...
The sedan carrying Samantha suddenly lurched violently across three lanes of traffic.
Its headlights swerved wildly.
The engine roared.
Instead of slowing...
The car accelerated.
It shot toward the intersection like a runaway missile.
"What the—"
Rose instinctively started running.
People scattered in every direction.
A cyclist threw himself off his bicycle.
A taxi slammed on its brakes.
Another vehicle barely avoided a collision.
The black sedan zigzagged uncontrollably through traffic.
It wasn’t avoiding obstacles.
It couldn’t.
The driver was fighting the steering wheel with both hands.
The horn blared continuously.
Inside the vehicle...
Someone was pounding frantically against the window.
Rose’s heartbeat accelerated.
Her years working around corporate fleets told her exactly what she was seeing.
That wasn’t reckless driving.
Something had failed.
"The brakes..."
she whispered.
"Oh no..."
The sedan mounted the curb for several terrifying feet before bouncing back onto the road.
Its tires screamed against the pavement.
The smell of burning rubber filled the air.
Pedestrians fled in panic.
Drivers leaned on their horns.
Some people had already pulled out their phones.
"Call 911!"
"That car’s out of control!"
"Someone’s going to die!"
Rose didn’t stop running.
Her eyes remained fixed on the speeding sedan.
Every second felt impossibly long.
Then—
The car swerved hard toward the concrete divider.
Boom!
The entire street shook with the impact.
Metal screamed against concrete.
A shower of sparks erupted beneath the vehicle as it scraped along the barrier.
For one horrifying instant...
Rose thought it was going to roll over.
Instead...
The driver somehow wrestled the steering wheel back under control.
The sedan skidded another thirty yards...
Twenty...
Ten...
Finally—
With a cloud of smoke pouring from beneath the wheels—
It ground to a complete stop.
Silence.
For a heartbeat...
The entire street froze.
Rose stopped running only a few yards away.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
The driver’s door slowly opened.
Someone stumbled out.
Then the rear passenger door swung open.
Rose immediately recognized Samantha.
She looked pale.
Terrified.
And there was blood running down one arm.
Rose’s expression changed instantly.
What happened?
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