Chapter 423
Oakley was barely staying conscious, his forehead slick with blood that refused to
stop. He felt dizzy, ready to black out at any second. When he saw Claire clawing at the car window, it shocked him so much that he froze. Instinct kicked in, and he reached out to pull her inside.
He’d already made up his mind to jump from the moving vehicle, but with Claire there, he couldn’t risk another reckless move. She grabbed onto his arm, ducked her head, and squeezed herself into the driver’s seat. Before Oakley even realized what was happening, Claire had both hands on the wheel.
“We need to switch spots,” she said, her voice calm but urgent.
The color drained from Oakley’s face. “You shouldn’t be here! The brakes are gone. Even if you’re driving, there’s nothing you can do p>
The last person he’d expected to show up right now wasn’t his bodyguard, and it wasn’t anyone from the film crew. It was Karla’s niece. Oakley knew exactly how much trouble he’d be in if anything happened to her. There was no way he could ever face Karla or her family.
“Just get out of the way,” Claire shot back, annoyed by how much he was talking. “Move faster. Aren’t you supposed to be some action star p>
Oakley caught the irritation in her tone, realized there was no point arguing, and quickly scrambled to let her take over. As they fumbled in the cramped space to change places, the car lurched unexpectedly and nearly plowed right into someone standing nearby. Claire immediately straightened the wheel, full focus on the road, and managed to regain control.
The brakes were still completely dead, but somehow she was keeping things steady. Smoke drifted up, and the heavy smell of gas filled the car-the explosion had shredded part of the undercarriage, and now fuel was leaking fast.
Claire made a snap decision. Gritting her teeth, she aimed the car straight for the river. It was risky, but it was the safest choice left.
“Are you insane?!” Oakley yelled, horrified at what she was doing.
On the other side of the chaos, Karla’s screams rang across the set. “Claire, what are you doing?! Do you want to die p>
It hadn’t even occurred to Karla that
Claire would be crazy enough to climb into an out-of-control car. Jumping in just made things worse, right? Her heart dropped anything happened to Claire with her O watching, she’d never be able to explain it to the family.
The Churchills treated Claire like she was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to them. She was precious, a second chance after all the grief they’d had over Melissa. Everyone wanted to spoil heto give hereverything she never had. And How, right in front of her eyes, Claire was risking her life.
“Where are the bodyguards? Stop that car! Keep them safe and don’t let anyone else get hurt!” Karla shouted until her voice was nearly gone.
Osborn, the director, finally realized just how much trouble they were in. He’d seen accidents on set before but those were always covered by contracts and insurance. There were pay-outs. It was ugly, but it was part of the job. This was different.
He glanced at Karla, voice shaking. “Who is this niece of yours, really p>
Karla barely looked at him. “She’s not anybody special—unless something happens to her. If she gets hurt, your whole film is done for p>
She wasn’t exaggerating. If things went their way, the whole production would be cancelled quietly. If they didn’t, the Churchill family would make sure Osborn never worked in film again.
Osborn swallowed, panic starting to take hold. Just this morning, he’d been thinking the girl was a good luck charm after she breezed through a cameo in one take. Now, it felt like everything was falling apart.
“Call the police. Let them handle it, and don’t hide a single thing,” Karla ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.
She knew how these things usually went—accidents swept under the rug, everything kept quiet to avoid delays and bad press. But she didn’t care. Her priority was clear.
Osborn could only nod. He’d wanted to keep this problem out of the spotlight, but it was way too big for him to handle alone now.