Chapter 703

“Is that the one?” Lydia asked quietly, narrowing her eyes as she tried to see more clearly.

Daniel didn’t answer right away. His grip tightened on the wheel, and then he pressed harder on the gas. The speedometer needle climbed, slow but certain, and the engine’s hum deepened into a rougher growl that filled the tight space inside the car.

“Please hold on,” he said shortly.

The next second, the car surged forward.

Their bodies were thrown back by the sudden acceleration. Naomi gasped, her breath catching as her hands flew to grip the seatbelt, clinging to it as if it were the only thing keeping her in place.

“Daniel!” Lydia nearly lost her balance, her hand instinctively bracing against the seat in front of her.

They shot through an intersection, the traffic lights blurring into streaks of broken color. Horns blared around them, some cars braking hard to make way. The sharp screech of tires echoed in the distance, blending with the roar of the engine. A faint smell of burnt rubber slipped into the car through the vents.

Naomi twisted around again, her breathing uneven now. “They’re still there. They’re still following us.” Her voice cracked at

the edges.

Lydia looked back as well, and it was true.

The car hadn’t disappeared.

If anything, it was closer now. Its headlights burned brighter, like unblinking eyes fixed on them. Lydia’s chest tightened. Her mind tried to reach for something rational, but her instincts moved faster.

This was a chase.

“Daniel,” she said, her voice lower now, steadier but far more serious. “How bad is it?”

Daniel didn’t answer immediately. He turned the wheel sharply, cutting into a narrower lane. The tires screeched, and their bodies lurched sideways again.

“Bad enough that we can’t stop,” he said at last.

That answer made it clear. The car behind them wasn’t giving them any chance to slip away easily. The distance that had once felt safe now pressed in on them, like a shadow clinging too close to shake off. The headlights pierced through the rear window, reflecting across the interior in sharp flashes of white every time the vehicle crept closer.

Naomi squeezed her eyes shut for a second, then opened them again, panic no longer something she could hide. “Why us? What do they want from us?” Her voice trembled, her breathing growing uneven, as if her chest had become too tight to hold air.

“Please stay calm,” Daniel said, his voice lower this time. It wasn’t just reassuring. It carried the weight of someone who had been in situations like this before. His hands remained steady on the wheel, but the tension in his wrists was visible, a controlled restraint that kept his composure from cracking in front of them.

Lydia hadn’t even had the chance to respond when a loud crash exploded from behind.

Bang.

The impact wasn’t just heard. It tore through them, jolting straight into bone. Their bodies were thrown forward, the seatbelts snapping tight across their chests with a harsh pull that stole the air from Lydia’s lungs. The grinding sound of metal echoed briefly, followed by a violent tremor that shook through the entire frame of the car.

Naomi let out a small scream, her hand instinctively clutching Lydia’s arm, her nails digging in hard enough to sting. “They hit us!” she cried, panic flooding her voice, her eyes wide with raw fear.

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For a split second, Lydia felt her heart stop before it slammed back to life, beating faster than before. “Daniel!” she called, her voice sharper than she intended.

“I know.” Daniel’s tone remained steady, but his movements grew quicker, sharper. He turned the wheel with precision, maneuvering past a car ahead that had slowed in reaction to the sudden chaos. “They did it on purpose.”

The vehicle behind them closed in again, this time leaving no safe distance at all. Its headlights blazed, too bright, too close, like a threat that no longer bothered to hide.

“Why are they doing this?” Naomi’s voice nearly broke. Her body trembled slightly, her shoulders rising and falling with her increasingly rapid breaths.

“Don’t panic, Miss Naomi,” Daniel said briefly, his eyes flicking between the road and the rearview mirror. “Just hold on a little longer. The important thing is getting out of here.”

He pushed the gas pedal down harder.

The engine roared, no longer just a sound but a force pressing against their chests. The car shot forward, slicing through the narrow gaps between other vehicles. Horns erupted around them, some drivers blaring warnings as Daniel passed with distances that felt impossibly tight.