His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.

Chapter 786

Dominique waved a hand in front of Jason’s face. "Hello? Earth to Jason?"

Jason blinked, his eyes refocusing. "Nothing wrong with me, bro!" His voice was too loud, too high, too fast. "Let’s go quickly!"

He spun around and started ushering people toward the cars, his movements frantic, his face flushed, his hands gesturing wildly.

Dominique watched him, suspicious.

Jason arranged everyone with the efficiency of a man who had planned this moment for hours, maybe days. Scarlett and Zion in the silver car. Jay and Jace in the blue car. Leo and Bella in the black car, with a driver behind the wheel.

And his car, the red one, the fastest one, for himself, Dominique, Hazel, and Winter.

Winter stood beside the red car, her dark eyes fixed on the engine. The hood was open, revealing the complex machinery beneath, the gleaming metal, the intricate wiring, and the raw power waiting to be unleashed. She leaned closer, her head tilting, her eyes tracing the lines of the engine like she was reading a book written in a language only she understood.

A hint of excitement flickered in her eyes, a tiny spark that made her usually blank face look almost alive.

Jason noticed.

His heart did something complicated in his chest.

He slid into the driver’s seat, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his heart pounding so loud he was sure everyone could hear it. "Don’t be scared if I drive fast, okay?" he said, trying to sound casual, trying to sound cool, trying to sound like he had not been thinking about this moment for the entire flight.

Winter did not reply.

She just looked at the car, then at him, then back at the car. Her expression did not change as she sat on the passenger seat.

Winter did not like this arrangement since she wanted to sit in Bella’s car. However, according to Jason, both Leo and Bella were a couple and they should sit alone together.

Dominique climbed into the back seat, wedging himself beside Hazel. The seat was cramped, his knees pressed against the seat in front of him, his elbow bumping against Hazel’s arm.

"This is going to be interesting," he muttered.

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Dominique jerked his head toward Jason. "Because Jason is about to show off. Look at him. He’s practically vibrating."

Hazel looked at Jason. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel. His eyes kept darting toward Winter. His posture was stiff, his shoulders tense, like a peacock about to spread its feathers.

"Ah," Hazel said.

Winter sat with her hands folded in her lap, her expression still blank. But her eyes, her eyes were bright, bright as stars.

Jason started the engine.

The car roared to life, a deep, powerful growl that resonated through the seats and up through their bones. The steering wheel vibrated under his hands.

"Hold on," he said.

He stepped on the gas.

The car shot forward like a bullet, throwing them back against their seats. The wind whipped through Winter’s hair, pulling strands from her ponytail and sending them flying around her face. The engine roared, the tires squealed, and the world outside blurred into streaks of color.

Behind them, Dominique clutched the armrest with both hands, his knuckles white, his eyes wide. "I’m going to die," he said, his voice high and strained. "I’m going to die in this car, and no one will know, because we’re going too fast for anyone to see."

Hazel patted his hand, calm and steady. "You’ll be fine."

Dominique’s voice cracked. "I won’t be fine. I am not fine. I am the opposite of fine."

"Jason knows what he’s doing."

"Jason knows how to crash."

Hazel smiled but said nothing.

The car sped down the runway, onto the open road, merging onto the highway. The wind roared in their ears, and the world became a blur of gray asphalt, green trees, and blue sky. Jason’s grin was wide and carefree, his earlier nervousness forgotten in the thrill of speed.

Then the sky changed.

One moment it was blue, dotted with soft white clouds that looked like cotton candy. The next, gray clouds rolled in from nowhere, swallowing the sun, casting long shadows across the highway. The temperature dropped. The wind picked up, whistling through the cracks in the windows.

Drip.

A single drop of rain landed on the windshield.

Jason’s grin faltered.

Another drop. Then another. Then another.

The drizzle turned into rain, soft at first, then harder, then harder still. Water splashed against the cars, against the road, against the windows, turning the world into a blur of gray and white.

Jason’s perfect plan crumbled before his eyes.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," he muttered, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

Dominique laughed from the back seat, loud and delighted. "Oh no, god! Your plans are always full flop, bro! You should have checked the weather before planning to pick us up in these cars. Now we’re going to be soaking wet because of you."

Jason’s jaw tightened. "Shut up!"

"I’m just saying—"

"Shut up!"

Dominique grinned but said nothing more.

The rain poured down, blurring the world outside until everything looked like a watercolor painting left out in the rain. The highway stretched ahead, gray and slick, the lines on the road barely visible. Water streamed down the windows, making the cars around them look like smudged paintings.

Inside the black car, Leo sat in the back seat beside Bella. The driver was professional, hands steady on the wheel, eyes fixed on the road. Rain streaked the windows, blurring the world outside. Leo’s dark shirt was already soaked, clinging to his chest and shoulders. Water dripped from his hair onto his collar, ran down his neck, and soaked into the fabric of his seat. His jaw was tight, his shoulders rigid, his eyes dark as the clouds above.

He looked like a man who wanted to punch something, like a storm about to break.

Bella sat beside him, her own clothes damp, her hair clinging to her neck in wet strands. She could feel his mood like a physical presence, heavy and cold and crackling with barely contained frustration. The airport arrangements had annoyed him, and now the rain had pushed him over the edge.

She reached over and placed her hand on his.

"Hey," she said softly.

Leo did not look at her. His eyes stayed fixed on the gray highway disappearing into the gray sky.

"Leo," she said again, squeezing his hand.

He turned his head. His dark eyes met hers, and something in them softened, just a little like ice beginning to melt at the edges.

"The rain will pass," she said.

He nodded but he did not say anything. His hand, however, turned over under hers, and his fingers intertwined with hers.