Alexander kept his hands firmly on the steering wheel, his expression remaining perfectly calm and unbothered by her explosive outburst, though he smoothly shifted into a more apologetic register.

"I am incredibly sorry, Serena" stated Alexander, his deep voice smooth, steady, and entirely grounded as he turned his head to look at her "I completely lost track of time I had an emergency at the hospital regarding a client’s paperwork, and the administrators held me up much longer than expected It won’t happen again".

"I don’t care about your stupid client paperwork!" Serena snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously as she pointed an aggressive finger straight at his chest "You work for us right now! You’re supposed to be my personal driver and bodyguard! If you can’t even handle a simple pickup, you’re completely useless I swear to god, I am going to tell my mother exactly what happened I’m going to make sure she docks your pay for being so incredibly unprofessional and late!".

Alexander didn’t flinch at the threat Instead, a slow, faint smirk touched the corners of his lips, his dark eyes locking onto hers with a calm, predatory focus that instantly made her breath hitch.

"Go ahead and tell her if you want" murmured Alexander, leaning slightly closer into her space, his tone turning into a low, teasing melody "But I’d rather make it up to you directly Let me compensate you for the trouble".

Serena’s jaw tightened, her fierce, angry stance wavering for a fraction of a second under the sheer weight of his proximity She quickly turned her head away, looking out the side window to hide the faint, involuntary flush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Compensate me?" muttered Serena, her voice still sharp but losing a bit of its aggressive edge "And how exactly do you plan on doing that? A cheap apology isn’t going to fix my bad mood".

"Whatever you want" stated Alexander smoothly, shifting the car into drive and pulling away from the curb "We can stop by that expensive dessert place you like downtown, or I can take you shopping right now to buy whatever you want on my tab You name it, and it’s yours".

Serena kept her eyes fixed on the passing buildings outside, but her arms slowly uncrossed, her fingers casually tracing the strap of her school bag as a small, victorious smirk finally broke through her angry facade.

"Fine" whispered Serena, turning her head back to look at him with a haughty, demanding expression "We’re going to that fancy ice cream parlor, and you’re buying me the largest platter on the menu And don’t think you’re off the hook yet, Alex... you still owe me big time".

The car smoothly cruised down the avenue toward the downtown district, the tense atmosphere inside the cabin finally beginning to settle Serena was busy adjusting her hair in the vanity mirror, her initial rage completely melting into a smug, victorious satisfaction. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Suddenly, Alexander’s phone vibrated violently against the center console A harsh, bright notification popped up on the digital screen.

You have to help me, Alex! Emma disappeared! Please, come immediately!

Alexander’s dark eyes locked onto Professor Isabella’s frantic message "Fucking hell," he cursed silently, his jaw tightening as he stared at the screen He was right on the verge of smoothing things over with this brat, and now the universe was throwing a wrench into his entire schedule.

"I have a major problem" stated Alexander, his voice instantly dropping into a cold, authoritative register as he smoothly gripped the steering wheel and slowed the vehicle down near the edge of a busy intersection "I need you to get out and take a taxi to the parlor or back home, Serena I’ll cover the fare".

Serena snapped her head around, her eyes widening in absolute, furious disbelief "Are you out of your mind?!" she yelled, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the armrest "You literally just picked me up forty minutes late, promised to make it up to me, and now you’re throwing me out of the car onto some random street corner? Absolutely not!".

"It’s an absolute emergency" stated Alexander, his tone completely serious as he checked his mirrors "A high-profile client’s daughter has disappeared under highly suspicious circumstances I need to move right now, and it is going to be incredibly dangerous Get out of the car".

"I am not getting out!" snapped Serena aggressively, her chest heaving as she locked her seatbelt into place with a loud click She stared him dead in the eye, her stubbornness flaring into an absolute wall of resistance "I don’t care about your dangerous clients! If you force me out of this car right now, you are completely fired, Alexander! I’ll make sure my mother kicks you out of our house before the sun goes down!".

Alexander’s fingers tightened against the leather of the steering wheel until his knuckles popped A dark, dangerous flash of irritation crossed his eyes, but he quickly re-evaluated the situation Isabella’s daughter was likely just acting out her rebellious phase with that Sinclair lackey; it was highly probable she was just at a club or a private lounge It shouldn’t involve a massive shootout right off the bat It would essentially just be a quick tracking job.

He let out a low, menacing growl, slamming his foot down onto the accelerator as he violently spun the wheel, sending the car roaring down the highway in the opposite direction.

"Fine" stated Alexander, his voice a chilling, unyielding whisper that made Serena instinctively press herself deeper into her seat "You want to ride along? Then hold on tight But if things turn ugly, you stay inside this vehicle and you keep your mouth shut Understood?".

Serena’s eyes widened as the sheer G-force of the sudden acceleration slammed her back into the leather seat The furious scowl on her face instantly shattered, replaced by a wild, thrill-seeking grin as the scenery outside transformed into a blurry streak of neon lights.

She gave a frantic, excited nod, her hands violently gripping the safety belt across her chest as she let out a loud, ecstatic yell.

"Oh hell yeah...!!!" shouted Serena, her voice filled with an absolute rush of pure, unadulterated adrenaline "Go faster, Alex! Don’t you dare slow down!".

Alexander didn’t say a word His face remained an icy, emotionless mask as he effortlessly threaded the powerful vehicle through the tight gaps in the evening traffic, the engine roaring like a caged beast as he raced toward Professor Isabella’s coordinates.