Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 357: Subtle Shade

Callan slowed the car after Mari got out. He watched from the side mirror as she flagged down a cab, spoke briefly to the driver, then slid inside. The door shut. The car pulled away and blended into traffic.

Only then did Callan drive off. For a few moments, the car was quiet until he spoke again.

"Are you sure that was wise?" he asked at last, eyes still on the road.

Emily turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Dropping Mari off like that," he said. "After everything she told us about the drama with her family and the cartel. I think it’s dangerous to let her go off alone like that, especially to her boyfriend’s place where it all happened. I don’t feel good about it."

"She’ll be fine," Emily said gently. "She said her dad handled everything. The issue has been resolved."

Callan shook his head once. "I still don’t like it. I picked her up from her house. Dropping her on the roadside isn’t responsible. I was supposed to take her back home. If anything happens to her, I won’t be okay."

Emily studied him. "So what are you going to do?"

"To be safe," he said, already reaching for his phone, "I’ll call her dad and let him know."

Emily raised a brow. "You have Mari’s dad’s number?"

"Of course," Callan replied. "We’re all part of the gentlemen’s club."

Emily smirked. "I totally forgot you were part of that club."

Callan glanced at her sideways. "Was that a harmless statement... or subtle shade?"

She grinned. "Somewhere between both."

The corner of his mouth lifted. "It can’t be both. It’s either a harmless statement or a shade."

"I guess it’s a shade then," she said, and Callan eyed her with mild annoyance before he focused again and placed the call.

Alex picked up after two rings. "Callan? Is everything alright?"

"I’m not entirely sure, sir," Callan said calmly. "I just wanted to inform you that Mari decided to get off along the way. She said she wanted to go see her boyfriend. I wasn’t comfortable with the arrangement, so I thought you should know."

There was a brief pause. "How long ago did this happen? And did you see her get into a cab?"

"Roughly ten minutes ago," Callan said, then went on to tell him the spot where he had dropped her off, and to Emily’s surprise, he also told Alex the plate number of the cab.

"Got it. Thank you for calling me and taking note of all the details. I appreciate this," Alex said. "I’ll have my boys escort her."

When they hung up, Emily looked at Callan. "How did you even take note of the plate number?"

He shrugged. "After everything Mari told us, I figured I should know that much for security reasons. The only reason I let her out was because I know how stubborn she can be, and you seemed to support her decision."

She nodded. "It’s good to know you can pay attention to details when you want to."

He didn’t respond right away. The road lights flickered over his face as silence filled the car again.

They drove for a while before he spoke again. This time, his voice was quieter. "Em, I’m sorry."

She frowned. "Sorry for what?" She asked, wondering where that was coming from.

"I’ve been thinking about what you told me last night, all day," he said. "I’ve not been able to get past what you went through. What I left you to deal with alone. I shouldn’t have done that."

Her fingers tightened in her lap. "It’s in the past. You already apologised last night."

"It might be in the past to you, but it’s the present to me because I just found out about it," he said. "And I’d apologise for the rest of my life for hurting you that way."

Emily looked out of the window but said nothing.

Callan took a breath. "When we get back to Husla... would you consider seeing my therapist with me?"

She turned fully toward him. "Why?"

"I don’t know," he admitted. "There’s a lot of baggage between us. I want us to unpack it together. Maybe it helps you heal and forgive me. Maybe it helps me be better for you. I just... want us to be able to have something solid. I want us to have a good relationship even though things started out wrongly between us."

She looked at him for a long moment. "I’ve forgiven you already, Cal. I won’t be seated in your car right now if I hadn’t."

"When exactly did you forgive me? You seemed to have lots of anger and resentment in Husla. And then you..."

"That was before you told me why and explained things clearly. You’re not the only one who has been thinking about our conversation. It is true that I had resentment even though I never stopped loving you, but I understand things better now. My only annoyance is that I wish you opened up earlier and saved us both the heartache and time."

"Does that mean you don’t want to see my therapist with me?" He asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"What about what I said meant that?"

"I don’t know. I’m asking because I want to know," he said, glancing at her.

"I will," she said, then asked, "When are you planning to tell the family about us? About how you feel about me?"

He hesitated. "After we return to Ludus."

Her brows drew together. "Why wait until then?"

"Because I want us to have time alone first to sort things out," he said honestly. "Before everyone starts watching our every move."

She studied his face. "Is that really the only reason?"

He glanced at her, serious now. "I swear with my life, Emily Williams. I’m not playing with you again. I want this to work. I just don’t want the pressure while we’re still away. I don’t want them to start wondering what we are doing together alone under one roof."

Her cheeks warmed. "You might have a point."

His lips curved as they pulled into the parking lot of the club, "So, will you trust me this once and give me a chance?" He asked, holding out a hand to her.

Emily gazed at his hand, her heart racing. She wondered if she was giving in too easily and accepting too soon, but she desperately wanted to believe Callan and trust him.

She placed her hand in his. "Okay."

Callan raised her hand to his lips. "Thank you."

Before Emily could reach for the door, Callan was already out. He walked around and opened it for her.

She smiled up at him. "Are you trying to impress me?"

"I plan to impress you for the rest of my life," he said simply.

Her heart skipped a beat. "That sounds like a marriage proposal."

He smiled. "I’m not asking for a chance just to marry someone else, am I? You’re the only woman I want to marry, Emily."

Her heart fluttered. She swallowed and looked away self consciously. "We should go in."

He nodded and offered his hand.

Inside, the club was loud and bursting with life and energy. Lights flashed. Music thumped and bodies swayed to the rhythm.

Callan stayed close, his body angled protectively in front of her as they moved through the crowd. When someone nearly bumped into her, he pulled her gently to his chest.

She looked up at him, breath caught.

Before either could speak, Jamal appeared behind them, slapping Callan’s back.

"Keep moving, pal," Jamal said dryly. "This isn’t a movie scene where you both kiss."

Dawn laughed beside him while Emily and Callan playfully glared at Jamal at the same time.

"Don’t tell me you just got there. What took you so long?" Emily asked, raising her voice to be heard.

"We were on a date," Jamal replied then looked around. "Where’s Mari?"

Emily shook her head. "Something came up. She couldn’t make it."

Dawn pouted. "That’s sad."

As they talked, Callan’s eyes drifted toward the dance floor. He raised a brow. "Isn’t that Genevieve and Stefan?"

They all turned in the direction he was looking and were surprised to see Stefan and Genevieve on the dance floor. They were dancing, their bodies pressed close as they moved in a slow rhythm, lost in each other.

"Wow!" Dawn and Emily said in unison.

Jamal’s lips curved in amusement at the sight of Stefan holding Genevieve’s waist as she rolled her waist against his crotch. "We should probably leave them alone."

Callan scoffed. "You want to leave them alone after you interrupted our moment earlier? No way," Callan said and walked toward Stefan and Genevieve, while the others laughed as they followed him.

Stefan looked up just as Callan clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, exotic dancers. We’ve arrived. Party over."

Stefan glared at Callan, while Genevieve laughed, and then when she turned and saw Dawn smiling at her, her laughter wavered at first, but then her lips curved in a wide smile.

"You’re here. We decided to get busy while we wait for you all to arrive," Genevieve said to Dawn.

"You’re going to have to teach me some of that move," Dawn said, and Emily nodded.

"Me too," Emily said, while Callan and Jamal watched Stefan in amusement as he tried to adjust his trouser to hide his boner.