Flash Marriage To The Dangerous Billionaire - Chapter 77: Chapter 77

Hearing his so-called righteous reasoning, Hallie stared at him like she'd just seen a ghost. After a moment, she cleared her throat and said, "Mr. Blair, lately you seem very invested in your partners' safety and rights. You're starting to sound almost like an upstanding capitalist."
It sounded like a compliment on the surface—but the tone was anything but sincere. Nelson's lips twitched involuntarily. He thought, 'This woman is getting more blunt and ungrateful by the day.'
He added, "There's one more thing. I had that old car of yours towed for inspection, and the results show clear signs of sabotage."
When the line went silent for a few seconds, Nelson assumed she'd been scared by the news. He quickly added, "Since you're involved in South Callopston's land bid and heading the Berry Bay project, there are plenty of people out there looking to set you up. Be careful."
Nelson had expected Hallie to ask who was behind this. To Nelson's surprise, after a brief pause, Hallie suddenly asked something else entirely.
She asked, "So... you lent me that car because of this? Are you feeling guilty for dragging me into all this, so you're trying to make it up to me?"
Nelson was at a complete loss for words. He thought, 'Can this woman focus on the important part for once? Is whether I feel guilty or not really the point here?'
Even so, Nelson pressed a fist lightly to his lips and cleared his throat, a rare flicker of guilt flashing across his face—though of course, Hallie couldn't see it over the phone.
"Anyway," he continued to say, "until the bid is over, I'll make sure you're safe. You get what I mean, right?"
Hallie wasn't used to hearing Nelson speak in such an unusually humble tone. Still, she nodded and said, "Got it. You're just safeguarding your business partner, and it has nothing to do with me personally. I won't read too much into it, so don't worry."
She was accustomed to keeping Nelson at arm's length. Her words came out so naturally, yet they left Nelson silent on the other end of the line for a moment.
There wasn't the slightest trace of hesitation in her voice like she was determined to keep her distance from him.
After hanging up, Hallie felt a surge of confidence. She thought, 'Since Nelson said he'd help investigate, I can trust that with his resources, he'll give me the answers I need.'
Standing by the window, Hallie looked up, her gaze fixed on Declan's office. She thought, 'If I keep pulling on this thread, I'm bound to dig something up.'
The rest of the workday passed eventfully. Aside from that last-minute volunteer assignment, Declan didn't give her any more trouble.
When her shift ended, Hallie drove her bright red Porsche out of the parking lot, only to run right into Declan at the exit.
"Well, look at you, Hallie," Declan drawled, squinting at the car with surprise. "Upgrading to a new ride so soon? And a limited edition from a few years back, no less. It's practically impossible to get one now, so it must've cost a fortune."
After recognizing the model, he shifted his gaze to Hallie, his expression turning probing and sharp. "I heard around the hospital that you borrowed it. Who exactly did you borrow it from?"
"Just..." Hallie paused as Nelson's face briefly flashed in her mind. She struggled to find a word to describe him, then finally settled on something and said, "Just someone I know."
Hallie figured that she and Nelson were just business partners for now anyway. But once their six-month marriage contract was over, they'd go their separate ways.
Hallie thought, 'Since we probably won't cross paths again, calling him 'someone I know' seems perfectly fine.'
Declan was clearly displeased, but with others present, he couldn't press further. He jabbed a finger at Hallie, a sly smile tugging at his lips as he remarked, "Hallie, you're full of surprises, aren't you?"
Watching his car disappear down the road, Hallie replayed his words in her mind. 'The car is a limited edition from a few years back? That would've been when Regina was still in the picture.
Her fingers traced the smooth leather of the steering wheel as her gaze swept over the car's exquisite interior—every detail was unmistakably designed for a woman.
'Now it all makes sense,' Hallie thought. 'So this car was meant for Regina all along,'
Later that evening, when Nelson finally came home and was loosening his tie, Hallie—who had been waiting for him for quite a while—suddenly stepped out from behind and blocked his path.
"Here, take this back," Hallie said and placed a set of car keys in front of him.
Nelson recognized the car keys he'd just given away yesterday. Frowning in confusion, he looked at her and asked, "You're returning it after just one day? Is there something wrong with the car, or you just don't want it anymore?"
Hearing that, Hallie nodded without hesitation. "You got it.
"The car drives great, but now that the rightful owner is back, it should go back to her. When my car gets fixed, just bring it back and I'll drive that one. If not, I can always take a cab or the subway."
Before Hallie could finish her sentence, Nelson suddenly grabbed her wrist. His expression turned grim as he demanded, "Explain. What do you mean by returning it to its rightful owner?"
Seeing the displeasure in his eyes, Hallie frowned and shot back, "Wasn't this car originally meant for Regina?"
She continued to say, "If the car didn't belong to anyone, I wouldn't care about driving it. But it's Regina's, and I want nothing to do with anything of hers."
After being targeted by Regina's malice more than once, Hallie, even if she usually brushed it off, had no desire to get tangled up with anything connected to her.
"You want nothing to do with... her things?" Nelson repeated, almost as if he didn't believe what he was hearing.
He slowly let go of her wrist but kept repeating her words in his mind.
When his gaze shifted back to her face, he gave her a mocking smile. "Ms. Levine, do you actually think you're above all this? After scheming your way into the Blair family, what's up with this innocent act?"
With that, Nelson ripped off his tie in frustration and stormed out of the bedroom angrily. Meanwhile, Hallie stood frozen in shock.
She was just trying to do the right thing by returning the car to him, so that when he divorced her and married Regina, Regina wouldn't find something new to fuss about.
'This man really doesn't know how to appreciate good intentions,' Hallie thought angrily.
But there was one upside to him storming out. When she turned and saw the big, empty bed, Hallie couldn't help but break into a small, triumphant smile. 'Finally! No one to fight me for space tonight. At last, I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight.'
In the middle of the night, Hallie was abruptly jolted awake by someone tugging her upright.
"Nelson, must you act like a lunatic in the middle of the night? I've got a medical aid mission in Redwood Village tomorrow!" Hallie complained.
When she finally focused and saw Nelson towering over her by the bed, her half-asleep crankiness instantly flared up. She shoved him, grumbling, "Whatever it is, save it for the morning. Stop bothering me and let me sleep."
Just as she was about to flop back down and wrap herself in the blanket, suddenly, the entire blanket was yanked out of her arms.
Standing by the bed with the blanket in his arms, Nelson sneered, "Per our agreement, I get the bed tonight. You can go sleep on the couch."
By now, Hallie was wide awake, her drowsiness completely gone.
Before Hallie could even protest, Nelson stretched out his long legs and, to her astonishment, flopped right onto the bed. Now, they were mere inches apart, where just a slight movement of her arm and she'd brush against his elbow.
Hallie yelled, "You're the one who stormed out first! Since you weren't sleeping here, I took the bed. And now you barge in and wake me up in the middle of the night. Don't you think that's way out of line?"
After letting Hallie shove at him a few times, Nelson simply stayed sprawled on the bed, his deep eyes sweeping over her with a cold, condescending glance.
'This shameless act of his is driving me crazy!' Hallie thought, grinding her teeth in frustration. 'I've never seen him act this way before.'
Rubbing her temples, Hallie let out a resigned sigh. With no other choice, she reluctantly got out of bed and shuffled over to the couch, accepting her fate.
'Well, at least I got half the night on the bed. I guess that's still a win,' she consoled herself bitterly.