It was clearly premeditated. That was the immediate conclusion Melinda reached. The heavy truck had deliberately accelerated and rammed into the rear of their vehicle, targeting the back seat with lethal intent. The assailant was clearly after Chloe. At the critical moment, Zachary had swerved the car, causing the main impact to strike the driver's side. If it hadn't been for the guardrail, they might have... "Zachary, hang in there..." Melinda shouted, frantically trying to pry open the driver's side door. But the door was badly mangled, trapping Zachary inside. Her strength was no match for the twisted metal. Chloe and Oralia stumbled out of the car, their movements clumsy with the aftershock of the crash. Chloe reached down immediately to scoop Robert into her arms—she'd shielded him tightly beneath her body during the impact, and a tiny scratch marred her forehead. The gash wasn't deep, but it had broken the skin, oozing a faint trickle of blood. "Robert, does anything hurt?" Chloe dropped to her knees, voice tight with anxiety as she ran her hands gently over him, checking for injuries. The thought of him being hurt terrified her. "Mommy, there's blood on your face," Robert said anxiously. Only then did Chloe realize something was on her cheek—a warm, damp sensation. She reached up to touch it just as a tall figure rushed toward her, his voice filled with concern. "Chloe!" Hearing that voice instantly brought her a sense of calm. She looked up and saw the man standing before her. She was still crouching, and as her gaze traveled upward, she first noticed his long, well-built legs, then his tall frame, before finally meeting his worried expression. "Eugene..." Chloe murmured softly, her voice hoarse, as though she had been waiting for this moment all along. Eugene stared at the blood on Chloe's face, his anger boiling. Their car had been about a hundred yards behind Chloe's. Lawrence was attending the Lewis Group celebration as the representative of Cosmos Group. Eugene had ridden in the same car with him. He had deliberately timed their departure to coincide with Chloe's, hoping to "run into" her at the venue. When Bruce, in the passenger seat, pointed out that Chloe's car was just ahead, Eugene had instructed their driver to slow down and maintain a discreet distance. He hadn't wanted to be too obvious—or let her notice they were following. Now, seeing what had happened, Eugene was filled with regret. Just moments earlier, Lawrence had told him that if he liked Chloe, there was no need to keep his distance—why not just pull up and ride together? For a moment, Eugene had been tempted to do exactly that—to drive up alongside her and let her know he was there. But before he could give the order, Bruce's voice cut through his thoughts. "That semi is moving way too fast! Driving like that in this area—does that guy have a death wish?" The comment made Eugene glance out the window. The truck was old and battered, its cargo area visibly worn, the tires nearly bald. How was a truck in such poor condition still on the road? Who was driving it? Eugene's eyes shifted to the driver—a man staring intently ahead with an unsettling, almost smug grin. Suddenly, the truck accelerated. Eugene's gaze snapped back to the car ahead—Chloe's car. The suspicious timing, the reckless driver... Eugene's expression darkened as understanding dawned. "Speed up! Cut off that truck!" he ordered. But before the driver could fully process the command, a loud crash echoed from up ahead. The moment he saw Chloe's car struck, Eugene felt as if the air had been knocked from his lungs. A wave of panic and dread—unlike anything he'd ever felt—washed over him. When he rushed from the car, his legs felt unsteady. Now, standing before Chloe, seeing the blood on her face... he froze, momentarily paralyzed. It was only when she spoke his name that he seemed to snap back to reality. "Chloe." Eugene reached out a trembling hand and gently brushed the blood from her cheek. The sight of it felt like a burn. After confirming it was only a minor scratch, some of the tension in his chest eased, and he finally managed to say, "Thank God you're alright.""Mr. Rosewood!" Bruce and the security team quickly surrounded them. Seeing the wrecked car and Zachary trapped and injured in the driver's seat, Bruce signaled to the guards. Several stepped forward to assist while others returned to their vehicles to retrieve rescue tools. Looking at Zachary's severe injuries, Bruce couldn't help but reflect on their luck—their car hadn't been too far behind Chloe's; Chloe and Robert were relatively unharmed; and they'd had two security escort vehicles trailing them. It could have been so much worse.