Bucky, who had been sent to pick her up, spotted her at once. He rushed forward and took the luggage from her hands. "Chloe."
Chloe glanced around. Aside from Bucky, no one else had come to meet her. A self-deprecating smile touched the corner of her lips.
Perhaps she had stayed abroad for too long. Long enough for everyone to forget that someone named Chloe Bishop even existed.
No matter. There would be plenty of time for everything ahead.
Stepping out of the airport, Chloe got into the car and closed her eyes to rest. Bucky loaded her suitcase into the trunk, opened the driver's door, and sat inside. Looking back at her closed eyes, he hesitated.
Before leaving, Kate Bishop had instructed him to bring Chloe to the Stark Manor for dinner. Still, he needed to ask her opinion first.
Seeing her with her eyes closed now, he assumed she had fallen asleep and kept quiet, smoothly merging the car into the flow of traffic.
After a flight that lasted over ten hours, Chloe felt drowsy the moment she settled into the seat. But she hadn't slept long before a sharp blare of car horns jolted her awake.
Noticing the car had come to a complete standstill, she glanced out the window. They were right in the heart of the bustling downtown area. The streets were jammed with traffic and pedestrians, and towering skyscrapers stood imposing beneath the sunlight.
Rubbing the tired corners of her eyes, she asked, "Bucky, what happened?"
Bucky looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Chloe, this road is always congested. Rest a bit longer. I'll wake you when we get there."
Chloe was a light sleeper; once disturbed, she couldn't drift back off.
The cars ahead crept forward a few meters only to stop again. Bucky followed suit, inching through the stop-and-go traffic.
After nearly half an hour, Chloe lost her patience. Seeing the cars ahead move slightly, she told Bucky to overtake from the side lane.
As a veteran driver for the Bishop family, Bucky was skilled behind the wheel. Following her directions, he successfully passed several cars in a row.
Ahead of them, a Maybach seemed to be in a rush as well, frequently switching lanes and overtaking. Bucky made a miscalculation and rear-ended it. Fortunately, the speed had been low, so no one was injured-though the other party's car took a hit.
Bucky turned pale with fright, stuttering nervously, "Chloe... what do we do?"
Anyone driving a car like that was bound to be extraordinarily wealthy and influential. Coupled with that distinct, prestige license plate, the owner was clearly someone you did not want to mess with.
Chloe knit her delicate brows. Pressing her lips together, she stepped out of the car, walked forward, and tapped gently on the Maybach's window.
In the driver's seat, a man was unbuckling his seatbelt, preparing to step out and check the damage. Hearing the knock, he looked up through the glass at Chloe.
He slowly lowered the window. Before he could speak, Chloe took the initiative. "Do you have a pen and paper?"
Alfred looked at her in confusion, a blank expression on his face. It wasn't until Chloe repeated herself-"Do you have a pen and paper?"-that he snapped out of it and handed them over.
He had seen in the rearview mirror that this girl came from the car behind. She was clearly the culprit behind the crash.
With practiced ease, Chloe jotted down a string of phone numbers and added a specific name underneath.
Perhaps some things were simply carved too deep into her memory. Even after three full years, she could still recite that man's phone number by heart.