"And then! What happened next?" asked Sophia excitedly, but Sheila turned her attention forward, as it had been several minutes since Benjamin had gotten out to check the car.
Fortunately, nothing serious had happened because Benjamin had noticed something strange from the moment he accelerated the car to what was his normal traveling speed, quite the opposite of the calm speed at which Sheila had driven her car.
"I'll tell you the rest when we get to the hotel. I want to see what's going on," Sheila explained in a soft tone.
Sophia, although curious to know more about Emily, was aware of the situation they were in, so she decided to stay calm inside the car.
"What happened?" asked Sheila once she got close enough to Benjamin, who was recording the state of the engine.
"I'm recording everything," Benjamin explained while making sure nothing was missing from the recording.
"Why?" asked Sheila curiously.
"Because if I don't do this, the insurance won't do anything later," Benjamin replied as he finished his recording. He would later cut that comment out with some editing program.
"And what happened to the car?" asked Sheila while glancing at the interior of the vehicle.
"I don't know," Benjamin replied immediately.
"You don't know?" asked Sheila, surprised.
"Yes. I don't know. Just because I understand computers, phones, food, and social skills doesn't mean I'm also a mechanic. I know nothing about cars," Benjamin explained without any shame.
"Then why didn't you tell us anything?" asked Sheila, confused because she thought he was doing something outside given all the time he had taken.
"And what were you going to do? Do you know how to fix cars?" asked Benjamin while pointing at the engine.
"Yes," Sheila replied immediately.
"Then…?" Benjamin paused for a moment, processing what he had just heard.
Without a doubt, Treit had demonstrated outstanding skills in treating injured people. He had successfully helped Lily and now Ethan's younger sister with the attack she had gone through before.
But… fixing his car…
Sheila, seeing the look of doubt in Benjamin, leaned over the engine, inspecting it carefully.
Within a few seconds, she found the cause of the problem.
The radiator hose was loose, which had caused a coolant leak. Without enough coolant, the engine had overheated, causing the erratic behavior they had experienced.
"It's the radiator hose," Sheila explained while turning to look at Benjamin.
"It came loose and the coolant has leaked out. That's why the car overheated."
"Can we fix it here?" asked Benjamin, despite not having much hope. His idea was to send Sheila along with Sophia in a taxi while he waited for the tow truck.
Sheila nodded.
"Yes, we can. We need to secure the hose again and refill the radiator with water until we can get proper coolant. Luckily, from what I saw in your suitcase... you have the tools for this, right?"
Benjamin nodded, as even though he knew nothing about cars, he knew it never hurt to carry those tools in case of an emergency. That, and he had found them on sale the day he bought that car.
Sheila returned to the car and took a small toolbox from the trunk. Skillfully and quickly, she adjusted the radiator hose back into place and used a clamp to ensure it wouldn't come loose again.
"Now we need water," Sheila said, looking around.
"I'll get it," said Benjamin as he headed to the driver's door to fetch the water he always carried. In the process, he noticed that Sophia had taken up the entire back seat and had fallen asleep.
'This girl...'
Without wasting time, Benjamin returned to Sheila's side. With the water bottle in hand, Sheila refilled the radiator.
"This should suffice for now. You just have to drive carefully and watch the engine temperature."
Benjamin watched the whole process with admiration.
If this really worked... without a doubt, he was going to tell Ethan that if he wasn't serious about Sheila, he was going all in.
"Should I try it?" asked Benjamin.
"I'd be offended if you didn't," Sheila replied, smiling proudly.
Both got into the car, and to Benjamin's surprise, the car wasn't giving any problems.
It was perfect!
"Don't speed up," Sheila said, noticing Benjamin's intentions.
"Yeah, yeah..." Benjamin replied, lamenting not being able to go at top speed.
◇◆◇
Rita couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing.
Even though years had passed, she could never forget that damn face.
It was her.
Her sister.
But the worst part for her was not just that, but the girl in the video was obviously Sophia Grey. The youngest daughter of the Greys and who many rumors claimed was a spoiled child.
Why was Sheila treating her?
What were those golden needles she was using?
Why hadn't Sheila informed them that she had already arrived in Vespera?
These questions only served to annoy Rita because this could ruin her and her mother's plan.
'Sheila… what the hell are you doing!?'