She is a CEO by George Chapman

Chapter 1188 Inferiority Complex

At nine o'clock in the morning, although the sun was strong, it was not yet at its hottest. The wind blowing on the road as the car traveled still carried a hint of coolness. Jacob leaned against the car window and enjoyed the breeze while stealing a glance at Lucia, who had an expressionless face.

For some reason, Jacob had a subconscious feeling that Lucia was different, but he can't figure out what exactly was different about her.

Jacob wanted to talk to her, but he couldn't find a topic. Although the wind blowing towards him was warm and gentle, his heart became more and more restless.

"How much longer until we reach our destination?" Jacob asked the driver in a harsh tone.

The driver answered, "There are still four hours left."

After getting the answer, Jacob turned to Lucia and said, "There are still four hours left. Are you really planning on not drinking any water?" Lucia's response was a cold glance.

As he looked at her face, which should have been haggard but was still exquisitely beautiful, Jacob couldn't help feeling a surge of anger.

"What are you obstinate about? Do you really want to starve yourself to death?"

"Isn't this exactly what you want?" Lucia said calmly.

Jacob's incomprehension was written all over his face, and Lucia continued, "Only in death can you take me with you."

If he was filled with anger just now, Lucia's words now made Jacob's fury soar to new heights. His eyes turned fierce, and he cursed, "You're delusional!" Then, he picked up the water bottle and poured it onto Lucia, forcefully directing it at her mouth.

Lucia didn't struggle much; she was pinned against the car window, her body in an unnatural posture. However, she clenched her lips tightly, refusing to open them, using her pride to resist Jacob.

Seeing the water flowing down her beautiful curved chin, instead of going into her mouth, Jacob's gaze suddenly changed. A strong animalistic desire surged through him as he stared fixedly at her lips. Without waiting for Lucia to react, he leaned down and bit her lip.

Aware of what Jacob was doing, a feeling of disgust surged through Lucia's heart and lungs. Without hesitation, she lifted her leg and kicked Jacob's crotch while fiercely biting his tongue.

Simultaneously, both of his tongue and crotch experienced dull pains. Jacob let out a cry of agony as he fell to the side. He curled up on the floor in pain, feeling like he had been utterly defeated. The pain of being kicked in the crotch was every man's nightmare, and Jacob was no exception.

"Mr. Wood, what's wrong?!" The bodyguard heard a strange noise and quickly turned around to investigate. He was shocked to see Jacob crouched on the floor.

Lucia watched as Jacob's features twisted in pain, and her anger finally began to subside.

After a while, Jacob finally calmed down a bit and his first words were, "Stop the car!"

The convoy received the order to stop in the middle of the road. After Jacob's car came to a halt, he got out while clutching his crotch in pain. He glared at Lucia before turning to his bodyguard and saying,

"Tie her feet too! Shut her mouth!"

Lucia frowned slightly, knowing this was not good for her. However, Jacob was clearly angered and the tenderness he had shown towards her earlier was now gone, replaced by a desire for revenge. Before long, Lucia's feet were bound, and her mouth was covered with black adhesive tape, rendering her completely immobile. Jacob, seeing this, finally felt some relief.

"F***ing ungrateful! I show you some kindness, and you get all arrogant? If it weren't for Arthur valuing you, do you think I would bother to use you as a hostage?!" Jacob cursed in frustration.

After Jacob finished his outburst, he saw Lucia turn her head slowly to stare at him with a clear hint of mockery in her eyes. He was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had said something in anger. Although he was upset, Jacob couldn't go back on his word and claim that he had spoken in anger. His dignity was at stake. He glared fiercely at Lucia before turning around and squatting by the side of the road, waiting for all the pain to subside.

Lucia's sarcasm did not disappear when Jacob turned his back, but instead spread infinitely. That was the truth.

The former her was not worthy, and neither was the later Poppy.

In that moment, Lucia felt a surge of murderous intent.

She subtly tested the restraints and realized she still had a chance to break free. With her eyes closed, she forcibly shut down her senses, like a trapped animal, preparing to seize the opportunity to break out of her cage.

Soon, Jacob finally recovered from the pain. He deliberately avoided getting into a position where he could see Lucia and coldly ordered the driver to start the car. He didn't speak to Lucia again for the rest of the journey.

Two hours had passed and the plane carrying Arthur and his team landed at the Orient Ocean. An hour ago, Arthur had obtained all the information he needed. Among all the ships that reported leaving port on that day, there were twenty-one privately owned vessels. Combining this with the owners' details, Arthur identified five ships that were most likely to be used for human smuggling. Meanwhile, Jacob's convoy was still on the road and their final destination was yet to be determined.

"I've already informed the local patrol fleet to closely monitor the movements of those five ships. If they try to leave the coast, we'll intercept them immediately. However, for Lucia's safety, we still need to be patient and wait until Jacob's convoy approaches the coastline," Arthur said, displaying an exceptional calmness that was his own charm, remaining composed even in the face of danger.

"We'll follow your plan. A few of us will investigate the surrounding area while we have the chance, just in case Jacob tries to make a run for it," Jack and his team were professionals and couldn't sit still. "Okay, stay in touch at all times." Arthur watched as Jack's team left before leading the rest of them to a beachside resort. Everyone changed into plain clothes and waited for Jacob's arrival.

Sitting at a café on the beach, Arthur kept checking Lucia's location. The sea breeze was gentle, and there were many tourists around with laughter filling the air. However, none of this affected Arthur's cold expression as he focused on his laptop without looking away even for a second.

"It looks like they might be coming this way," Kane guessed roughly by looking at the locator direction.

"Not necessarily," Arthur wasn't so optimistic. "This beach is famous with lots of tourists around. It depends on how Jacob thinks."

"He has always been cunning, enjoying deception and disguise. In recent years, the government has tightened the management of coastal ship departures, making it more suspicious for ships to leave from other places. So, I speculate he will choose to depart from here, under the guise of a leisure trip at sea, to escape," Kane believed that he understood Jacob somewhat well.