Love Unspoken

When Quinn rolled into town, she paused and glanced back.

She didn't recognize those two dogs from earlier and had no clue why they were chasing her, but now they were gone. She shrugged it off and led her horse to pick up her packages.

She hadn't grabbed her packages for months. With the weather being clear lately, she figured it was a good time to get them.

There were about a dozen packages, which she tied up with a rope and strapped to the horse's back.

Just as she was about to hop on her horse, a loud crash came from behind, making everyone, including her, turn and look.

They saw a car plow into a clothing store. The store had a canopy outside, and when the car smashed in, the canopy collapsed, swallowing the car whole.

People crowded around to watch as the store owner and his family came out cursing, banging on the car, and yelling at the driver to get out.

Quinn wanted to check it out too, but it was too packed. She gave up, mounted her horse, and rode off.

She hadn't gone far when the car door, buried under clothes, finally opened.

Alexander stumbled out, scanning the crowd but not seeing any familiar faces. Just as he was about to leave, someone grabbed him.

Alexander looked back at the person holding him, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. Frustrated, he fumbled in his pockets.

His phone and wallet were still in the car.

The reason he crashed into the store was because he saw Quinn.

He saw her on the roadside organizing her packages. Just a glimpse of her profile was enough to throw him off.

At that moment, he panicked.

Combined with the slippery ground, he lost control and crashed into the store.

The store owner was still jabbering in a language he couldn't understand, probably asking for compensation. He shrugged him off and pushed his way through the crowd. But Quinn was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, his face changed. He clutched his collar, gasping for air, looking like he was about to collapse.

People around him, fearing something might happen, backed away.

The store owner, who had been demanding compensation, came forward and helped him up.

A few minutes later, Alexander was sitting in the store, holding an oxygen tank, his face pale and weak.

His car was still buried under the canopy outside, and the store owner and his family sat across from him. They all looked at each other.

Then the store owner took out a phone and placed it next to Alexander, speaking in a dialect, "Didn't you say you were gonna call someone to bring money? Hurry up and call them." Alexander pressed his lips together, picked up the phone, and entered the first three digits, but he couldn't remember the rest of the number.

The store owner urged, "Hurry up and call."

Alexander threw the phone on the table in frustration, saying, "I don't remember the number."

"So what are you gonna do?" the store owner asked.

"How should I know?" Alexander snapped, anger flashing in his eyes.

"You crashed into my store and still have such a bad temper! If you don't compensate me, I'll call the cops!" the store owner threatened. Alexander rubbed his temples, growing more irritated. He impatiently said, "Take the car and let me go."

The store owner looked back at the car outside, thought for a moment, and went out to inspect it. Unsure of its value, he called a young guy.

The young guy checked Alexander's car and whispered to the store owner, "This car is valuable. Even as a used car, it's worth $160,000."

"That valuable?" the store owner asked in surprise.

"It's a luxury car, but the front bumper is damaged, the windshield is broken, and the engine has issues. Repairs will cost nearly $10,000. Are you planning to sell it?"

The store owner nodded in agreement. "Yes!" he said excitedly.

"If you sell it, I'll buy it for $100,000," the young guy said.

The store owner thought it over. The damages to his store were worth about $10,000, and $100,000 was a lot of money to him.

He went back to ask Alexander's opinion. Alexander made an excuse to go back and get his documents, then drove off with the motorcycle parked in the shop owner's yard, leaving the Land Rover in the shop.