The sun was already high in the sky.
Lisa stared at Adam with a mix of disbelief and exasperation as he finally strolled out of the bedroom, looking refreshed.
"Get ready, we're heading out," he said.
"Boss, you sure we've still got time for this?" Lisa quipped. "It's already 9 a.m. The wedding's at noon, and I didn't book any plane tickets." 😑
"No worries, we're driving," Adam replied casually, pulling out his phone. It instantly exploded with missed calls and texts—Ted, Erica, the whole crew.
"Ted, hey, something came up earlier, plans shifted a bit. We're leaving now—don't stress, we'll make it. Tell everyone not to worry. Catch you soon!"
He hung up, and while Lisa's mouth twitched, he and Peggy ducked into the bathroom for a quick shower.
Thirty minutes later, they were downstairs by the car.
"Lisa, you don't have a heart condition, right?" Adam double-checked.
"Nope," she said, shaking her head—then a bad feeling hit her. "Wait, why are you asking, boss?"
"The ride might get a little fast. Don't worry, it'll be fine," he said with a grin, hopping into the driver's seat.
"Boss, I think I've got a congenital heart defect after all…" Lisa muttered, clutching three wedding dresses, suddenly convinced she was doomed.
"You'll be okay," Adam reassured her. "Did you forget I'm the best cardiothoracic surgeon around? Hop in—we're on a tight schedule."
Peggy slid into the passenger seat without a word. She'd been in faster cars with Adam before—no sweat.
"…"
Lisa's face crumpled as she climbed into the back, snapping her seatbelt on tight.
"Good safety instincts," Adam nodded approvingly. "I was gonna remind you to buckle up anyway."
"Boss, it's just a wedding—and not even yours!" Lisa pleaded. "If we're late, we're late. Please don't risk an accident over this."
She glanced at Peggy, hoping for backup. "Peggy's in the car too, y'know!" Please care about her safety if not mine!
"Exactly," Adam said, adjusting the rearview mirror and flashing Lisa a smile. "Peggy's here. If you don't trust me, don't you at least trust her?"
"…"
Lisa froze. She had no comeback.
Normally, she'd trust Peggy with her life. But when Peggy was around Adam? All bets were off. Her mom's wedding was hours away, and here Peggy was, still chilling with Adam like it was no big deal—zero signs of panic despite the ticking clock. How could Lisa trust that?
"Alright, no more objections?" Adam grinned, firing up his recently bought Porsche 911.
Back when his IQ shot past 180, turning him into a super-genius with bullet-time reflexes, he'd splurged on this beauty.
A sports car blows an SUV out of the water, speed-wise. And since he was constantly zipping between New York and New Jersey, saving time made sense.
"Here we go!"
The engine roared, and the car shot forward like an arrow.
Even with her mental prep, Lisa jolted at the insane acceleration pinning her to the seat.
Then the real terror kicked in.
They were in the city—traffic everywhere.
Yet Adam kept speeding up, weaving past car after car.
Watching vehicles blur by, Lisa peeked at the speedometer: 142 km/h and climbing. She was trembling.
She wanted to scream, "Boss, slow down! Slow down! Not so fast!" But her last shred of sense stopped her.
For one, Adam wouldn't listen.
More importantly, at this speed, distracting the driver could bury them both.
As they slipped through the traffic like a fish through water and hit the open suburban highway, Lisa almost relaxed—until she saw the speed hit 246 km/h.
And it was still climbing!
"Slow down, slow down!"
She couldn't hold it in anymore, squeezing her eyes shut and shrieking. 😱
Sure, there were no cars to crash into out here, but at this speed on a highway? A blind rabbit, a rogue kangaroo, or a stray rock could end them in a fiery wreck.
"Relax," Adam said, glancing at her in the mirror with a calm smile. "This car tops out at 280 km/h. I won't push it past that, and we've got plenty of time."
Lisa cracked an eye open—269 km/h. Okay, he wasn't speeding up anymore.
Now it clicked why he was so confident.
It was over 300 kilometers total. At this pace, they'd be there in just over an hour. Leaving at 9:30, arriving by 10? For a trip that'd normally take her four hours, it was unreal.
Still shaken, she grumbled, "Boss, you're not scared of dying?"
"Of course I am," Adam laughed. "Why do you think I hardly ever fly?"
"I'm pretty sure flying's safer than your driving," Lisa shot back. "No, like, a million times safer!"
"That's just your imagination," Adam said with a sly smile.
Flying meant packing a parachute. Over an ocean? Even with one, it's dicey—you never know how long you'd drift.
Sure, with his endurance and strength, Adam could survive at sea just fine. Swim it out, maybe even tame a shark and ride it around like Aquaman.
Driving like a speed king looked way riskier than flying. But with bullet-time reflexes and razor-sharp reaction skills, it was safer for him than a plane ever could be.
In city traffic, a car swerving without signaling could spell disaster. But in Adam's world—bullet time plus lightning reflexes—it was no sweat.
10 a.m.
A classic Mid-century single-family home.
Ted was practically wearing out his eyes waiting when a sleek Porsche 911 screeched in with a perfect drift, parking right at the door.
"You actually drove here?" Ted asked, incredulous, checking his watch. Then he stopped doubting.
The back door popped open, and Lisa stumbled out, bolted to a trash can, and started heaving. 🤢
Adam grabbed the three packaged wedding dresses from the back and grinned at a stunned Ted. "Where's the bride and bridesmaids? They need to change."
"Change? Why?" Ted blinked, confused.
"Because these dresses are way prettier," Adam said with a smile. "Trust me, they'll love 'em."
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