Touched By A Stranger

Chapter 6: Ella vs. Reid: A Clash of Accusations

"So, what's your plan, huh?" Reid seemed to be both curious and angry.

Ella was horrified and disgusted as she screamed, "You pervert!" She called for help in the vast parking lot that was so quiet! Ella's voice was trembling with fear and rage as she uttered a sharp accusation. Ella said "pervert" with a lot of disgust and disdain. She goes into complete panic and begins to call this man a pervert while pleading for assistance.

Everyone who heard Ella's powerful voice was captivated! Ella's cry was so urgent it filled the air with a sense of urgency.

Everything seemed to freeze at that moment like time had reached a standstill. The crowd was waiting there, hanging on to Reid's words as they hung in the air. Reid suddenly stopped. "Just a sec," he said, sounding a bit cautious. "I promise, Miss, I didn't touch you!"

Over time, more and more people began to gather at that place. They could see the barangay tanods amid all the commotion.

Ella was grossed out when she said, "Can you believe it? Furthermore, in addition to stealing my side mirror, this individual punctured three of my tires!"

Reid looked at the barangay tanods, who seemed to be in charge and keeping a close eye on things. "Oh, please, sir," he said, sounding desperate. "You know me well! She's saying that I did something that I couldn't have done and didn't do." He glanced around and caught a quick glimpse of the woman. Reid reached out his hand towards the beans in Ella's cousin's basket, his eyes moving to the eggplant she held. He spoke with a slight gesture, and his voice showed a hint of resentment. "I believe I need to talk about how she wronged me. Hey, guess what happened to that poor bean? Oh, she's the one who hit me. She was the one who hit me. She continued to annoy me and spread false rumors that I had allegedly caused damage to her vehicle." Reid was confident as he presented his evidence, showing the tanods the vivid red marks on his arms. They were paying attention.

Ella's face frowned as she looked at the man. She couldn't get rid of that lingering anger. "You know what got on my nerves?" she whispered. That guy's cocky smile was just so irritating; she couldn't deny it. He seemed to enjoy teasing her and showing off how much better he thought he was.

"It's too late to deny what you did, right?" Ella couldn't help but let out a snort of disbelief, showing she didn't admire or respect the man. She glanced over at the barangay tanods, curious about their presence. "You could try asking my cousin. Oh, she caught onto what that crook was doing!"

Ella and Reid caught the tanods' attention right away! "I think it would be better to have a conversation at the barangay hall, don't you agree?"

***

As Ella glared at the individual, the fire in her eyes was almost palpable due to her angry disposition. Ella's intense glare didn't even bother the barangay captain. Ella's cousin Penelope was sitting right in front of her, and the annoying man himself was standing just a few steps behind her. Talk about a bad situation! Reid couldn't take his eyes off her, noticing every little detail about her. He couldn't help but smile when she caught him looking at her, and that smile quickly turned into a silly grin.

"Oh, you mean Reid? Yes, we know him, Miss." The barangay captain was like, "No way! He totally can't do what you're accusing him of." The captain quickly glanced at Reid before looking back at Ella. "Reid, a longtime barrio resident, denied the charges. I knew he wasn't responsible for the event we discussed. Reid has won the respect and admiration of everyone around him for his tremendous community service."

The captain was staring at her. Ella said confidently, "We caught him. He was fortunate! I couldn't record a video because I didn't have my phone on me." Ella's eyes locked on him.

"Hey, Captain! I've got some CCTV footage of the market parking lot right here."

Ella suddenly got determined and quickly stood up from her seat and went over to the captain's side. Reid mirrored what she was doing and positioned himself next to her. They couldn't take their eyes off the screen—it was so captivating! As everything was happening, they watched a CCTV video before them. The video just kept staring at the PC screen without blinking. The recording captured every motion with such meticulous detail! Right from the start, Ella had this incredible confidence that radiated from her. As time went on, her once-bright smile started to lose its shine. Meanwhile, the guy next to her stood there with this Stoic expression, like he was unbothered and not showing any emotion.

"How come you didn't trust me, Miss?" Reid said. "Shame overtakes you. What do you think, Captain? Take legal action against my future wife." He smiled slyly.

"Future wife, your face!" Ella frowned. Reid chuckled and stared at her with interest.

"Hey, Ella, could you please apologize to him?" Penny whispered.

Ella was perplexed when she looked at her cousin. "What's going on? Why would I apologize?"

"Yeah, we've been here too long, haven't we? I just wanted to let you know that your mom called a little while ago."

Ella took a deep breath. She couldn't help but notice how her eyes quickly glanced at the cocky man. He couldn't stop staring at her. But she didn't feel like talking to him. But then, her eyes were immediately drawn to the barangay captain.

"Hey, Captain, what will happen to my car? I still use it, even though it's outdated, especially for business. That's not how it works. Who do you think is responsible for what happened?" Ella asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

Reid said, "Don't worry, Miss; I'll handle it." Reid's voice was strong and confident as he spoke with absolute determination and without hesitation. He responded, "Hey, I certainly have the knowledge and ability to repair your vehicle; no problem! If you return before noon tomorrow, your car should be okay." Reid laid eyes on Ella; he had this mischievous glint. He winked to make his point; no words were necessary. Ella's face twisted in disgust, and he couldn't help but let out a mischievous chuckle.

"Captain," Ella said firmly, "I'll leave my car, but I won't let it slide like that if something happens again."

"Don't worry; we'll ensure your car is well cared for. Oh, by the way, Reid is also excellent at fixing cars," the captain mentioned.

Ella quickly glanced at Reid. "I didn't want to do this, but I had no other choice." Ella casually handed him her calling card. The man had this massive smile on his face as he took it. He quickly glanced at what was written on the card. "Hey, can you call me if you can get my car fixed before lunch?"

Reid flashed her a mischievous grin and quickly looked over at her. Reid just nodded and said, "Sure."

Ella doesn't trust him. "Hey, if you're not contacting me regarding my vehicle, there's no reason to email or text me. Sure, let's keep it professional, okay?"

"Of course, no problem, wifey!" Reid nodded and kept his eyes focused on her. His gaze was captivating! Ella felt like the man's mind was conjuring up these incredible fantasies.

"Penny, how about we go home? We should arrange a ride," Ella suggested. She looked over at the captain and the man. "I'll swing by tomorrow around noon to pick up my car."

"Very well, Miss," the man instructed, gesturing in the direction. "Simply proceed directly to the barangay hall."

Ella and Penny quickly turned their backs on them. They promptly left the barangay hall, picking up their pace. The captain soon looked at Reid.

The barangay captain asked, "Are you planning to complain about the girl, Reid?"

Reid had the biggest smile on his face. His arms were hurting from those intense blows he had taken earlier. "Nope, cap, I got this," he said with such finality as they meant it.

Reid couldn't take his eyes off the two ladies.