Though the man had never personally booked a taxi online due to his profession in shady dealings, he was aware of such features. He knew of someone who tried to rob a driver, only for the driver to alert the police covertly, leading to an immediate arrest before any money was even touched.

Eyeing the phone number, now suspicious of its unusual all-eights sequence, the man challenged Raegan again, his knife still threatening against her skin. “Why does this supposed driver number is all eights? That's the kind of number someone would pay millions for!"

Raegan responded quickly, “It's not a real number. Drivers use virtual numbers for their calls, and they often look unusual."

She met his gaze, a mixture of fear and urgency in her eyes. "You haven't booked a taxi online before, have you? You could verify this with your friend if you're unsure."

Raegan wagered that such desperadoes wouldn't book taxi online, leaving behind a digital footprint. So, she took a gamble and fabricated a story.

The man, unwilling to reveal any lack of knowledge, muttered a curse, “Fuck you! Who do you think you're talking down to? I've used them before!"

To calm him down, Raegan offered, "Let me handle it. I'll just tell him the ride isn't needed anymore."

The man, not fully trusting Raegan, cautioned her with a slight nudge from his knife, "Don't even think about any funny business!"

Raegan gave a meek nod, signaling her agreement.

The man reluctantly hit the answer button, putting the call on speaker.

"Hello," boomed a deep, authoritative voice through the speaker.

Raegan felt a knot form in her stomach. She took a hurried breath and managed to say, “I'm sorry, sir, but there's been a change of plans. I won't need the ride, thank you."

After saying those words, Raegan felt her heart racing, silently hoping that Mitchel would sense the seriousness in her tone.

A short pause followed before Mitchel finally asked, “Why aren't you taking the ride anymore?"

Raegan felt a sinking feeling in her heart. He didn't get her silent plea for help!

The man started to think that Raegan was trying to signal for help and was close to breaking the phone in frustration.

Then, Mitchel's voice came through, slightly annoyed. “If you didn't want to take the ride, you should have told me earlier instead of having me wait."

The man froze, and Raegan hastily said, "I'm really sorry. I forgot!"

"Don't even think about affecting my rating negatively. Just cancel the booking yourself!" Mitchel said before hanging up the phone, the annoyance in his tone evident.

This convinced the man of Raegan's claim, and he relaxed his guard slightly.