“Miss Rayne, how may I assist you?”


    “Get to Central Square immediately. Find Fiona and take her back home.” Lois’ rtionship with Leon


    had recently improved, and she wasn’t about to Let any mishap jeopardize that.


    From the earlier incident, she sensed that Leon hadn’t entirely forgotten Fiona; rather, Fiona’s misery


    had evoked hispassion.


    Meanwhile, Millie emerged from an alleyway and stepped into a bookstore.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    She purchased a book on modern jewelry design, and as she was leaving, a sudden screech of brakes


    filled the air, followed by a thud. A woman had been struck by a car.


    Shaken, Millie looked over and felt a chill run through her. It was Fiona who had been hit while crossing


    the road.


    The driver, equally startled, stumbled out of the car, his body quaking. “Are you okay?” he stammered.


    Fiona coughed, her hand covering her mouth, and quickly scrambled to gather the money scattered


    around her. ncing back, she saw two men eyeing her. Acting quickly, she pushed past a woman


    who was about to enter a nearby taxi and jumped in herself, urging the driver to speed off.


    As the taxi sped away, the onlookers remained at the scene, murmuring among themselves.


    “Is she all right? I saw the car hit her.” Their voices were tinged with concern and disbelief.


    “Yes, I saw it too. Why didn’t she demandpensation from the driver but just ran away? Is


    something amiss with her?”


    The driver responsible for the ident scratched the back of his head, clearly puzzled.


    Upon arriving at the scene where Fiona was struck, Lois took Leon’s hand and reassured him.


    “Don’t worry. She’s fine. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to run away.” Leon’s brow furrowed as


    he spotted blood on the ground.


    Lois caught the eye of two men standing across the street, giving them a knowing wink. They seemed


    to understand and promptly left.


    A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y


    A gut feeling told Millie that something had gone terribly wrong with Fiona, so she threw caution to the


    wind, crossed the road, and ran off in pursuit.


    ncing around with alert eyes, Millie noticed two unfamiliar men departing together among the crowd.


    Was Fiona frightened of those men?


    They had already disfigured her. Did they now want to kill her too? Determined to uncover the truth,


    Millie hailed a taxi and headed back to her hotel.


    “Let me drive you home,” Leon offered, pulling his gaze away from the bloodstained pavement to look


    at Lois.


    “Sure. Thanks, Leon.”


    Once Leon had dropped Lois off at the Raynes’ residence, he returned to his car, his mind awash with


    concern


    He didn’t start the engine right away. Instead, he dialed Fiona’s number, only to be met with a


    disconnect. When he tried calling again, her phone was turned off.