Yohan tossed Mia's bag into the back seat of the car, then took one last look at the apartment building before closing the door.

'Thank goodness I didn't have to do much to convince her this time', he thought with a quiet sigh—only for his brow to crease as something felt off.

Mia was already sitting in the front passenger seat, hands folded neatly on her lap, waiting.

He slid into the driver's seat and shut the door.

"Yohan—"

"Shhh." He cut her off instantly, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. The silence outside pressed in—thick and heavy, like a graveyard at midnight—before he finally turned the key and started the engine.

At that exact moment, he heard the car parked a little way behind them start its engine. Unlike Yohan's, its headlights stayed off.

He recognized it immediately—it was the same car he'd seen parked outside his house earlier. Back then, he hadn't thought much of it. But seeing it again here could only mean one thing.

"We're being followed…" he said calmly, eyes locked on the rearview mirror.

Mia's eyes darted around in panic. "What? How?"

"Stay calm," he said evenly. "It's fine. If they planned to attack, they'd have made their move already. I thought I was careful, but I must've missed them—they've been trailing me with their lights off."

A small grin crept across Yohan's face. "This is like an action movie," he said with a short laugh, pressing his foot down on the gas.

As the car surged forward, Mia glanced over her shoulder—only to see the vehicle behind them do the same.

"Yohan, they're actually coming after us! What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice tight with fear.

"Don't worry. I'm going to lose them," he said, his tone steady, eyes locked on the road as the speedometer climbed.

The car behind pushed harder too, swerving dangerously close in its struggle to keep up.

"I've never been in a car chase before," Yohan admitted, the faint excitement in his voice almost absurd against the tension, as he took a sharp turn around the corner.

The car behind curved sharply, following Yohan's turn.

"Shit, he must've noticed we were tailing him," the driver cursed. He was a boy about Yohan's age, a cap turned backward on his head.

"It doesn't matter," the gruff man in the passenger seat said. "Stay on him at all costs."

Yohan weaved through several corners, trying to shake them off. It didn't work—but each turn managed to put a little more distance between them.

Finally, he took a sharp corner into a narrow street with an alley. He killed his headlights and rolled quietly into the darkness before switching off the engine entirely.

The pursuing car turned onto the same road moments later. Seeing no sign of him, the driver frowned. "He must've sped off," he muttered, easing off the gas.

Once the car had gone far enough down the road, Yohan started the engine again. He kept the headlights off as he drove deeper into the alley, then slipped out onto a different street.

"I actually did it!" he said, grinning in disbelief.

Mia turned around to check the back window. "You're right—they're gone!" she said, a bright smile breaking across her face as she threw her arms around him.

Before long, they pulled up in front of Helen's apartment building. It was a sleek, modern complex—one they couldn't enter without a key. Helen would have to buzz them in.

Yohan pressed the button for her apartment number.

It took a few moments before a tired voice came through the intercom. "Who is it?"

'She's already asleep,' he thought, suddenly reminded of how late it had gotten.

"It's me, Yohan," he replied.

"Yohan?" Her voice sharpened instantly, as if just hearing his name snapped her fully awake.

"What are you doing here so late… and why didn't you reply to my text?" she asked.

He remembered the message—the one that came in right before the bike-rider hitman attacked him.

"When I come up, I'll explain," he said.

A second later, the buzzer sounded, and the door unlocked.

"This place looks so nice," Mia murmured as they stepped into the pristine lobby. The polished floors and warm lighting were a stark contrast to her own rundown apartment building.

They entered the elevator and rode up to the top floor, where Helen stood waiting in front of her door—arms crossed, expression unreadable.

She was wearing a black nightgown, the kind that would've been far too revealing to wear outside her apartment under normal circumstances.

It looked like she was ready to rain brimstone on him, but the moment Yohan stepped out of the elevator, her expression softened.

"W–what happened to you?" she asked, her voice trembling with concern as she noticed his arm resting in a cast.

"I was attacked by some crazy guy on a bike," he said, trying to sound casual. "But this only happened because he caught me off guard."

He offered a faint smile. "It doesn't hurt that much anymore." He said it to keep her from worrying, but as the words left his mouth, he realized it was true—there was barely any pain unless he tried to move it.

'Is that how broken bones are?' he wondered. He had no way of knowing; this was his first time.

"O–okay… you both should come inside," Helen said softly, opening the door and stepping aside to let them in.

"Sit down, I'll get some water for you," Helen said as she headed to the kitchen.

"Where's Remi?" Yohan asked, collapsing onto the couch with a tired sigh.

"She's already asleep," Helen replied, returning with two glasses of water. She handed one to him and the other to Mia.

"Thank you," Mia said, accepting the cup politely.

"You're welcome," Helen replied softly.

Mia's eyes wandered around the living room, taking in the tidy furniture and warm lighting before settling back on Helen.

"You have a really nice place," she said with a smile.

"Thank you. Come, I'll show you to your room," Helen said, motioning for her to follow.

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