Chloe Reed paused, a slight change in her expression. "Why does it feel like you’re more anxious about this than I am?" she asked teasingly.

The person on the other end of the line fell silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Sigh... It’s just that I can’t stand to see you wronged. Besides," he added, "I’m still waiting for you to get divorced so I can pursue you."

Chloe Reed’s eye twitched. "Miles Hawthorne, don’t make that kind of joke." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Miles Hawthorne laughed immediately. "You actually believed me? Relax, I was just teasing. But the part about not wanting to see you wronged is true. For now, I guess we just have to wait. Still, I think Walker Grant is up to no good. He definitely won’t just wait quietly for the court date. This time might have been an accident, but next time, he might really pull some crazy stunt."

"Okay, I know."

Chloe Reed murmured in agreement, though she didn’t take his words to heart.

’This whole thing was aimed at me,’ she thought. ’There’s no way Walker could have known in advance.’

After hanging up, she started walking toward the hospital room. Just then, a call came in from Daniel Hayes. His tone was very serious. "Miss Reed, do you have a moment? We need to meet."

Chloe’s heart tightened. "Is there news about the first matter?"

"Yes."

Chloe Reed took a deep breath. "Alright. I’ll find a place and you can meet me there."

"Okay."

...

The teahouse was filled with the rich aroma of tea. Each private booth was set far apart from the others, and the large windows provided a clear view of the surroundings, eliminating any fear of being overheard.

Daniel Hayes pushed open the door and stepped inside. "Miss Reed, how did you find this place? It’s quite elegant."

Chloe Reed offered a faint smile. "I came here once with someone else."

She gestured to the seat across from her. "Sit down. Have some tea. You can tell me everything at your own pace."

But Daniel Hayes waved a dismissive hand. "I’m not much for this kind of thing. I’ll get straight to the point."

He glanced around the room before speaking. "The people who attacked you that day were from a foreign organization. Those two snuck into the country. They weren’t carrying much ammunition and used it all up during the attack. Then they fled. I couldn’t catch them. But I did screen the area around the sanatorium and checked your mother’s phone records. I followed the trail, and it turns out your mother knows the director of the sanatorium. And right before this all happened, that director contacted another person."

He trailed off, pausing to look at her with a complicated expression in his eyes.

An inexplicable feeling of dread rose in Chloe’s chest. ’Does that look on his face mean it’s someone I know?’

Chloe said, "It’s alright. Just tell me."

Daniel Hayes nodded. "The director contacted Miles Hawthorne."

Chloe’s eyes flew wide in disbelief the moment she heard the name. "How is that possible?"

Daniel Hayes frowned. "Miss Reed, I can’t say for certain whether he’s connected to this or not. I was worried about jumping to conclusions, so I did some digging on him. It turns out he has a family member at that sanatorium. That makes my gut feeling very conflicted... but maybe I’m just reading too much into it."

He picked up the water pitcher, poured himself a cup, and took a drink before continuing. "These foreign outfits are a complicated business. I memorized their descriptions and had a friend look into it. The two men are from a mercenary organization. That organization takes its jobs anonymously, so the trail goes cold there."

A chill crept up the back of Chloe’s neck. She gripped her teacup tightly, as if trying to absorb its warmth.

"Is my life really that valuable?" she murmured. "That someone would hire mercenaries to kill me?"