บท 5: Survived the Ordeal

Scarlett buckled her seatbelt in the passenger seat. The man at the wheel swiftly shrugged off his police uniform jacket, tossed it onto the backseat, and spoke with a serious tone, "You knew the stakes, yet you walked right into the lion's den."

"Isn't that how we tame the lion?" Scarlett retorted.

"Risking life for money," he grumbled.

"Fortune favors the brave," she countered.

Still rattled, Ryan confessed, "It was a gamble. When I stepped out earlier to grab water, I bumped into a group of cops who acknowledged me. I nearly wet myself, terrified they'd strike up a conversation."

Scarlett chuckled. "It's not your courage that's in question; it's your bladder."

Irritated, Ryan shot her a glare. "I'm donned in a counterfeit police uniform from Amazo. If I were caught, I'd be detained at the very least. But the real concern is, what if something went wrong while I was away? Who would rescue you?"

Seeing his genuine worry, Scarlett softened her tone. "Hey, relax. I made it out unscathed, didn't I?"

Ryan looked away, still upset. "They say women should support women, but our boss is ruthless. She was all smiles when the CEO was around, but the moment he left, she started plotting against you. Look at the clients she's been assigning you for the past month - it's a rogues' gallery. I thought she'd back off once the CEO returned, but now she's sent you to Lucius. She clearly wants you to fail!"

Compared to Ryan's indignation, Scarlett seemed composed and unperturbed. "Well, the CEO is my mentor, and he hired me right after graduation, even promoting me to a senior role. Our boss must be envious of my rapport with him. Women can be harsh in their judgments of each other."

Ryan scoffed disdainfully, then complained, "You should tell the CEO about the terrible clients she's been assigning you. Once you've accumulated ten 'bad reviews,' she'll boot you out."

Scarlett replied, "You think this is like school, where you can just report to the teacher and have everything sorted? We're the ones in charge now. Who are we supposed to report to? The boss already thinks I'm here because of my connections. If I run to the CEO for help with every minor issue, it'll only validate her suspicions. Besides, if I can't handle minor problems on my own, it'd reflect poorly on him too."

Ryan was momentarily speechless. After a pause, he said, "The boss probably didn't expect you'd actually go to Lucius Zhou. There was a rumor about a female tutor who was thrown out of the Zhou residence half-dressed by their driver. She had to walk for hours to get back to the city, and no one dared to report it. Now, whenever the Zhou family is mentioned, everyone avoids them. Except for you, that is."

Scarlett stared ahead, her expression inscrutable in the dimly lit car. Her calm voice replied, "Well, we survived that ordeal, didn't we?"

Just as she finished speaking, her phone beeped. She pulled it out to see a text from an unknown number. It read, "The police uniform is convincing. He needs to work on his acting, though."

Upon seeing the message, Scarlett couldn't help but envision Lucius' face, his expression, and even his voice as he said those words. One moment she felt relief, but the next her heart sank.

She stared at her phone for a few seconds, typing and deleting messages, eventually settling on a simple response: "Thank you for the advice, Mr. Zhou." She waited for a while, but Zhou didn't reply, and she figured he wouldn't. She tucked her phone back into her bag, trying to quell the growing unease in her heart.

Noticing Scarlett deep in thought, Ryan decided to shift gears. "What are you in the mood for?" he asked.

Simultaneously, Scarlett also asked, "What do you feel like eating?"

"I'm easy; it's your call. Regardless of the quality, at least we can toast to our victory," Ryan said.

"Let's head home," Scarlett suggested. "I'll whip up something special as a thank you for your support tonight."

Ryan, who had known Scarlett for six years, admired her not only for her academic prowess but also for her culinary magic. Hearing she would cook, he drove home at breakneck speed, pushing the car to its limits.

Neither Scarlett nor Ryan were natives of the city. They rented apartments across from each other after they began working here. While Ryan went home to shower and stash away his police uniform, Scarlett had already prepared lamb skewers, potato slices, and two bowls of dumpling soup.

Ryan arrived just as Scarlett was pulling out two ice-cold beers from the fridge. He couldn't help but admire her, "Wow, you've really outdone yourself this time!"

Scarlett popped open a beer and handed it to him. "Of course, I have to cater to your Northeastern roots – 'big gold chain, small gold watch, and barbecue three times a day.'"

The two of them gathered around the coffee table, enjoying their beer and barbecue. Ryan had a low alcohol tolerance, and after two beers, he started to feel tipsy. Scarlett quickly escorted him back to his apartment before cleaning up the mess and getting ready for bed.

As Scarlett undressed and showered, she noticed several deep red marks on her arm. It took her a few seconds to realize they were from being grabbed by Aron at DK. The memory of DK and Lucius' brutal actions replayed in her mind.

Shaken, Scarlett quickly finished her shower, dried off, and went to bed. That night, she had a nightmare where a faceless man was violently assaulting a woman with anything he could find. Scarlett wanted to help, but she was paralyzed, unable to even scream for help. She awoke in a cold sweat, her face streaked with tears.

Exhausted, Scarlett rose at 5:30 am and took another shower to wash away the cold sweat. She dialed a contact named Mia Chan on her phone.

A woman answered excitedly, "You're calling right on time! I just landed. Ten seconds earlier and I wouldn't have turned on my phone."

Scarlett replied, "Keep it down and don't complain later."

The woman teased, "You're clearly smitten, but you're masking it with indifference."

Scarlett said, "As long as you're safe, get some sleep and call me when you wake up."

Mia responded, "Sleep? I've scheduled meetings with clients, I'm picking up invitations from my father, and attending a business cocktail party tonight."

Scarlett jokingly replied, "You're worth billions, why not just enjoy being a wealthy heiress instead of striving for independence? What's the point?"

Mia retorted, "So that if my dad goes bankrupt, I can still be a wealthy self-made woman."

Scarlett suggested, "Maybe you should get your paranoia checked out."

Mia changed the subject, "Don't dodge the topic. You're coming with me tonight."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, "Why should I?"

Mia responded with a hint of intrigue, "Well, because of Leo. I heard he's going to be there too. Are you in or out?"

On the other end of the phone, Scarlett suddenly fell silent.