Gray's shoes pounded hard against the sidewalk as he ran. The wind rushed past his skin, and his breath became faster each second, but he didn't stop.The sun was high in the sky, but the streets weren't friendly. Not where he was.Gray arrived at Rowan's location. The neighborhood wasn't exactly dangerous, but it was run-down with broken fences, graffiti-covered walls, and empty bus stops with busted glass.He checked the paper in his hand again. [Isadora Street, Building No. 5.]He checked the street numbers on row houses one by one. 1, 2, 3... nothing. He read it again with beads of sweat running down his temple.He remembered Marcus had alerted him earlier that the place was hard to find.Now Gray understood. He ran down another alley that was even narrower than the last. He scanned both sides but still couldn't find any livable place."Where is this place?"When he reached the end of the alley, there was a dead end.He glanced back, getting frustrated.That's when he saw a grou

The chaos had died down after the officers arrived. All that remained now were the marks on the ground, the guys finally calming down, Rowan and Gray standing on the side, and the police questioning the unfortunate suspect who had been left behind by his colleagues. Everyone was wrapped in silence. Across the street, one of the men who had tried to force Rowan into withdrawing his statement was now handcuffed and slouched against the police car, surrounded by officers. The man's expensive dress shirt was ripped to pieces, and he had bruises and marks from the beating, looking pitiful in his current state. The other men had fled, but he hadn't been fast enough, and now he was the one left behind. Rowan watched him from a distance. Even though everything was done, he still looked pale. Two black cars pulled up not long after, moving quietly, and the doors opened as soon as the engines stopped. Marcus stepped out of one of the cars, straightening the sleeves of his dress shirt. He

Gray completely forgot about Chloe for a moment. He let out a slow breath and shook his head. "Marcus," he called the man's name. "Yes?" Marcus, who was arranging some files at the side, turned to Gray with a slight raise of his brow. "Thanks for today." "You're the one who made the call, Gray. I just followed your lead." Marcus gave a quiet nod. Gray smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. When Marcus returned to what he was doing, Gray picked up his phone again. His thumb hovered over Chloe's message, and he replied to her. [Gray]: Sorry. There was a problem with the store. I can be there tomorrow if you want. It didn't take long before Chloe replied. [Chloe]: It's fine. Tomorrow's okay. Just don't forget again. [Chloe]: I'll be waiting. Gray stared at the message for a second, then slowly exhaled. [Gray]: Got it. See you then. After sending the message, he locked his phone and slid it into his pocket. The room was almost empty now. Marcus had already finished

Time passed slower than Gray expected.He leaned back into the chair, one hand resting on the armrest while the other lazily played with a pen he'd found on the desk.He glanced at his watch.2:04 PM.Only five minutes had passed since Chloe left.Gray sighed under his breath and pushed himself up from the chair. His eyes led him toward the small pile of books Chloe had on the table. The covers were colorful, some with flowery fonts and others with dramatic illustrations.He picked one up and flipped through a few pages. It was romance. He picked up another one. Then another.They were all romance novels. Some contemporary, some historical. There was even one with a vampire on the cover that made him raise his brows.He let out a quiet laugh and shook his head."What is it with girls and romance novels?" he muttered to himself, quite amused. His lips curled into a smile. He was entertained as he placed the book back down.Still, he found himself reading the back covers anyway. Some of

Their lunch went better than either of them expected.The food was good, comforting, flavorful, and worthy of every bite. But more than that, the company felt nice.They laughed between bites, exchanged small stories, and even teased each other a few times over the way they ate. Chloe, unsurprisingly, ended up ordering dessert, while Gray watched with faint amusement as she devoured it like she hadn't just finished a full plate of pasta.[$129 has been deducted from your balance.][$5.95 has been refunded.]After paying the bill, they stepped out of the restaurant with satisfied stomachs and light conversation continuing between them.The late afternoon sun had mellowed now, casting long shadows across the sidewalks as they made their way to their next destination.This time, Chloe took the lead.She had already made the arrangement on her phone earlier. After a short drive, the two arrived at the city's indoor ice-skating rink. The building was large and sleek, its glass windows reve