Phoebe lifted her head, her face marked with a few red lines imprinted by the tablet that she had been resting on.

The shadow in front of her startled her.

When she realized the man standing before her was Theodore, her heartbeat gradually calmed down.

“You’re back?”

Leaning his tall frame against the desk, Theodore placed the tablet down and gazed at her with lowered eyes. “Why didn’t you go back to bed when you were sleepy?”

Phoebe rubbed her eyes, her drowsiness vanishing without a trace. She stood up. “I had a few urgent emails to handle and ended up falling asleep here.”

Theodore noticed the red marks on her face and said, “Go change your clothes. I’m taking you somewhere.”

“Where are you taking me?” Phoebe asked curiously.

Theodore didn’t answer, only instructing her to change her clothes.

Phoebe thought he was taking her out to eat and was overjoyed. She put on a cream-colored dress and wore the necklace that Mrs. Reynolds had given her, which made her look particularly radiant.

When she walked out, Theodore was already waiting for her at the entrance. She couldn’t help but feel that Theodore seemed preoccupied with some troubles, perhaps due to the dim lighting in the hallway.

A sense of unease crept into her heart. ;”Is something wrong?”

Theodore shook his head. “No, let’s go.”

Phoebe put on her shoes and followed him out the door. The two didn’t speak on the way, with Phoebe sitting in the passenger seat, watching as the car got on the highway and headed out of the city.

She pressed her lips together.

An hour later, the car stopped outside an abandoned old factory. Phoebe looked at the desolate scene outside the window and realized she had misunderstood.

Theodore wasn’t taking her out to eat.

Theodore unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. Phoebe quickly followed suit, noticing a faint light coming from the distant factory.

Fear gripped Phoebe’s heart, but she had to keep up with Theodore’s pace as they walked toward the factory.

The sound of insects chirping filled the air, and the reeds swayed in the wind, making the night feel eerie. Phoebe, feeling scared, quickened her pace and grabbed the corner of Theodore’s coat.

Theodore paused, looked at her hand, and then at her face. “What’s wrong?”

Embarrassed to admit her fear, Phoebe said, “I can’t see the road clearly. I’m afraid of falling.”

Theodore continued walking, but this time at a slower pace. They walked along a gravel path until they reached the outside of the abandoned factory.

Phoebe saw two men in black standing guard at the entrance, their presence making her feel uneasy. She watched as the bodyguards nodded at Theodore in greeting.

It seemed they were acquaintances; Phoebe felt a slight sense of relief. The two men opened the door. With dim yellow light spilled out, Phoebe squinted to see inside.

Inside the factory, two more black bodyguards stood. Behind them, a man and a woman were tied to chairs, their mouths stuffed with cloth. Upon seeing Theodore, the two began to make muffled pleas as if begging for mercy. Phoebe tilted her head, wondering why Theodore had brought her here.

As they walked in, the bodyguards removed the cloth from the captives’ mouths; they immediately began to beg in terror, only to be silenced by a gesture from Theodore.

“Tell her, who ordered you to drug the water?”

The captives’ eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope as they recognized Phoebe as the victim who had been slapped by Tompson that day.

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