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[Bromeley City – Empty Streets]
The night was cold.
The rain started to fall again — slow at first, then faster, washing the city in a restless rhythm.
Harriet walked aimlessly down the deserted sidewalks, her small suitcase dragging behind her.
Her hoodie was pulled up, hiding her tear-stained face.
She clutched her phone tightly, but she couldn't bring herself to call anyone.
The image of that kiss replayed in her mind like a cruel, broken record.
She wiped her face roughly, pulling the hoodie lower over her head.
> "I must have been so stupid," she whispered, voice trembling.
Her phone buzzed.
RUFEI
She stared at the screen, her fingers frozen…
And then, slowly, she turned it off without answering.
She couldn't bear to hear his voice.
---
[Fred's City – Rainy Night – Fred's Car]
The rain hammered down.
Inside a sleek black car parked by the roadside, Fred sat still, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
The man's report echoed in his mind:
> "Sir... she ran. She's alone. No one is with her."
Fred's jaw tightened.
A dangerous coldness flickered in his eyes.
Without hesitation, he pulled up his phone.
On the screen, a small tracker blinked slowly — placed secretly earlier in Harriet's shopping bag.
The blinking dot moved... unsteadily... along the streets of Bromeley.
Fred exhaled sharply, tossed the phone onto the seat, and shifted gears.
His tires screeched against the wet road as he sped toward his private helipad.
---
[Fred's Private Helipad – Stormy Night]
The helicopter blades spun violently under the rain and wind.
The night storm raged, but Fred climbed aboard without a second of fear.
His man hesitated, shouting over the roar:
> "Boss, it's too dangerous to fly now!"
Fred's glare silenced him.
> "Get me to Bromeley. Now."
Without another word, he snapped the headset on.
The helicopter rose into the raging skies, vanishing into the storm.
---
[Meanwhile – Bromeley City]
Harriet stumbled through the flooded sidewalks.
Her suitcase wheels caught in the puddles as she dragged herself forward, lost.
Her entire world felt like it was drowning around her.
Her soaked hoodie clung to her skin.
Her tears blended with the rain, unseen.
Behind her, far in the sky, a black helicopter circled — invisible to her eyes.
---
[Helicopter View – Approaching Bromeley]
From above, the city lights of Bromeley blurred under the sheets of rain.
Fred leaned forward in his seat, eyes locked on the dark streets below.
> "Find a rooftop. Land now," he ordered.
The pilot nodded, beginning the descent.
---
[Bromeley Rooftop – Landing]
The helicopter slammed onto an empty rooftop.
Fred jumped out immediately, his coat whipping around him in the storm.
Waiting near the rooftop exit, his man rushed forward, struggling to hold an umbrella over them:
> "Sir! We tracked her! She's near Bromeley Central — alone!"
Fred's face turned darker than the sky above.
Without a word, he climbed into the waiting black SUV.
The car peeled away from the rooftop, racing through the flooded streets.
---
[Inside the SUV – Rushing Through Bromeley]
Water streaked the windows as neon lights blurred by.
Fred sat silently, his fingers tapping impatiently against his thigh.
He could think only of one thing — her.
Harriet.
Alone, soaked in the rain... heartbroken.
And worst of all — he hadn't been there to stop it.
Fred's eyes narrowed, cold and sharp.
> "Faster," he growled at the driver.
Lightning slashed across the sky.
He was coming.
For her.
---
[Bromeley Central – Empty Street]
The rain poured harder, blurring the world into shadows and broken lights.
Harriet dragged herself forward, her suitcase rolling awkwardly through puddles.
Her clothes were soaked through, her hands freezing.
Each step felt heavier than the last, her heart hollow inside her chest.
She stumbled onto a small bench beneath a flickering streetlamp and dropped her suitcase weakly beside her.
Her hands trembled as she hugged herself tightly, head bowed.
Why am I always alone?
The thought sliced through her like a cold knife.
Since her parents' death, everything had changed.
The house had felt too big.
The nights too long.
The days too silent.
No matter how hard she smiled, no matter how much she fought to survive... deep down, she was still that abandoned girl standing at the edge of a funeral, waiting for someone — anyone — to take her hand.
But no one did.
No one cares.
No one ever will.
Tears welled in her eyes, mixing with the rain on her cheeks.
The suitcase tipped over in the puddle beside her, but she didn't even move.
She was tired of fighting.
She just wanted... to disappear into the rain.
---
[A Sleek Black SUV – Approaching]
A sleek black SUV suddenly pulled up ahead, cutting through the storm like a beast.
The door swung open.
Fred stepped out, the rain instantly soaking his dark figure.
He walked toward her with slow, determined steps — utterly focused, ignoring the chaos around them.
Harriet, startled, tried to scramble up, gripping her suitcase like a shield.
Fred's jaw tightened.
Without a word, he closed the distance.
Before Harriet could bolt, Fred reached out — his hand rough and cold — and grabbed her wrist.
Not harshly.
Firmly.
Unmovable.
Their eyes locked.
For a moment, only the sound of the rain existed between them.
Harriet's heart twisted painfully.
Her soul screamed to run — but her body… her body wanted to stay.
Fred's voice finally broke the silence, low and commanding:
> "Stop running."
Harriet blinked, raindrops blurring her vision.
The raw, fierce look in his eyes struck something deep inside her — something that had been dying quietly for so long.
Slowly, Fred pulled her suitcase from her trembling hands and tossed it aside.
Before Harriet could protest, Fred took off his coat and wrapped it around her, the heavy fabric swallowing her small form.
Then, without asking, he slid his arm around her shoulders — steady, warm, unrelenting.
He guided her toward the waiting SUV like she weighed nothing at all.
Harriet stumbled, dazed, confused...
but she didn't fight him.
Maybe... just this once... she didn't want to be alone.
To be continued..
***