Beckett’s voice, unnervingly soft, broke the silence. “You’re always so fearless. What about me frightens you now?”

Light filled the room, throwing sharp shadows over Beckett’s stern features, enhancing his ominous presence.

The curtains were drawn tight, leaving Bonita unable to determine the time, with no clock in sight.

“Beckett,” she said, piecing together her memories of the incident outside the stadium. Her expression hardened, her tone accusatorial. “That man earlier… was he working with you?”

The man had manipulated her compassion and betrayed her with a drugged candy that knocked her unconscious.

Beckett’s response was a scoffing laugh. “You think I would resort to such tactics?”

Bonita bit her lip, silent but with eyes unwavering in their accusation. It had been a while since she last saw Beckett, after their parents’ visit to Esaham.

She had avoided going home for the New Year’s gathering, ignoring all of Beckett’s attempts to contact her.

She suspected that Beckett had orchestrated such a plot just to meet her.

Reading the doubt in her eyes, Beckett’s expression softened, his voice losing its edge.

“I didn’t do it,” he said. “I only returned from home yesterday and came looking for you. I saw an announcement that your crush was competing today, and I knew you’d be there. When I arrived, a match was in progress and I couldn’t enter, so I waited outside. Then I heard some commotion and found you arguing.”

Bewildered by the unexpected turn of events, Bonita asked, “What happened to that man?”

“He escaped,” Beckett responded in a low tone. “He saw me approaching, dropped you, and ran. I was concerned for your safety, so I chose not to pursue him but instead rushed you to the hospital. The doctors cleared you, so I brought you here.”

Worried, Bonita softly questioned, “What did the doctor find? What had that man given me?”

Beckett replied calmly yet assertively, “It was a sedative, but thankfully, no toxins.”

Bonita felt a chill run through her.

Stories of women being deceived and trafficked were all too common in the news, their fates grim and heartbreaking.

The thought of what could have been if Beckett hadn’t arrived chilled her to the bone.

She had never pictured Beckett as her rescuer.

“I need to report this to the authorities,” Bonita said. “That man was carrying sedatives; he’s likely a habitual criminal. I have to ensure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.”

“But what proof do you have?” Beckett challenged her. “How will you make your report?”

“Surely there are security cameras in there.”

“That spot was a blind spot; I checked,” Beckett explained, his gaze intent on her. “There were no cameras there when I found you.”

“There has to be something. With all the surveillance in there, something must have caught his actions.”

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