Chloe Reed could hear the helplessness in his tone. Her wariness had saddened him.

But under the circumstances, she had to be careful.

Miles Hawthorne, a man she had known for years, had tried to kill her. It was truly difficult for her to trust anyone else now.

"Okay, I will. It’s getting late, so I’m going to get some rest. Goodbye."

Chloe Reed gave Preston Vance a small smile before turning and entering Jardinelle.

Preston Vance watched her walk away, a flicker of sorrow crossing his eyes behind his glasses.

He tightened his grip on the business card in his hand.

As a light breeze swept by, his figure seemed to take on an air of loneliness and desolation.

...

Chloe Reed went to Annie York’s room.

She had already eaten a bowl of noodles, and some color had returned to her face. At the moment, she was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees, still looking thoroughly shaken.

"Chloe."

Seeing her, Annie York sniffled, and the rims of her eyes turned red again.

Chloe Reed sat beside her and asked gently, "What happened?"

At her words, Annie York bit her lip sadly, looking as if she found the topic difficult to broach.

Seeing this, Chloe Reed didn’t press her. ’She can talk if she’s willing. If not, that’s fine too.’

A few minutes passed before Annie York’s voice finally came. "It was my brother."

Chloe Reed’s eyelashes fluttered, but she didn’t interrupt.

Annie York took a deep breath and began, "He dropped out of middle school to go find work, or so he said. But he ended up getting addicted to gambling and racked up a three-million debt all at once. My mom had to sell our house to pay it off for him. He promised he would turn over a new leaf, work hard, and save up to support our mom in her old age. But... he couldn’t resist, and he went back to gambling. My mom was so furious she had a stroke, and she’s been paralyzed ever since. He ran away after that and was gone for years. This time, he suddenly came back with a chunk of money, insisting he had really learned his lesson. So I trusted him one more time and agreed to go out to dinner with him. But who could have known..."

Her voice trailed off as she began to cry, burying her face in her knees. Her shoulders shook with grief.

’Chloe had already guessed what came next.’

’The money her brother brought back wasn’t something he’d earned. It was the money he got from selling his own sister.’

Chloe Reed hugged her and soothed her gently. "Don’t be afraid. It’s over now."

Annie York was heartbroken. ’She never, ever thought her own brother would treat her this way.’

’When she woke up in a strange room, surrounded by all those men... she completely broke down!’

’Luckily, a fight broke out in the bar. She escaped during the chaos and ran into Preston Vance.’

’Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!’

After crying for a long time, her emotions finally settled. She looked up, her eyes red, and said, "It’s all thanks to Mr. Vance this time. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve been... Chloe, I don’t have any other way to thank him. I want to treat him to a meal, but I don’t have his contact information. Can you help me set it up?"

She paused for a moment before adding, "I’m worried he’ll turn me down if I call him myself. Chloe, can you please help me? I really don’t know how else to thank him..."

Chloe had intended to refuse, but looking at Annie’s eyes, red and swollen from crying, she found she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

She fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Okay, I’ll help you."

A smile broke through Annie York’s tears. "Thank you, Chloe. You’re so good to me."

Chloe Reed patted her on the shoulder. "Try not to think about any of it. Just get some rest. My grandmother has been worried about you, so don’t give her any more reason to be."