The sudden turn of events made Zoe Rhodes flinch.
She sat stunned on the bed, staring helplessly at the doorway, which was packed solid with men in black.
The door was kicked open, shuddering as it crashed against the adjacent wall with a grating, eerie sound.
While she was still stunned, the bodyguards blocking the way retreated. In their place, Nathan Bennett, whom she hadn't seen in hours, came into view.
'So it wasn't Zane Hawthorne.'
Zoe Rhodes was both surprised and a little disappointed.
'To be honest, I can't quite make sense of this situation anymore.'
In just a few short hours, she had gone through too much, and there were some things she still hadn't fully processed.
'I could barely handle one villain, and now there's another?!'
'This is hell mode right from the start! My CPU is about to fry!'
'The only thing I know for sure right now is that neither of these men is good news.'
In contrast, Donovan wasn't surprised to see Nathan Bennett appear.
He was well aware of Nathan Bennett's methods.
'He puts on such a respectable front, but he must have sent people to watch Zoe Rhodes right after we met tonight.'
The man slowly straightened up, calmly greeting the newcomer. "Well, look who it is. If it isn't Boss Bennett."
At his words, Zoe Rhodes, who had been watching the drama unfold, felt her brow twitch.
'I'm screwed. These two villains actually know each other!'
"At this hour, shouldn't you be on a plane back to Porten?"
Nathan Bennett didn't spare him a glance. His gaze swept over Zoe Rhodes from top to bottom. After confirming she was all right, his chest heaved deeply once before slowly calming.
"It's been a while. Your methods have become increasingly reckless."
"You've got me all wrong." Donovan raised his hands, a trace of helplessness mixed into his devil-may-care attitude. "I came to rescue her."
Unfortunately, no one present was willing to believe him.
Nathan Bennett didn't want to argue with him here. A real argument would likely get bloody and violent, which would inevitably scare Zoe Rhodes.
He took off his jacket and draped it over Zoe Rhodes's shoulders. The large suit jacket enveloped her small frame, carrying a trace of warmth.
His tone was as gentle as when they first met that evening. "Were you scared?"
She nodded lightly, paused, then shook her head vigorously.
Nathan Bennett tightened the jacket around her and extended his hand. "Let me take you back first."
"..." Zoe Rhodes hesitantly reached out.
'Whatever. I'll get out of here first and worry about the rest later.'
Donovan, leaning against a low cabinet with his arms crossed, scoffed at the scene. "Do you even know him? You're just going to go with him? Aren't you afraid he'll turn around and sell you?"
Those words were, of course, meant for Zoe Rhodes.
Sure enough, her hand trembled, freezing in mid-air.
After some deliberation, Zoe Rhodes looked up at Nathan Bennett, troubled, and asked tentatively in a small voice, "Um, can I…" '…call the police?' she finished silently.
Before she could finish, he withdrew his hand and straightened up slightly.
Seeing this, Zoe Rhodes immediately grew wary.
"My apologies," Nathan Bennett said, seeming somewhat regretful. "That was inconsiderate of me."
Then, he handed her his phone. "I just saved Zane Hawthorne's number. You can call him. Of course, calling the police would be safer."
He was very thoughtful, leaving the choice to her.
The man's dark eyes behind his glasses held a faint smile, looking harmless. But those same gentle eyes could always pierce through everything in an instant, seeing right through her thoughts.
Zoe Rhodes was eager to try. "Really… Can I?"
"Of course." This time, Nathan Bennett placed the phone directly into her hand. "Rest assured, no one here will hurt you."
Hearing this, Donovan, who was standing not far away, promptly rolled his eyes.
'Tch. What a phony.'
Afraid he would go back on his word, Zoe Rhodes quickly called Zane Hawthorne.
A busy tone sounded, and a mechanical female voice announced that the call could not be connected. Zoe Rhodes clutched the phone tightly, her heart sinking.
She cautiously glanced at Nathan Bennett across from her, her gaze then lingering on Donovan for a few seconds.
The three of them formed a stable, solid triangle, achieving a strange sort of harmony in that moment. It created the absurd feeling that the most important thing in the world was for the three of them to just get along.
The bizarre atmosphere was tinged with a faint, serene peace. It really did seem to be just as Nathan Bennett had said—no one here would hurt her.
But Zoe Rhodes found this even stranger!
'Maybe it's because I know they're both villains, but Nathan Bennett, with his polished, gentlemanly facade, seems the more normal of the two.'
'It's just the way Donovan looks at me... as if he wants to eat me alive.'
His stare was direct—a clammy, swamp-like gaze that felt as if it could swallow her whole the moment they made eye contact. It made her extremely uncomfortable.
Noticing her fidgeting, Donovan seemed to guess what she was thinking. He tilted his head at her, his eyes mocking, and his words were as grating as ever:
"He's probably busy comforting his fiancée right now. No time for you, you know. After all, she's Ethan Rhodes's real sister."
"..." Zoe Rhodes glared at him furiously, then, right in front of them, dialed 911.
The police arrived quickly.
Only after getting into the police car did Zoe Rhodes truly let out a sigh of relief.
But then a new problem arose.
A police officer asked for her personal information. "You don't have your ID on you? You should have the number memorized, right?"
She met the policewoman's gaze for a few seconds—and froze.
Seeing how young she was, the policewoman figured she must have been terrified by the kidnapping. Her voice softened. "Do you know a family member's phone number?"
That was the wrong thing to say. As soon as family was mentioned, Zoe Rhodes's tears began to fall.
Something had already happened to Ethan Rhodes.
She had been too late.
In the early hours of the morning, Zoe Rhodes sat all alone on a chair in the police station lobby.
Due to the issue with her personal information, it was Nathan Bennett who ended up speaking with the police on her behalf.
When he came out, Nathan Bennett saw her from a distance, a small figure huddled on the chair and staring into space. She was still wearing his suit jacket and looked utterly pitiful.
Her eyes were still red; apparently, she had cried the entire way in the police car.
Donovan had just taken a punch from him, and it seemed he'd deserved every bit of it.
The lobby wasn't quiet in the early morning hours. Drunks were making a scene nearby, but Zoe Rhodes was completely lost in her own world, oblivious to the noise.
One drunk, struggling with an officer, suddenly stumbled and fell toward her.
Nathan Bennett's brow furrowed.
His leather shoes clicked softly on the floor. His tall figure cast a shadow over her as a hand hovered protectively over her shoulder, shielding her from the rowdy drunk.
"It's too noisy here. Let's get you back so you can rest."
Zoe Rhodes looked up, staring at him for two seconds before lowering her head.
"I have nowhere to go. I'd better just stay here." Her only hope was that once Zane Hawthorne was free, he would be merciful enough to spare a moment to find her.
Zoe Rhodes didn't want to trouble him, but her situation was incredibly awkward.
It was like being back in the year her parents had died.
Her relatives, seeing how young she was, had insisted on taking her in. But because Ethan Rhodes wasn't a member of the Rhodes Family, the two siblings were forced to separate for a time.
Later, her relatives picked clean the inheritance her parents had left. Once they had wrung every last drop of value from her, she was kicked around between them like a ball. In the end, it was Ethan Rhodes who found her.
"Zoe, don't be afraid. You still have me."
"I will never abandon you."
"We're going home."
"From now on, wherever you are, I'll be there too."
"Wherever you are, that's our home."
"..."