Chapter 3

I pulled the IV out with one quick movement. A small drop of blood appeared on my skin, but I ignored it. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The hospital gown was thin and open at the back, but I had no other clothes. I tied the strings as best as I could and walked out of the room barefoot.

No one stopped me. The nurses were busy at the station, and I slipped past them quietly. I took the elevator down to the ground floor and stepped out into the cool night air. A taxi was waiting near the entrance. I got in and gave the driver the address of my apartment.

“Take me to 47 Elm Street,” I said softly.

The driver looked at me strangely because of the hospital gown, but he didn’t ask questions. The ride was silent. I stared out the window, thinking about everything that had just happened.

When we arrived, I paid with the little cash I had in the small pocket of the gown. My apartment building looked even worse at night. It was an old, run-down four-story building with cracked walls and peeling paint. The stairs creaked loudly as I climbed to the third floor. The hallway smelled of old food and dampness. My door had a broken lock that I had fixed with tape many times. Inside, the apartment was tiny and shabby. The walls were yellow from age and water stains. The couch had holes and was covered with an old blanket. One window had a big crack, and cold air came through it. The kitchen was just a small corner with a rusty sink and a stove that sometimes didn’t work. My bed was a thin mattress on the floor with a torn sheet. Clothes hung on a line across the room because I had no closet. Empty noodle cups and water bottles were scattered on the table. It was the only place I could afford with my four jobs, and even then, the rent was always late.

I went straight to the best side drawer — the only good piece of furniture I owned. I opened it and pulled out my old phone. My hands were still shaking a little from the night’s events. I dialed the number I knew by heart. It rang twice before a hoarse female voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Mom, it’s me,” I said quietly.

There was a short pause. “Hazel? Are you okay?”

“I’ve met him,” I told her. “Cassian Hale. You were right about everything. I was still unconscious when he ran a background check on me. Thank God we changed my records. If we hadn’t, our cover would have been blown immediately.”

I took a deep breath and continued. “I already left the hospital. The next step now is to make him feel more guilt. I know that when he comes back to the hospital and doesn’t see me, he will ask his men to search for me. I want to use that opportunity to max out his guilt. Maybe I will even head toward his house.”

Marie didn’t reply for a while. I could hear her breathing on the other end. Finally, she spoke in her rough, tired voice.

“Be careful, Hazel. Cassian is a devil. He destroys everything he touches. Don’t let him get too close.”

I smiled even though she couldn’t see me. “Don’t worry, Mom. I know what I’m doing.”

I looked down at myself — still wearing the thin hospital gown, with a small bandaid on the side of my head where the cut had been cleaned. My bare feet were dirty from the hospital floor and the street.

“Step one is done,” I said softly. “Now moving to step two.”

I changed my clothes quickly. I put on a simple gray sweater and old jeans that had a few patches. I brushed my hair and tied it back neatly to look innocent and fragile again. Before stepping out of the apartment, I sent an anonymous message to an unknown number from a cheap second phone I kept hidden.

The message was short:  

“Make sure you send your men to collect your debt from that girl. She's got a rich man now ”

I smiled as I pressed send. Then I left the shabby apartment, locking the broken door behind me.

★★★★★★★

**HALE DYNAMICS, AI AND TECH CONGLOMERATE**

Cassian sat at the head of the long conference table in his sleek office. The large screen showed American investors in a Zoom meeting. His voice was calm and commanding as he discussed the new AI project. Numbers and graphs filled the screen while he answered questions with sharp, precise answers.

Victor stood quietly by the door, waiting. He knew better than to interrupt.

When the meeting finally ended and the screen went black, Victor stepped forward.

“Sir,” he said carefully. “Hazel Lett has left the hospital.”

Cassian looked up from his laptop, his gray eyes cold. “When?”

“About an hour ago. She pulled out her IV and walked out without telling anyone. She didn’t even take her medicines or rest. The doctor said she has a slight concussion. When the nurse went back to give her the injections, the bed was empty.”

Cassian listened without showing any emotion. He leaned back in his leather chair and tapped his fingers once on the table.

“Send someone to find her,” he ordered. “Quietly. I want her location within the hour.”

“Yes, sir.”

Victor nodded and turned to leave, but Cassian’s private phone started ringing on the desk. The screen showed “Hanna.”

Cassian’s face softened just a little — the smallest change that only someone who knew him well would notice. He picked up the call.

“Hello, Hanna,” he said, his voice lower and warmer than it had been all night.

“Darling, where are you?” Hanna’s voice came through, sweet and a little impatient. “You said you would be home early tonight. I’ve been waiting.”

“I had an unexpected situation at the hotel,” Cassian replied. “I’m still at the office finishing some things. I’ll be home soon.”

Hanna sighed softly. “You always have unexpected situations. Don’t work too late. I miss you.”

“I won’t,” he promised. “Give me an hour.”

He ended the call and placed the phone back on the desk. For a moment, his mind went back to the girl in the hospital gown — the fear in her eyes when she heard his name, the way she had begged on her knees.

He shook the thought away and opened another file on his laptop. Work always came first.

But deep down, a small feeling of unease had started growing. The girl had run away from the hospital even though she was hurt. Why? Was she really that scared of him?

Victor came back into the room after a few minutes. “Sir, our men are searching. We should have her location soon.”

Cassian nodded once. “Good. And Victor… make sure no one touches her. Just find her and report.”

As Victor left again, Cassian leaned back and stared at the city lights through the large glass windows of his office. Twenty years of building his empire, and one scared girl had managed to bring back memories he thought were long dead.