Nichs pondered for a moment. He calmly smiled and said, "Then you shall see if you can still reach him."


    He turned to leave, taking a few steps before stopping and ncing back at me. With a condescending air, he said, "You''re free to go now." This time, Nichs really left. His dark silhouette almost blended into the night.


    I rushed forward, grabbing the back of his coat and shaking it violently. "Nichs, what have you done to him?"


    When it came to strength, I was never a match for Nichs. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t budge him an inch.


    He seized my wrist and looked at me coldly. "Don''t say I didn''t warn you. If you hesitate any longer, you might never see him again!"


    He pried my fingers off his sleeve one by one. His eyes were locked on mine as he straightened his clothes.


    "When youe begging me for help again, I won''t be as lenient as I am today."


    Nichs''s expression remained calm. However, I could sense a barely restrained fury in his eyes. As I was about to delve deeper into that look, he abruptly turned away. Nichs knew that if he didn''t leave now, he might forcibly take me away. But he also understood that while he could take me with him, he couldn''t take my heart. Jasmine was right. He couldn''t afford to be too soft-hearted with me.


    No matter what he needed to do, he wanted me to return to him of her own ord. He wanted all of me. He needed her to be willing.


    In this unfamiliar city, I had nowhere to go. I spent the entire night sitting downstairs at Yasmine''s parents'' hotel. I kept dialing Pete''s number, but I couldn''t reach him at all. Just as Nichs had said, it was as if Pete had vanished.


    When morning came, I had to pretend everything was under control. All I could do was try to reassure Yasmine''s parents.


    They kept thanking me, but I could only offer vague promises that she would be released soon. I felt so diffident. They couldn''t wait any longer, and neither could Yasmine.


    I called Ss, and it was clear that things were chaotic on his end as well. If something had happened to Pete in Radiant City, there was no way Ss wouldn''t know.


    "Pete messed up. He leaked information about the uing products of Marcus''spany to apetitor. It led them to release their product first.


    "Now, Marcus''spany faces aplete loss of their team''s hard work. They also faced massivepensation ims from investors, not to mention the lost research and development costs.


    "Mr. Shelman is furious, and Pete is being kept under tight control at home. The police have already been there. They haven''t taken him away yet. However, things will spiral out of control if we don''t find a better solution soon." Ss''s tone was earnest. "Ariana, Pete ismitting a crime."


    Of course, I understood. Although Ss didn''t spell it out, it was obvious why Pete had suddenly rebelled against his family. He was doing this for my sake.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    The moment I realized this, it felt like a heavy stone had settled in my chest, making it hard to breathe.


    Ss continued, "Ariana, I don''t know if I should be telling you this. As an outsider, I can see that your entrepreneurial journey hasn''t been easy.


    "Those principles and integrity seem a bitughable before the ones who have absolute power."


    He chuckled. "That''s probably why Pete likes you. He''s not so different himself. If things escte to the point where Pete needs legal help, I''ll do my best to assist him.


    "But as for you, I hope you''ll consider things carefully-first for yourself, and then for him."


    I hung up the phone, lost and confused. I noticed a car parked at an inconspicuous corner not far from the hotel lobby. I couldn''t see anything inside, but I could feel a pair of deep, dark eyes watching me from within the car.