Chapter 5 You're safe now

The moment Bonnie appeared,

the two men loosened their grip,

shoving the deliveryman aside,

leaving him coughing violently.

Driven by sheer instinct for survival, the deliveryman quickly thrust the food bag into Bonnie's hands, muttered a hurried "enjoy your meal," and fled like the wind.

"..."

One of the men in black lazily rubbed his hands, slipped the knife back into his pocket, and looked at Bonnie, his voice cold as he explained,

"Forgive us for the disturbance."

"We mean no harm, we just want to ask a question."

"Earlier, did a man run into your home?"

The chill in his tone froze Bonnie in place.

Just the thought of that sharp blade from moments ago sent cold sweat running down her back.

She swallowed hard and shook her head.

"No."

Though trembling, she forced her voice to remain steady.

The man caught sight of her pale face and chuckled faintly.

He pulled the knife out from his pocket again, twirling it carelessly in his hand before fixing his gaze on her.

He asked again,

"Are you sure? Truly, no one?"

"Don't try to deceive us, miss."

"You know, we're not exactly gentle people."

He smirked, spinning the knife several times with a flash of speed that made Bonnie's heart jolt.

She instinctively took a step back, but her head still shook firmly.

"There really isn't."

"First of all, can you put that knife away?"

"We have no enmity with each other, so why the threats?"

Bonnie shrugged lightly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"Besides, what would I even gain from lying to you?"

"I've been watching TV all this time."

"I didn't see any man at all."

The man narrowed his eyes, scanning Bonnie from head to toe as if weighing the truth of her words.

Then, he shrugged.

The faint sound of the variety show still drifted from the television, lending some credibility to her story.

"Well then, would you mind if we came inside your house for a bit?"

His tone made it clear there was no room for refusal.

Bonnie pressed her fingernail into her palm to steady herself, then nodded.

She stepped aside to let the two men enter.

She knew very well, if she refused, they would not simply leave.

The moment they entered, the men glanced around, inhaling deeply before frowning.

"What's that smell in here?"

"Why does it reek so strongly of roses?"

One of them shot Bonnie a sharp look, his voice thick with suspicion.

Bonnie feigned sudden realization, pointing toward the shattered perfume bottle on the floor, her tone innocent.

"Do you mean that?"

"I accidentally broke a bottle of perfume earlier and haven't had the chance to clean it up."

She blinked in confusion.

"Is there a problem?"

The man stared deep into her eyes, as though trying to pry the truth from within.

But perhaps because her performance was so convincing, he only let out a cold snort.

Then, together with his companion, he began opening doors, carefully inspecting every room.

And at last, they reached the storage room.

Cold sweat trickled down Bonnie's back as she followed them in.

The light flicked on.

Her expression remained calm, but she could feel her heart pounding wildly, entirely beyond her control.

Every step they took made her flinch inside, her mouth dry, her tongue heavy.

The two men stared into the dusty storage room,

cluttered with odds and ends,

clearly not suspecting much at first.

They only cast a brief glance around, overturned a few boxes to check, then stepped back out.

Turning to Bonnie, they finally lowered their voices.

"Apologies for troubling you, miss."

"We're in pursuit of a dangerous criminal, so we've been knocking on every door in this building to investigate..."

One of them explained, but Bonnie barely registered the words.

She only nodded instinctively, forcing a smile as she replied that it was no trouble at all.

"Well then, if there's nothing else, we'll take our leave..."

Just as the man finished speaking, a sudden noise erupted from the storage room,

making both men in black instantly narrow their eyes in sharp alertness.

"What was that sound?"

One of them demanded, glaring at Bonnie.

His eyes burned with suspicion, his hand slipping instinctively toward the knife hidden in his jacket.

Bonnie, who had just begun to relax, felt her heartbeat skyrocket once more. Her knees nearly buckled beneath her trembling body, but she forced herself to feign ignorance.

"I don't know."

"If you want, we can check again?"

She barely got the words out before the two men exchanged a look, then, in a flash, strode back into the storage room.

They quickly pinpointed the noise, the sound of a small box falling.

But clearly,

a box could not simply fall on its own.

Their gazes met, and in their eyes a glint of killing intent sparked.

This time, they didn't just glance around as before. Instead, they tore through the room, overturning every single box in their path.

Step by step, they drew closer to the large cabinet in the corner,

half hidden behind stacks of cartons.

Bonnie nearly stopped breathing, frozen in place.

She shut her eyes tight, bracing herself for the worst outcome.

So terrified, she didn't dare make a sound;

she waited until long moments passed with no sign of danger.

Only then did she dare crack her eyes open.

The cabinet doors were flung wide open,

but the man from earlier was nowhere inside.

Only a jumble of scattered boxes and clutter remained.

At last, Bonnie allowed herself a shallow breath, though her nerves remained taut, her eyes tracking the movements of the two men.

They searched for a long while, but found nothing, and finally muttered,

"Perhaps when we entered earlier, we disturbed something."

"And that's why the box fell."

Their gazes lingered on the box lying on the floor, sharp as blades, as if they could pierce it open with their eyes.

Then they turned to Bonnie.

"..."

Bonnie could only give a strained, awkward smile in response.

At last, when the two men reluctantly left, Bonnie could finally breathe freely again.

She shut the door tightly,

then collapsed onto the floor,

her body drained of all strength.

She waited a long while, only moving once she was certain those men had truly gone.

Slowly, she walked toward the storage room and eased the door open.

"You're safe now,"

Bonnie whispered softly.

But the room remained utterly silent.

Instead,

Lance vaulted swiftly from the balcony, landing light as a shadow inside the house.

"..."