Ever since Grace Jones rejected Daniel's diamond ring, her life seemed to have plunged into a vast ocean, shrouded in layers of thick fog.
She was constantly on edge, fearing that Daniel might suddenly appear from some corner, ready to strike and seek revenge at any moment.
Days passed by, and her spirit grew increasingly tense.
Eva Hudson, seeing this, worried that her best friend might collapse under strain. One day, she decided to give Grace a long vacation to relax and unwind.
"Grace, listen, you've been too exhausted lately. I've already requested a week off for you, so just rest up at home, " Eva said, propping her forehead with one hand while stuffing the leave request into Grace's hand.
Grace merely nodded silently, her eyes dim and lifeless. Seeing this, Eva could no longer contain her indignation and slammed her fist on the table, roaring: "It's all that damn Evans's fault! He's nothing but a complete scoundrel. I wish I could beat him up right now!"
"Eva." Grace shook her head repeatedly, her eyes brimming with tears. Eva's righteous anger finally moved her to tears.
"Don't cry, I'm here, I'll protect you!" Eva quickly stepped forward, firmly embracing Grace's shoulders with determination.
Grace walked home alone in a night. Her head hung low, haunted by the image of Daniel's sneering face.
Ever since he publicly humiliated her on campus, she had been on high alert, cautious, and fearful that he might suddenly emerge from some corner.
As she walked alone, a black luxury car drove up, closely following her. Her heart tightened, and she instinctively clutched the small knife in her pocket, ready to retaliate at any moment.
The car window slowly rolled down, and Daniel's familiar face appeared in her line of sight. He was about to say something when he suddenly frowned, noticing the hand she was clenching in her pocket.
"Hmm? What do you have there, my dear Grace?" he suddenly asked his tone half curious, half mocking.
Startled with his voice, she gripped the knife even tighter.
"I'm really curious now," Daniel smirked, slowly raising the car window, leaving only a small gap, obscuring his expression from her.
"Dear Grace, you know it's illegal to carry a weapon, right?" His voice grew more dangerous through the glass, "Don't disappoint me, dear."
Grace gritted her teeth and continued to quicken her pace, hoping to shake off the car that was following her.
"I hate being ignored." He said through the crack in the window, his tone slightly threatening, "if you disappoint me, don't blame me for not being nice."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black car suddenly accelerated forward, wildly driving towards Grace.
Terrified, she instinctively retreated. Her back slammed against the wall, and her legs nearly gave out beneath her.
"I told you before, you can't disappoint me too much." Daniel slowly rolled down the window completely, looking down at the trembling girl with a mysterious and dangerous smile.
"You, you're insane!" Grace suddenly shouted, crouching on the ground with her hands covering her head, trying to escape his threat.
"Miss Jones, you've disappointed me." Daniel sighed, his voice full of regret and helplessness, "If you keep acting like this, I'll have to switch to a more effective method."
Before he could finish, the black car began to shake violently, and a huge creature emerged from the window, a majestic lion.
The lion roared deafeningly, its hot breath spraying over her. Terrified, she fainted and instinctively began to scream for help.
"Help! Is anybody out there? Please help me!"
"Be quiet, dear." Daniel said leisurely, pulling out a hunting whip from his pocket, "This is all your fault. Now no one can help you, you just must obey and accept the punishment."
With that, he swung the whip fiercely, striking the lion. The lion howled in pain, its body twisting. It roared even more fiercely and pounced towards her.
Grace screamed in vain, closing her eyes tightly, ready to face death.
"Grace! What are you doing? Wake up!"
A familiar shout suddenly rang in her ears, and she abruptly opened her eyes to find herself lying in bed, with Eva Hudson looking at her anxiously.
"What happened?" Grace gasped.
"You were sleepwalking, talking nonsense all night, and almost fell off the bed." Eva said, frowning, "What kind of nightmare were you having?"
She looked at Eva with a complex expression, her eyes filled with panic.
She had a terrible dream about Daniel Evans harassing her, the nightmarish experience vivid in her mind. She trembled and embraced her best friend.
"Eva...I've had enough. Daniel Evans is crazy! We must find a way to stop him!"
Eva hugged her back, gently patting her back, trying to soothe her frightened mood. But she could not utter a word of comfort, for the situation had become too severe for her to bear.