Under the streetlight, upon hearing Lynch's words, the figure hiding behind the lamp post trembled slightly.
Then, she slowly peeked her head out, glanced at Lynch, and walked out.
It was a beautiful young woman.
She appeared to be in her twenties, with blonde hair, blue eyes, big eyes, a high nose, fair skin, and a curvy figure—a typical Western beauty.
Under the light, her expression was haggard, her hair slightly messy, and her movements revealed clear anxiety and fear.
But that wasn't the main point—the main point was...
Lynch knew her.
"Is there something wrong? Is there anything I can help you with?"
Lynch smiled, hoping to use his youthful charm to express friendliness.
"I..."
She lowered her head, hesitated with fear, and struggled to continue after just one word.
"No rush, take your time. Can you tell me your name first?"
Lynch gently guided her while trying to figure out her situation.
She answered this time: "My name... you can call me Karen."
Karen...
Lynch thought to himself, as he suspected.
"Okay, I'm Lyn. Are you in some kind of trouble?"
As Lynch spoke, he took a step toward Karen.
"No... thank you, but I can't say."
Karen, clearly in a bad mental state, seemed terrified as Lynch approached. Like a startled deer, she quickly turned and ran away.
Lynch didn't chase after her. He stood there, watching her silhouette disappear, quietly thinking of a name.
Karen Page...
...
Karen ran all the way home, sitting at the door, gasping for breath as if she had just escaped death.
She had been living in a state of anxiety and fear for some time.
She was convinced she was being watched—someone even wanted to kill her.
This wasn't paranoia; there was a reason for it.
She suspected she had discovered her boss's secret and was now being targeted for silencing.
Not long ago, as the company accountant, she overheard her boss's conversation during a routine report. That's when she realized there were major issues with the company's accounts.
Curious, she conducted a private investigation and kept the evidence.
Soon, her boss called her in for a talk, but sensing danger, she lied her way out of the situation.
After the conversation, she stopped investigating and sealed away the evidence.
The reason was simple—she just wanted to earn a living and avoid trouble.
But as time passed, she realized something was wrong.
Whether at the company, on her way home, or even lying in bed, she felt like she was being watched.
Tonight, she dared to leave her house to check if someone was really watching her, and she indeed spotted a disappearing figure.
Her anxiety and fear reached a peak. She no longer dared to stay at home and rushed to a crowded area.
Walking the streets, she thought about going to the police, but after much consideration, she gave up.
How would she even explain this to the police? Should she present the evidence and accuse her boss?
There was no need. She wasn't a cop, not a superhero—just a woman barely making a living through hard work.
After wandering the streets, she still couldn't gather the courage to go home, and from a distance, she saw Lynch dealing with those guys.
At that moment, Karen had a crazy idea.
He's so strong—maybe he could help me?
She was terrified. Meeting Lynch felt like a drowning person grabbing onto a lifeline.
So, she quietly followed him.
But after tailing him for a while, she couldn't bring herself to speak up.
How could she say it?
"My boss wants to kill me, can you protect me?"
Who would believe her?
Why would he help her?
And who knew if he was a bad guy?
As she hesitated, she heard Lynch's voice and quickly hid behind the streetlight.
Looking at his youthful face, Karen thought she was crazy. How could she come up with such a ridiculous idea?
Asking a random stranger on the street to protect her?
She bolted all the way home.
Sitting at the door, she kept reassuring herself.
It's fine, Page. Tomorrow, just go and confess to the boss. Nothing bad will happen...
Just then, Karen heard a faint noise.
She knew it came from a small piece of metal in the corridor.
In the dimly lit hallway, someone unfamiliar would likely trip over it.
She covered her mouth, a look of sheer terror crossing her face.
Someone was coming!
Not a resident—someone from outside!
She slowly lowered herself, pressing her ear to the floor, praying it was a rat or a cat that had triggered the noise.
Then, she heard slow, heavy footsteps.
"Thud, thud, thud…"
Like the toll of death's bell.
Karen bit her lip hard, tears streaming down her face.
Is someone here to kill me?
The rhythmic footsteps approached, then stopped.
Had he arrived?
Karen stood up and looked through the peephole.
In the dim light, there seemed to be no one standing in front of the door.
Karen's heart eased a bit, thinking she might have been overly paranoid.
Just then, the peephole was suddenly blocked by a fierce face.
The sound of the lock turning followed.
In Karen's horrified gaze, the door slowly opened.
"No!"
Karen screamed and ran toward her room, but the intruder was faster. He grabbed her, shoved something into her mouth to stifle her screams.
He held her hands with his left hand and pinned her with his knee. His right hand swiftly drew a silenced pistol and pressed it to her head.
"Mmm! Don't kill me!"
Karen struggled with all her might, crying out in desperation.
She felt regret overwhelm her.
Why had she meddled in things that weren't her business? She was just a low-level employee—why did she have to dig into such matters?
Why hadn't she told the man who had offered to help her earlier the truth?
She regretted all the things she hadn't yet done.
But it was too late—was her life really ending now?
Karen closed her eyes in despair.
...
After a long while, Karen suddenly opened her eyes.
The weight pressing on her was gone, and she was surprised to find she was still alive.
Confused, she looked up and saw a familiar face through the blur.
"Lyn?"