Back at the Ziyuan Villa, Julian Bai occasionally glanced at the clock hanging in the living room. It had been three hours since she left, and she still hadn't returned. As he noticed the hour hand creeping past midnight, his brow furrowed deeper with concern. The security in this area was excellent; there were surveillance cameras within a few miles. Surely, nothing could have happened to her!
Beside him, Mr. Lin watched as the sober soup in the kitchen began to cool down, while Julian Bai's increasingly grim expression made him anxious. However, he felt powerless due to his low status.
Another half an hour passed, and Julian Bai could no longer sit still. He quickly headed towards the bedroom. When he reappeared, he was dressed in a sharp suit again. Grabbing his keys, he strode out without pausing for even a moment.
Meanwhile, Grace Gu felt herself on the verge of fainting when suddenly a sinister chuckle broke through her haze: "What a coincidence! It's like finding something after searching everywhere."
Hearing that voice jolted Grace Gu awake. The dyed eyes were so familiar; it belonged to one of those thugs from the nightclub earlier.
She scanned her surroundings and saw only Huang Mao standing there. Her gaze softened slightly, but no one knew how intensely nervous she felt inside.
"What do you want?" she asked while taking a few steps back.
"What do you think?"
His long-nailed fingers slowly stroked his chin as his eyes remained fixed on Grace Gu without wavering for even a second. Watching her retreat further only made his somewhat sleazy face break into an unsettling grin: "I was just thinking of following you to see who such a beautiful person belongs to."
He paused before continuing: "Who would have thought I'd stumble upon such an opportunity? How could that rich guy leave such a delicate beauty alone on this deserted street?"
He clicked his tongue several times and became more restless: "My brother told me not to touch you; what kind of fool wouldn't want such beautiful prey?"
"Do you prefer outdoor adventures or car escapades?" He licked his lips eagerly.
"What do you think?"
She managed to muster up a rare smile while making provocative gestures with her hands. Huang Mao felt himself growing weak-kneed and hurriedly nodded in agreement.
The lecherous look on his face deepened Grace Gu's smile even more. "Then let's go find your car; how does that sound?"
Her soft voice was sweet as honey. Huang Mao immediately nodded—who wouldn't want some privileges with such a beauty?
"You go ahead; I'm afraid of the dark," Grace Gu added innocently.
"What if you run away?"
Though Huang Mao was somewhat enchanted by her charm, he wasn't foolish enough to let this opportunity slip away easily—such an exquisite catch couldn't be allowed to escape.
Grace Gu tightened her grip slightly; though her hand trembled in her pocket, she maintained an air of nonchalance: "Where could I possibly run off to around here?"
Julian Bai walked along without catching sight of Grace Gu anywhere, feeling increasingly frantic inside. She wasn't answering calls either; Julian Bai had little hope because her phone was always on silent mode—only vibrating under special circumstances.