Noelle didn't answer. She slowly took the stuffed animal from Clark's hands.

Clark immediately noticed something was off. "What's wrong?"

Noelle didn't respond. She lowered her eyes and murmured, "It's nothing. Let's go."

"What happened?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern

She took a deep breath. "Someone bumped into me just now."

Clark froze for a second. Then, as realization sank in, his expression shifted. "Which one?"

"What?"noveldrama

"I said, which one?" His voice was sharp, and without waiting for her answer, he turned, scanning the crowd.

At that moment, the man who'd bumped into Noelle walked up to another girl, still wearing that same sleazy grin.

"Is that him?" Clark asked, eyes narrowing.

Before Noelle could respond, he had already rushed forward and punched the man in the nose. "How dare you?" he yelled.

"Mr. Freeman, the painting's been delivered. Here's the acceptance form," Dan said, handing Hendrix the paper.

Hendrix nodded without a word.

Dan hesitated. "Mrs. Freeman called earlier. She knows about your purchase of Mr. York's piece. She also asked if you had any personal plans recently."

Hendrix looked up.

Before he could speak, Dan hurried to add, "Don't worry. I didn't say anything."

Hendrix didn't respond, but his demeanor softened slightly

Feeling a bit bolder, Dan asked, "Mr. Freeman, about the painting-

Before he could finish, Hendrix's phone rang

Hendrix frowned when he saw the caller ID. As soon as he heard the voice, his expression turned cold.

Dan had worked with him for years, but this was the first time he'd seen Hendrix appear so terrifying

In that instant, he noticed the veins in Hendrix's hands bulging, his lips pressed tight, and his eyes darkened with a chilling intensity.

"I understand,"Hendrix said, his voice unnervingly calm.

He hung up the phone, and Dan's heart skipped a beat. Still he hesitated before asking, "Mr. Freeman, what-" Before he could finish, Hendrix was already on his feet, grabbing the car keys and heading out the door.

Dan stood frozen for a second, letting out a quiet breath of relief before Hendrix's voice broke the silence. "Follow

me."

Dan blinked in surprise but quickly obeyed, not daring to question it. He hurried to catch up to Hendrix. "Mr. Freeman, would you like me to drive?" he offered cautiously in the elevator.

Hendrix didn't answer, nor did he hand over the keys.

Dan fell silent, unsure of what to say.

They reached the parking garage quickly, and Hendrix slid into the driver's seat without hesitation.

Dan had ridden in Hendrix's car before, but this time, he felt different, as though he was in the middle of a high speed chase. He kept quiet, gripping his seatbelt tightly, mentally reminding himself that he'd bought accident insurance this year.

He reassured himself that the insurance payout would likely be higher if something happened to him while riding in Hendrix's car.

As Dan lost himself in thought, Hendrix slammed on the brakes.

The tires screeched, cutting through the quiet night, leaving behind a sharp echo.

Dan turned and realized they had arrived at the police station.