He caught up with the man in less than a minute, he grabbed the one end of the bag before delivering a strong kick to the man's chest that sent him flying away. He grabbed the bag and turned to leave.

Hardin, who had been immersed in checking the condition of the bag, didn't notice that the man came behind him with a knife in his hand.

He only turned around when he heard a loud thud behind. He saw the thief faint on the ground with the sharp knife in his hand, beside him lay a peach-colored sneakers with untied shoelace.

"Whose this…" before he could finish his words he saw something fly towards him and smacked right at the face.

Hardin was dumbfounded and speechless.

When he opened his eyes, he saw another pair of sneakers on the ground. He saw the same girl who had chased the thief running towards him.

"I am sorry sir, it's just that you look like that thief from a distance" saying that the girl bowed before him as a sign of apology.

Hardin pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at the girl, it was the very first time someone said to him that he looked like a thief. He observed the girl from top to bottom, she looked like a college girl, her blonde hair full of curls and looks soft and shiny, and her shoes missing from both of her feet, of course she used them to hit him in the face.

"Stand up," Hardin commanded, prompting the girl to straighten up, though she still avoided meeting his gaze.

Closing the distance between them, Hardin gently lifted the girl's chin with his slender fingers, directing her attention towards him.

"Now... How do I look?" he inquired, his voice carrying a note of intrigue.

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The girl seemed momentarily perplexed by his question, her response hesitant. "Huh…"

"You said I look like a thief from a distance, how do I look up close, Hmm…?" Hardin pressed, his gaze intense.

Suddenly feeling threatened by his proximity, the girl panicked and instinctively lifted her knee, aiming for his groin. Hardin, caught off guard by her swift reaction, crunched in pain.

"You… How dare you?" he managed to rasp out, doubled over in agony.

"Pervert… you look like a pervert up close," the girl retorted, hastily retrieving her bag and sneakers before bolting away from the scene.

Still wincing from the pain, Hardin noticed something fall from her bag and retrieved it from the ground. Examining the ID, his expression darkened.

"Noah Carter... you are dead meat," he muttered and gritted his teeth in anger.

He stuffed the ID in his pants pocket, made his way towards the car and drove away.

Noah, who ran away from the strange men, took a deep breath to calm her erratic nerves. It seems like she would catch trouble wherever she goes. She opened her bag to see the money she got from today's work at the bar.

Relief washed over her when she saw the money was still there, closed the zipper and tucked the bag in her arm securely. Life has not been easy for her, attending school in the morning, working part-time in the bar, and taking care of her little sister made her exhausted.

She slowly walked towards the bus stop to catch the last bus for her home. She took a seat and put on an earphone listening to her mother's favorite song,

Just smile for me and let the day begin

You are the sunshine that lights my heart within

I'm sure that you're an angel in disguise

Come take my hand and together we will ride

On the wings of love

Up and above the clouds

The only way to fly is on the wings of love

~Song by Kyla (On the wings of love)

As tears welled up in her eyes, Noah couldn't help but reminisce about the happier times she had spent with her family. She once had a beautiful family with a loving mother, a caring father, and a little sister, but everything changed when her father's business started to go bankrupt.

He turned to alcohol and drugs, drowning himself in despair. Her mother took responsibility and had been the backbone of the family, caring for them all despite their struggles.

Despite her mother's efforts to hold the family together, fate dealt them a cruel blow when she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Noah's heart ached at the memory of her mother's illness and eventual passing three years ago.

She had been left to care for her five-year-old sister, shouldering the responsibility at a young age.