In the car.

Chloe Reed took off her mask, her heart filled with worry. She looked at Walker Grant and asked again, just to be sure, "You won’t hand Iris Yates over to him, right?"

Walker Grant was attending to some matters. Hearing her, he glanced over and said, "Since I’ve already promised you, I won’t go back on my word."

With a grave expression, Chloe Reed gazed out the car window. A moment later, she called Iris Yates directly.

"Hello, Iris."

"Chloe, what’s wrong?" Iris Yates’s soft, carefree voice came through the phone, as if she didn’t have a single worry in the world.

Chloe Reed hoped she would always be like this.

She said, "The man who answered Nathaniel Monroe’s phone just now is the one who’s been looking for you."

"What!"

Iris Yates gasped. "How could it be him? You guys know him?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Yeah, for some reason, we’ve had to work with him recently," Chloe Reed said. "So Nathaniel Monroe and he will be meeting frequently. You shouldn’t call Nathaniel Monroe anymore, and you should also try to go out as little as possible for now."

Iris Yates was terrified. "It’s been so many days, and he’s still looking for me?"

"He is."

Chloe Reed sighed. "He’s very persistent, and he’s not someone you want to mess with. So you have to do your best to avoid him. Whatever you do, don’t let him find you."

"I know, I know. Just listening to you makes him sound terrifying." Iris Yates was starting to feel deeply unsettled.

Chloe Reed’s heart ached for her, but this was something Iris had to know. She needed to understand what kind of man William Quinn was. ’If she gets tangled up with someone like him, her life will become a complete mess!’

"How about you go on a trip for a while? You can come back once he’s gone," Chloe Reed suggested after a moment’s thought.

Iris Yates hesitated. "I’ll think about it."

"Okay, take your time. Just let me know what you decide."

After hanging up, Chloe Reed slowly exhaled.

’Even though I’m still worried, at least Iris is safe for now.’

In the dim light of the car, Walker Grant watched her fret over someone else, his own gaze lowering slightly.

’If the day ever comes when her life is truly threatened, I won’t care about anyone else. All that matters is that she stays alive.’

...

That night, Nathaniel Monroe went to Iris Yates’s home and hammered on the door. BANG! BANG! BANG!

Iris Yates jumped in fright. Having just hung up with Chloe Reed, the violent knocking made her think William Quinn had found her!

Terrified, she paced back and forth in her room before grabbing a kitchen knife. Clutching it tightly, she crept cautiously to the door.

"Iris, open the door!"

Just then, Nathaniel Monroe’s voice came from outside.

Iris Yates instantly breathed a sigh of relief. ’Thank goodness, it’s not William Quinn.’

She flung open the door and pointed the kitchen knife at Nathaniel Monroe. "Are you out of your mind? Smashing on my door in the middle of the night? You break it, you buy it!"

Nathaniel Monroe was taken aback for a second, but then his face darkened. He walked straight in, shutting the door behind him. He stared at her intently and demanded, "Did you sleep with William Quinn?!"

Iris Yates’s eyes widened in shock, the color draining from her face. "Are you insane!"

’Barging into my house in the middle of the night and saying something like that?!’

"Answer me!"

Nathaniel Monroe grabbed her shoulders, his eyes boring into hers.

Iris Yates shoved him away. "What does that have to do with you?! Who do you think you are, questioning me? Nathaniel Monroe, if you’re sick, go see a doctor! Don’t you dare come here and act crazy!"