Chapter 187

Over the next few days, Hannah found herself overly cautious. She'd reported her concerns to the police,but with no real harm done, they couldn't do much for her.

Playing it safe, she started limiting her trips to the office. Whenever she did need to be there, she made sure to leave right on time, with Felix insisting on driving her home every evening.

Her ankle was nearly back to normal-she still couldn't run, but at least walking was no longer a struggle.

Something else dawned on her: ever since she began mixing up her schedule, the mysterious roses had stopped arriving. Maybe whoever was behind the prank had gotten bored and given up.

On this particular day, Hannah avoided the usual morning crowd by heading out just after 10:30 a.m.

She kept switching up her speed on the road-sometimes zipping ahead, other times slowing down-and soon spotted a car in her rearview mirror, matching her every move.

Thankfully, Hannah's driving skills hadn't faded. With a series of sharp turns, she mnanaged to shake the tailing vehicle, ducking into the Cerulean Bay parking garage and locking her car swiftly.

While she waited by the elevator, she scrolled through her phone, glancing at work messages. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone approaching, a man with his hat pulled low. Assuming he was just another elevator passenger, she stepped slightly aside to make room.

But something about his body language set off alarms. She carefully studied him, not wanting to seem obvious.

The man was bundled up, face hidden, and clutching what looked disturbingly like a stick.

Hannah's hand clamped tighter around her phone. Her heart hammered in her chest.

The elevator doors opened with a ding. Reacting fast, she stepped back, grabbed her pepper spray, and sprayed several quick bursts in his direction. Without looking back, she sprinted for the stairwell,her instincts screaming at her to run.

The man flinched away from the pepper spray, furious. He snatched up the stick he'd dropped and charged after her.

Hannah dashed up the stairs, determined to reach the first-floor lobby where she could finally call for help.

Her hand was on the door when he caught up, clamping a hand over her mouth and pressing close,inhaling the scent of her skin. "Vincent's woman smells amazing."

His voice rang with an eerie familiarity, though Hannah couldn't quite place where she'd heard it before.

Acting on instinct, she bit down hard on his hand. But instead of retreating, the man seemed to relish it,tightening his grip as he tried to drag her further down the stairs.

Hannah refused to go down easily. Letting go of his hand, she twisted sharply and drove her elbow straight into his stomach.

The blow caught him off guard, making him grunt and loosen his hold.

Hannah pulled herself free and bolted up the stairs.

But before she got far, something slammed into the back of her neck. Her vision spun. As darkness closed in, she barely registered the stick clattering to the floor-and the man's low, threatening murmur,"SO stubborn... Looks like you'll need a little nap."

Then,everything faded to black.

Elsewhere, Vincent was on the phone with the bodyguards he'd assigned to shadow Hannah. "We've lost her," one of the guards reported.

A stormy look crossed Vincent's face. "Did she spot you?"

"No, Mr. Jones. But we just saw Ms. Scott's car parked at Cerulean Bay," the guard answered, trying to reassure him.

"That doesn't prove anything. I want you to verify that Hannah is actually safe," Vincent ordered, his voicewas sharp, leaving no room for argument.

"Understood. We're heading to Nova Tech now."

As soon as the call ended, Vincent began pacing restlessly across his office floor. He couldn't stand waiting around any longer.Snatching up his jacket, he decided to go to Nova Tech himself.

As soon as Vincent arrived, the bodyguards reported that Hannah was nowhere to be found in the office.

"Pull up the security cameras," Vincent said, his expression dark and tense.

"Right away."

In no time, the guards had the footage queued up.

Vincent leaned in, replaying the video repeatedly, his eyes locked on every detail at each entrance and exit.

The last trace of Hannah was in the parking garage. After that, she never appeared on any of the exit cameras.

"Spread out and sweep the entire parking level and nearby areas," Vincent instructed. "Lock down every exit in this building. No one leaves until we find her."