No Escape from Love

When we finished eating and stepped outside, all three of us had smiles on our faces.

"Thank you for today, Serena," Lucas said. He paused slightly before hesitantly asking, "Is it okay if I call you that? If not, I can call you Ms. Ashford."

Hearing his question, I thought about it for a moment.

I waved my hand dismissively. "Sure, that's fine! All of my friends call me that." "Alright then," he replied with a smile. "Get home safe."

Linking arms, Lila and I walked back, planning for her to spend the night at my place. She had recently found a job and hoped to rent a unit in the same area as mine.

"Ta-da!" I opened the door. "Welcome to my humble abode."

"Not bad, Serena," she said, glancing around. "It looks comfy and cozy."

Setting down my bag, I was about to respond when something caught my eye. I frowned and asked, "Hey, Lila, have you noticed that the charm on my bag is missing?"

"Charm?" Lila walked over, frowning as well. "You often carry this bag, and there's always a bear charm hanging from it. Are you sure you only lost it today?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"It must've fallen off somewhere along the way, or it's probably in Mr. Hastings' car."

I frowned even more and muttered, "That's strange. It shouldn't fall off so easily since it has been there for so long."

But it was just a charm, so I didn't think too much about it.

...noveldrama

On Monday morning, I saw Alex walk into the office looking calm and composed. I knew whatever had been troubling him yesterday was already resolved.

"Good morning, Mr. Hastings," I greeted him with a smile.

Nodding, he grunted in acknowledgment as he sat down. "Nothing happened to you two after I left that day, right?"

"Something did."

He had just sat down but immediately stood up again. "What happened?"

"I ran into my savior."

"Who was it?" His brows furrowed slightly.

"The person who saved me in the underground parking lot." Thinking about Lucas, a hint of delight flickered in my eyes. "It's amazing how we keep bumping into each other. Such coincidences!"

"Oh." Alex's expression visibly darkened. "A hero saving the damsel in distress, huh?"

"No! That sounds way too dramatic. He just happened to step in when there was injustice."

"Serena Ashford!" He suddenly raised his voice, startling me.

I snapped out of my thoughts and glared at him, somewhat frustrated. "What's

with the shouting?"

"How many coincidences can there

be in this world? Use your brain." His tone was filled with anger. "You're unaware of bigger dangers lurking out there."

"You're being ridiculous." Gritting my teeth, I decided not to tell him what happened that day. Yet I couldn't explain myself to him if I didn't. All I could do was say, "Stop assuming the worst about people. Lucas is just a regular, decent guy."

"A decent guy?" Alex sneered. "Come on. How old are you? Twenty-two? And you're still this naive? How can there be genuinely kind people in the world?"