[Inside the SUV – Rainy Night]
The storm outside had softened to a gentle drizzle.
Harriet still slept, curled up in the passenger seat under Fred's coat, her breathing slow and even.
Fred adjusted the rearview mirror absently, his eyes flicking toward her every few seconds.
Ring—
His phone suddenly buzzed sharply against the dashboard, breaking the quiet.
Fred cursed under his breath, snatching it up before the sound could wake her.
He glanced at the caller ID — it was one of his men.
Without a second thought, he switched it off, tossing it onto the seat.
He wasn't risking disturbing her.
Not tonight.
---
[Harriet's Dream – Soft and Bright]
In her sleep, Harriet smiled faintly.
She dreamed of Rufei — of a life that could have been.
A sunny apartment, the smell of fresh coffee, a future filled with laughter and lazy mornings.
Rufei's warm hands brushing her hair back, his voice murmuring promises she always wanted to hear.
A perfect world.
But suddenly —
That sly girl appeared.
The one who had kissed Rufei.
Her smirking face twisted the dream into a nightmare.
Harriet jolted awake with a sharp gasp, heart pounding painfully against her ribs.
She sat up, dazed, blinking at the dark car interior.
---
[Inside the SUV]
Fred immediately leaned closer, concerned.
But before he could say anything, Harriet turned her watery gaze toward him — sharp and fierce.
> "I don't know who you are," she slurred slightly, her voice raw and broken,
"and I don't care."
Fred froze.
Her next words came in a low, almost desperate whisper:
> "But tonight... I need you."
Fred's eyes widened slightly, tension locking his body.
For a split second, dangerous thoughts flashed through his mind — and he stiffened.
Harriet leaned closer, her face inches from his.
Fred's breath caught.
> "I want you to..." she paused, her voice a whisper.
Fred stared at her, completely frozen, heart hammering once against his ribs.
But then she finished, swaying slightly:
> "I want you to accompany me for wine."
Fred exhaled a heavy breath he didn't realize he was holding, raking a hand through his wet hair.
Relief.
Pure, aching relief.
> "Fine," he muttered under his breath, half amused, half wrecked inside.
He started the engine, the wheels splashing through the puddles as they sped toward the nearest open district.
---
[Exclusive Wine Shop – Night]
Fred didn't hesitate — he reserved the entire wine shop in a matter of minutes.
The small, luxurious place was usually filled with classy customers, but now it was empty.
Only the soft hum of jazz music and the clinking of glasses remained.
Just Harriet and Fred.
She plopped herself onto a plush velvet seat and immediately ordered the strongest wine available.
Fred sat across from her, arms folded, watching silently.
Harriet drank a lot.
Glass after glass disappeared into her small hands.
She laughed.
She cried.
Sometimes she did both at once.
Fred barely touched his drink, glancing occasionally at his phone with a furrowed brow — checking for updates, checking her tracker, checking everything except the one thing right in front of him.
Until —
Harriet noticed.
She slammed her empty glass down and lunged across the table, snatching his phone.
> "How dare you," she slurred, eyes narrowing dangerously,
"play with your phone in front of a hottie like me?"
Fred stiffened, caught off guard.
Harriet glared at him like a furious kitten, waving the phone in his face.
Fred kept his expression neutral — but inside, he was... nervous.
Unsettled.
He wasn't used to this side of her — wild, raw, beautiful and broken all at once.
Harriet's fingers tightened around the phone, her knuckles white.
Her voice broke as she whispered:
> "Why...? Why did you betray me...?"
Tears spilled down her cheeks, her entire body trembling.
Fred's chest twisted painfully — but he said nothing.
She wasn't talking to him.
Her blurred vision was filled with another face.
Rufei.
Her heart was crying for someone else.
Fred sat there silently, letting her tears fall.
Letting her pain bleed out.
And then — suddenly — she looked at him.
Straight into his dark, stunned eyes.
And then — suddenly — her gaze snapped back to him. Her eyes locked onto his, filled with something dangerous and desperate.
Without warning, she leaned forward, her lips crashing against his.
The kiss was unplanned, desperate, filled with the heat of her emotions. Her lips were warm, but trembling, tasting of salt from her tears and the sharp bite of wine. Fred's eyes went wide with shock. He didn't know how to react, what to do. His body froze, and for a moment, everything around him disappeared.
Her lips pressed against his, broken, desperate, as if she was searching for something. Or someone.
Fred's heart pounded in his chest. Her kiss was tender, but it felt like a scream. Her soul was reaching out to someone else, someone who wasn't here. But Fred couldn't pull away. He couldn't.
For a moment, just a fleeting moment, his body was caught in the kiss, and for that second, he almost lost himself. He almost believed that maybe, just maybe, this could be for him.
But then, just as quickly as it had begun, it ended. Harriet pulled away, her breath coming in jagged gasps. She blinked at him, disoriented and lost, her tears still falling.
Fred sat there, stunned, his heart racing.
She had kissed him — but her soul, her heart, was somewhere else.
---
To be continued...
***