After changing her clothes, Bella paused at the mirror, patting her cheeks lightly before splashing her face with cool water. Her reflection stared back at her, fresh and unguarded, no trace of the nervous hacker disguise she had been wearing earlier. She smoothed down her hair, trying to calm her racing thoughts.
That was when her phone buzzed. The screen lit up with a name that made her entire body jolt. Leo.
Her heart jumped to her throat. She gripped the phone tighter, staring at his name as if it might vanish, her pulse hammering in her ears. With trembling fingers, she swiped to answer. "H-hello," she stammered, her voice soft and unsure.
"I'm outside the mall," his deep voice rumbled through the line, calm yet commanding. "Come outside."
Bella's breath caught. For a split second, panic flared.. She pressed her lips together, forcing her voice steady as she answered quickly, "Y-yes… I'll come."
