"Excuse me? Did I hear you wrong?" a look of shock etched Lisa''s face meanwhile ire looked calm andposed.


    ire''s eyes locked onto Lisa''s, the coldness in her gaze unnerving the woman who had spent days wondering if she would ever see the outside world again. "I''m here to free you," ire said, her voice devoid of emotion. Lisa blinked, her face a mixture of shock and disbelief. "What did you just say?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as if she couldn''t trust her ears.


    "You heard me," ire repeated, her tone t and unmoved.


    Lisa''s shock quickly transformed into anger. Sheshed out at ire, her voice rising in the small, suffocating cell. "Don''t make fun of me, ire. I don''t need your pity, and I certainly don''t need your games!"


    ire remained unfazed, her expression as calm as a still pond. She looked Lisa dead in the eyes, her voice steady. "I''m not making fun of you."


    Lisa''s anger wavered, and she stared back at ire, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "Why?" she demanded, suspicioncing her voice. "Why would you want to free me?"


    A slow, knowing smirk curled the corners of ire''s lips. "I wanted to do something kind," she replied, her voice soft, almost mocking.


    Lisa narrowed her eyes, her skepticism deepening. There was something unsettling about ire''s calmness, something that told Lisa there was more to this than what she was saying. "Prove it," Lisa challenged, her tone sharp.


    ire''s smile didn''t waver. Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the cell, her stilettos clicking against the cold concrete floor as she made her way to the front office. Lisa watched her go, still processing what had just happened, her mind racing with a mixture of hope and mistrust.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ire approached the police officer at the front desk, her posture straight and her demeanorposed. "I''d like to bail Lisa Thompson out," she said, her voice firm.


    The officer raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the request. "May I ask why?" he questioned; his tone professional yet curious.


    ire''s smile was polite, almost too polite. "We''ve decided to make peace," she replied smoothly, the lie slipping from her lips effortlessly. Inwardly, she scoffed at the absurdity of the situation, already nning her next move, her mind a whirlwind of strategies and calctions. This wasn''t just about freeing Lisa-it was about setting the stage for a much bigger game.


    The officer hesitated for a moment, then shrugged, seemingly satisfied with ire''s answer. He handed her the paperwork to sign, and after a few minutes of formalities and a payment, the officer led Lisa out of her cell.


    As Lisa walked out, her movements were slow, cautious, her eyes darting around as if she expected this to be some kind of trick. She spotted ire and Matthew standing by the exit, both of them watching her with unreadable expressions.


    "Thanks," Lisa muttered, her voiceced with insincerity as she finally reached them. There was no gratitude in her tone, only a reluctant acknowledgment of what ire had done. She still didn''t trust her, not for a second.


    ire nodded, her face void of emotion. She turned to leave, but before she could take more than a few steps, Lisa called out to her. "Wait," she said, her voice more curious than demanding now. "What''s the real reason you''re doing this?" ire paused, turning her head slightly to look at Lisa over her shoulder. A smirk yed on her lips as she answered, "You don''t deserve to be here."


    The words hung in the air, thick with implication. Lisa felt a shiver run down her spine. There was a double meaning there, she was sure of it, but she couldn''t quite grasp what it was. All she knew was that ire''s smirk, that look of satisfaction in her eyes, made her feel as if she had just stepped into a trap.


    ire didn''t wait for a response. She


    no


    slid her shades on, the reflective lenses masking her eyes, and walked out of the station with Matthew following closely behind The sound of her stilettos clicking against the floor echoed in Lisa''s ears long after ire had disappeared from view. For some reason, that sound bugged her, gnawing at the edge of her consciousness like an itch she couldn''t scratch.


    Lisa stood there for a moment, her thoughts swirling, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She was free, but the way ire had freed he left her feeling anything but liberated. There was a heaviness in her chest, a sense of foreboding that she couldn''t shake. ire''s actions didn''t make sense-not on the surface, at least. There had to be more to it, but Lisa couldn''t figure out what.


    As she walked out of the station, Lisa reyed ire''s words in her mind, over and over. She didn''t deserve to be here. What did that mean?


    Back in the car, ire sat in the backseat, her gaze fixed on the world outside the window, her shades masking her thoughts. The cityscape blurred by as Matthew drove, but his attention kept drifting back to the rearview mirror, stealing nces at her. He couldn''t help but wonder what was going on in her mind.


    Sensing his curiosity, ire didn''t even turn her head. "Stop ncing and speak your mind, Matthew," she said, her tone casual yet authoritative.


    Matthew chuckled lightly, caught off guard by how easily she could read him. "You caught me," he admitted. But his expression quickly turned serious as he ventured, "So, what''s your n now, ire? After freeing Lisa, I mean."


    ire slowly removed her shades, revealing a faint smile as she met Matthew''s eyes in the mirror. "I''ve already thought about it," she began, her voice calm, almost too calm. "But I want to y it slow. Catch Lisa off guard. It''ll be much more fun that way."


    Matthew couldn''t help but chuckle at her response, shaking his head slightly. "I like your devious n, ire. You always know how to keep things interesting."


    Meanwhile, over at Harris Company,


    Alex was in his office, scrolling


    through thetest news on his


    tablet. He wasn''t particrly focused until a headline caught his eye, apanied by a photo that made his heart skip a beat. Itwas


    ire, walking in and out of a police


    station. His eyebrows knitted together in concern. What was she up to now?


    Without wasting a second, he picked up his phone and dialed the number of his private investigator. As the phone rang, Alex''s mind raced, trying to piece together what he was seeing. He hoped it wasn''t what he feared. When the call connected, Alex didn''t bother with pleasantries.


    "I need you to find out what ire was doing at the police station," Alex said, his tone leaving no room for dy.


    It took the PI just ten minutes to gather the information, though it felt like an eternity to Alex. When the phone rang, Alex picked it up immediately.


    "What did you find?" Alex asked his voice tight with anticipation.


    "ire was there to free someone named Lisa," the PI reported.