Foreman said, "Rachel was taken hostage by the kidnapper and got pretty badly hurt. But thankfully, nothing vital-she''ll be okay. You don''t need to worry."


    Ste wasn''t worried about Rachel at all. She knew perfectly well that nothing would actually happen to her.


    "How did you manage to rescue Rachel?" Ste asked.


    Foreman didn''t hide anything. "Haynie distracted the kidnapper while I tried to track down the money."


    "The sum was toorge," he continued. "They wanted to move it fast, but it wasn''t going to be that easy. Once we had the henchmen under control, Haynie and I closed in from both sides."


    He paused, frowning. "But... Rachel was still in the hands of the kidnapper. We had to be careful, couldn''t risk making any reckless moves."


    Ste''s brow furrowed. "Did you catch Lind?"


    "Lind?" Foreman looked puzzled.


    "The one who was holding Rachel."


    Foreman shook his head. "No. That guy''s slippery-and surprisingly skilled, too.


    He dragged Rachel with him and escaped into the woods. Got away."


    "But don''t worry," he added, "Haynie''s team and I are already on his trail."


    Ste didn''t seem the least bit surprised. If Rachel really was working with Lind, then there was no way he could be caught.


    The heavy doors of the operating room mmed shut as Rachel was wheeled in for emergency surgery.


    Jasper turned to Haynes. "Haynie, that''s another life you owe Rachel."


    Haynes frowned, staying silent.


    Jasper pressed on, "Haynie, when you had to choose between two people, you didn''t pick Rachel. But Rachel didn''t me you. Instead, she fought to hold the kidnapper back to protect Keen. If she hadn''t, she wouldn''t have been hurt so badly. She saved your life!"


    Jasper was at it again, piling on the guilt.


    A cold, mocking smile curled at the corner of Ste''s lips.


    She almost felt sorry for Rachel. Jasper was a good weapon to have on your side, but honestly, he wasn''t very bright.


    Rachel''s act—the damsel-in-distress


    routine definitely helped restore her image in Haynes''s eyes. But it was one thing for Haynes to feel guilty on his


    own; it was quite anotherto be constantly guilt-tripped by others.


    Who wants to be permanently indebted to someone else? To always feel one- down in a rtionship? Any time you fall short of someone''s expectations, they use guilt as leverage.


    Haynes had done more than enough for Rachet already-handing overa fortunez even getting divorced for her, sacrificing his own career opportunities, throwing resources her way... The list went on and on.


    And yet, instead of gratitude, all he got was, "You owe her." After a while, that kind of debt stopped feeling like kindness and started to feel like ckmail.


    Maybe that''s why Rachel had taken such a risk this time-she must have sensed her standing with Haynes wasn''t what it used to be. So she staged a little drama to win him back.


    Ste still wasn''t sure if Rachel was genuinely ying the victim, or if she was hoping to use the chaos to get rid of her for good.


    Haynes kept his silence while Jasper continued his tirade, insisting that Haynes couldn''t forget what he owed.


    No matter what Jasper said, Haynes didn''t argue. He just stood there, silent as


    ever.


    Then Jasper turned, spotting Ste standing off to the side with an unreadable expression. A thought seemed to strike him, and his voice rose.


    "Ste, don''t forget, you owe Rachel your life, too!”


    Ste replied, voice thick with sarcasm, "Oh, did Rachel save the world? Does the entire owe her a life now?"


    Jasper froze, then jabbed a finger at her, shouting, "You''re unbelievable! If Rachel hadn''t held off the kidnapper, would any of you have escaped so easily?"