Benson felt a wave of relief when he saw that Ste wasn''t hesitating or refusing


    at such a critical moment.


    With Haynes'' condition still uncertain, there was a mountain of things left for him


    to handle. He didn''t have the time or energy to coax Ste any further.


    He was just about to hang up when Ste''s voice stopped him.


    "Benson, if anything happens, keep me updated."


    "Of course, Ms. Cameron. Don''t worry. If there''s any news about Mr. O''Brien, I''ll


    let you know right away."


    Ste didn''t insist oning to the hospital, and Benson didn''t invite her either.


    After all, if the assassin had managed to attack Haynes, there was no reason to


    think Ste would be any safer. Her rushing over now would only put her in more


    danger.


    At Neo-Vespera Medical Center, just outside the operating room.


    Callie stood by the doors, her face ghostly pale.


    Footsteps echoed down the empty corridor.


    She turned, and the moment she saw the tall, refined man approaching, her eyes


    lit up with hope. It was as if, finally, her anchor had arrived to steady her.


    "Foreman!" Her voice trembled, her eyes red and swollen from crying for so long.


    She was shaking all over, barely able to get the words out. "Foreman, my brother


    -he got hurt saving me. Someone tried to kill me, and he... he took the hit


    instead. There was so much blood. The doctors said his injuries are really bad..."


    She choked on her words, guilt flooding her voice. "It''s all my fault. I shouldn''t


    have ignored his warnings and snuck out to have fun. I even managed to lose the


    security detail he arranged for me. He told me to stay hometely, avoid crowded


    ces, but I just couldn''t help myself..."


    Foreman gently patted her back, trying tofort her.


    "Callie, this isn''t your fault. Please, don''t me yourself. Honestly, if anyone''s to


    me, it should be me..."


    A shadow of regret passed over Foreman''s face.


    "I was the one who suggested you go to that escape room."


    He and Callie had known each other


    for years, but until recently, their


    interactions had been little more


    than polite small talk. Only over the


    past few months had they really


    be friends.


    She''d discovered that they shared a


    love for escape rooms, and Foreman


    had rmended a new ce he''d


    heard about. Callie had originally


    nned to go with her friends, but


    they all canceled at thest minute,


    so she ended up joining a group of


    strangers.


    The moment she stepped inside, something felt off.


    Those supposed teammates-men and women alike-disappeared one by one.


    Her first instinct was to call for help from the staff, but the walkie-talkie was dead


    silent.


    That''s when she realized someone had been tailing her-a shadowy figure who


    clearly wasn''t part of the game.


    Panicked, she called Haynes.


    The escape room was cramped and


    dimly lit, filled with blind spots and


    dead angles on the


    cameras perfect for someone to


    hide. And the assassin wasn''t alone;


    there were five of them in total. The


    "strangers" she''d teamed up with?


    Everyst one was a killer. They


    even had night-vision goggles.


    Haynes had to fight them off while trying to protect her, and he''d gotten badly hurt


    in the process.


    If he hadn''t been trained from a young age, if he hadn''t been so skilled, neither of


    them would have made it out.


    Callie covered her face, sobbing.


    She didn''t see the strange, fleeting glint in Foreman''s eyes.


    The Lerman family estate.


    Leonard stood by the window, phone pressed to his ear.


    On the other end, Sellers'' voice trembled with suspicion and disbelief.


    "Leonard... was what happened to Haynes your doing?"