?Chapter 1257:


    Cold sweat trickled down Hadley’s face, and panic surged through her chest.


    What now? Someone was really following her. A stalker. She was sure of it!


    Frantically, she reached into her bag. Her fingers closed around something solid. A half-brick she always carried. It was a strange habit, but one she’d never shaken.


    After returning to Srixby and using it to defend herself against a stalker, it had once been confiscated at the police station. Still, she started carrying another not long after.


    Nearly a year in Srixby, and she never imagined it woulde in handy again… until tonight.


    Her nerves were on edge. Under the harsh garage lights, her bare face gleamed with sweat.


    Suddenly, Hadley dashed behind a nearby pir.


    The footsteps behind her sped up, followed by a voice. “Huh? Where did she go? She was just here…” It was a man.


    At that moment, Hadley’s fear peaked.


    “Where is she?” the man muttered to himself, still searching for her.


    The footsteps drew closer. He was just seconds away from finding her. Hadley closed her eyes, reached into her bag, and grabbed the half-brick tightly. Then, she focused on the shadow stretching across the ground.


    As it turned toward her, she sprang into action. She swung her arm with full force and shouted, “Die, you freak!”


    “ARGH!”


    With a loud scream, the man copsed.


    Hadley’s eyes flew open. It was really a man. A real stalker.


    Without thinking twice, she lunged forward, lifted the brick high, and mmed it down on him. “Die! Just die!”


    Hadley, eyes squeezed shut, iled about like a storm unleashed, unaware of the havoc she wrought. The spacious parking lot resounded with groans of anguish and the sharp crash of breaking objects.


    Sprawled on the floor, a man shielded his head in a desperate bid for safety.


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    He was a paparazzo, and the shattered remains at his feet were his prized camera.


    He had been dogging Hadley’s steps, camera poised for a golden shot to ssh across the tabloids. Never did he imagine his pursuit would end with him on the receiving end of a thrashing.


    “Stop!” he cried, wincing in pain as he tried to fend off the blows. “I didn’t mean you any harm!”


    But Hadley, lost in her frenzy, seemed deaf to his words, swinging the brick in her hand with wild abandon.


    “Hey!” the paparazzo barked, seizing Hadley’s wrist. “I’m talking to you! Aren’t you listening?”


    The moment her arm was caught, Hadley’s eyes snapped open, staring nkly at the man before her, unblinking.


    “Ah!” A shrill scream tore from her throat as she raised the brick once more.


    “Are you out of your mind?” the paparazzo shouted. “Keep this up, and I’ll have to fight back!”


    He lunged, grappling for the brick. “Hand it over!”


    “NO! Stay back!” Hadley shrieked, her voice a mix of defiance and dread. “Stop!”


    The sound of hurried footsteps closed in.


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