( 0 ) Chapter 185 Chapter 185 No one could have anticipated how suddenly disaster would strike As they approached the restaurant entrance , two men burst from the crowd without warning Both wore ck masks and baseball caps pulled low over their faces . One was tall with muscr , tattooed arms visible beneath his white t - shirt The other was shorter and less imposing , but no less dangerous , Thalia and na reacted with instinctive precision , sidestepping the initial assault .


    " Get them out of here ! " na shouted , dodging the taller man''s de andnding a powerful counterpunch . Tve got this - go now ! " Lucy and Katie stood frozen , their faces drained of color . For Lucy , the scene triggered a visceral shback to her time at Sinir & Klein - when a disturbed client had brandished a knife and her colleague had used her as a human shield . The memory paralyzed her with terror . " Run !


    " Thalia grabbed both women by their arms , her voice cutting through Lucy''s panic . The physical contact snapped Lucy back to reality , and she began moving on instinct . Katie , experiencing this level of danger for the first time , found her legs uncooperative . The high heels she''d worn to work betrayed her after just a few steps - her ankle twisted sharply , sending her sprawling to the pavement .


    na , now fully engaged with her attacker , made a split - second assessment : these weren''t ordinary thugs , but professionally trained operatives . This wasn''t her first encounter with mercenaries , however . She knew their techniques - and their weaknesses . The shorter assant , seeing Katie fall , seized his opportunity . Breaking away from hispanion , he sprinted toward the vulnerable women . " Can you stand ? " Thalia crouched beside Katie , urgency edging her voice .


    " My ankle- " Katie gasped , her face contorted with pain as Thalia helped her upright . She managed to put weight on one foot , the injured one barely touching the ground . Walking was clearly impossible , let alone running . The shorter attacker closed the distance with rming speed . 09:44 Your Gold Digger is Actually A True Heiress 9.5 % His knife glinted in the fading sunlight as he lunged directly at Katie . Without hesitation .


    Thalia shoved Katie clear of the attack and engaged the man herself . Katie tumbled onto a nearby strip ofndscaped grass , watching in stunned horror as her boss executed a series of defensive maneuvers against the attacker . Through her pain and fear , a singr thought registered : Thalia knows how to fight ? Lucy rushed to Katie''s side . " We need to move - now ! " " I can''t , " Katie''s face had gone ghostly pale , cold sweat beading on her forehead .


    " Lean on me , " Lucy insisted , already dialing emergency services on her phone . Others on the street were doing the same , voices rising in rm around them . na dispatched her opponent with brutal efficiency , immediately assessing the new threat to Thalia . With a powerful kick that sent the muscr man reeling , she sprinted toward her employer . Thalia was holding her own admirably , but her opponent''s training was evident in every movement .


    After several exchanges , it became clear that she was facing someone whose skills far exceeded those of an ordinary assant . Her defenses were beginning to falter . The attacker recognized his advantage , driving his de toward Thalia''s heart in what would have been a killing blow . A blur of movement interrupted the attack - na''s hands locked around the man''s wrist with crushing force , drawing a grimace of pain from his partially concealed face . The intervention came just in time .


    From that angle and distance , Thalia might have avoided a direct hit to her heart , but the de would have found flesh elsewhere . Any wound would have drasticallypromised her ability to defend herself , making a second , fatal strike almost inevitable . With practiced efficiency , na subdued the attacker and appropriated his weapon , pressing the de against his throat . Only the public setting prevented her from ending the threat permanently .


    The muscr man , assessing his deteriorating situation , turned to flee . " Amateur , " na muttered with cold derision . With clinical detachment , she retrieved a medical ampoule from her pocket and broke the seal . In one flui motion , she coated the knife de with its contents . 6 % Chapter 185 The weapon left her hand in a blur , rotating through the air with surgical precision before embedding itself in the fleeing man''s calf .


    To his credit , the mercenary barely flinched , continuing his escape attempt without breaking stride . He managed only a few more steps before copsing mid - stride , his body suddenly unresponsive , " Fast - acting sedative , " na remarked to no one in particr . " Even professionals can''t fight their own nervous system . " The shorter attacker , sensing an opening , attempted to break free .


    na responded with a controlled application of pressure that rendered him unconscious within seconds . " Boss , " na turned her attention back to Thalia , genuine concern breaking through her professionalposure . " Are you hurt ? " " I''m fine , " Thalia assured her , exhaling shakily . In that moment , Thalia experienced something primal - an instinctive sense of danger that sent ice through her veins .


    It manifested as a full - body sensation , raising goosebumps across her skin before her conscious mind could process the threat . Then she saw it - the unmistakable outline of a pistol emerging from behind a statue across the street . The crack of the gunshot split the air . " Look out ! " Thalia shouted , lunging toward Lucy . The impact of the bullet brought an odd moment of numbness .


    Then pain - white - hot and overwhelming - radiated outward from the wound , threatening to copse her legs beneath her . " Boss ! " na''s voice cut through the haze as she moved to catch Thalia''s faltering form . ? ( 6 ) ( 0 )