?Chapter 886:


    Only after they stepped beyond the ss doors of Harmony za did Maia finally exhale, the breath long and heavy.


    A weight settled quietly on her chest. Deep down, she couldn’t shake the thought—if not for her, Vince might never havee. These people might never have been in danger.


    The sun greeted her as they stepped outside. Its warmth touched her skin, chasing away the gloom that clung to her thoughts.


    Right then, as her foot crossed the threshold, someone familiar broke through the crowd and rushed toward her.


    “Maia!” Pattie came charging forward, giving Maia no warning before throwing her arms around her in a crushing hug.


    Tears already brimmed in her eyes, and her body shook from the lingering panic. “You scared the hell out of me! Do you even realize that?” Her voice wavered, but the bluntness was unmistakable. “I was watching the live stream—I nearly threw my phone across the room. You were standing in front of that maniac with a bomb strapped to him! What were you thinking? Have youpletely lost it?”


    Maia was momentarily stunned, then gently patted Pattie’s back, her voice soft and steady. “Alright. It’s all over now. Look at me—see? Not a scratch.” She even gave a yful spin, her smile calm and reassuring.


    “Swear to me you won’t do anything like that again.” Pattie stepped back and scanned her from head to toe, her expression tight with worry. Only once she was sure that Maia was unharmed did she speak again, her voice cracking.


    “That bastard Vince—” Pattie’s hands iled in frustration. “For a second, I thought I’d lost you for good. I swear, if I could get my hands on him, I’d beat the living daylights out of that lunatic!”


    “The police already have him in custody,” Maia said with a casual shrug.


    “That’s not nearly enough—he deserves to rot behind bars for the rest of his life!”


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    “Maybe so… but that’s not for us to decide,” Maia replied, lowering her voice. “Rnd’s involved now, and on top of that, Vince is being linked to a murder case. I doubt he’s going anywhere anytime soon.” She didn’t linger on it, quickly steering the conversation elsewhere. “Anyway, I need food.”


    Pattie blinked, caught off guard. “Wait, what?”


    “I’m dead hungry.” Maia gave a firm nod, facepletely serious. “I was running on pure adrenaline. Now that it’s worn off, I’m ready to devour everything in sight.”


    A brief pause stretched between them before Pattie suddenly lit up with recognition. “Actually, yeah—I’m starving too. Completely drained. And now we can’t get our spicyfort food because of that lunatic. I swear, I’ll never forgive him!” She huffed, crossing her arms. “Just thinking about those dishes makes me furious—and even hungrier!”


    Maia arched a brow just as her stomach let out a loud growl. “Obviously. Talk about spice any longer and I’ll start drooling on the spot.”


    Laughter bubbled between Maia and Pattie as they kept trading yful remarks. Standing nearby, Chris had quietly stayed within earshot, saying nothing—until now. Their back-and-forth made his brow twitch, barely noticeable.


    It hit him then—Maia’s obsession with spicy food had always been there, but somehow he’d missed itpletely.


    “You’re into spicy food?” Chris asked out of the blue.<fn856a> Readplete version only at FindN()vel</fn856a>


    Maia turned with a smirk. “Wow, Chris. Didn’t think I was such a mystery to you. But let’s focus on what matters—know any good ces to eat around here?”


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