Jonathan nodded, still grappling with the surreal reality. “You said you used to know people like them. What did you mean by that?”

She looked away, as if sifting through memories best left untouched. “Before I was out here, I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. It’s easy to fall into, hard to climb out. But I learned to recognize the signs, the way they move, how they look at things. They’re after something, or someone, and I figured it was you when I saw them near your office.”

Her words were a puzzle that Jonathan couldn’t quite piece together. Why was someone targeting him? And why had this girl, who seemed so far removed from his world, decided to intervene?“Why did you help me?” he asked finally.Elena shrugged, her demeanor shifting from mysterious to vulnerable. “I guess I wanted to prove to myself that I could still do something good. And… maybe I hoped you would help me, too. I need a way out, a chance to start over.”