Pinned against the couch, Lowe shouted at the bodyguard, “Get out!"

The bodyguard swiftly exited.

Nicole kept Lowe pinned down, her knee on his neck against the couch for a full fifteen minutes before letting him go.

Lowe, drained of any resolve, lay sprawled on the sofa. He was just a spoiled playboy, enfeebled by a life of extravagance. His knack for intimidation hinged entirely on the adept bodyguards his father supplied.

Gasping, Lowe wheezed. “Enough, I'm spent." It felt like his neck had snapped, every twitch sent bolts of agony through him, keeping him contorted. Who on earth was this wild woman?

A knock interrupted the tense atmosphere.

Nicole kept her dagger aimed at Lowe and said with authority, “Enter!”

The bodyguard who had left earlier came back in, holding a brown file envelope.

"Drop it here and leave," Nicole directed.

The bodyguard looked at Lowe for order, who angrily dismissed him.

"Just go, you're no help!"

Lowe was frustrated that his bodyguards couldn't handle Nicole, leaving him in this predicament. He hoped Nicole just grabbed the documents and left.

Nicole picked up the file envelope. Seeing the handwriting she recognized dimmed the light in her eyes, bringing a shadow over them.

Tears fell like shattered crystals. She mouthed silently, "Dad..." It was as though an immense weight was on her chest, causing deep sorrow.

Her helmet hid her face, keeping her vulnerability from Lowe's view.

Nicole's hands shook, but she gathered her composure. After securing the file envelope, she zipped up her jacket and warned, “Lowe, let me leave without trouble, or you're done for!"

Lowe, drained of energy, nodded. "Go ahead, but remember your promise to me."

“Once I'm safely away, you'll get what I promised," Nicole responded.

“Okay." Lowe, still under Nicole's control, was escorted out of the room.

Outside, eight intimidating bodyguards in black awaited, all giving Nicole wary looks.