Chase saw right through her expression and teased, "Worried about me?"
Eliana scoffed lightly, "You're overthinking. I just don't want you to meet with an accident before our contract ends. I don't want to be left with a bad reputation as a black widow."
Chase's expression darkened visibly, showing signs of displeasure. "You're thinking quite far ahead."
"If I didn't think ahead, I might not even be alive now," Eliana said with a self-deprecating tone, her lashes fluttering.
Chase witnessed her show real emotions for the first time, and it caught him off guard. Luckily, Eliana played it cool and shrugged it off.
Her phone rang, and Eliana answered. Lyn's worried voice came through, "I received word that Stuart isn't going to let you leave tonight. I'm rounding up a crew to come get you. Are you..."
Eliana's heart skipped a beat, feeling a rush of relief. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I've alre

Eliana returned to her room and closed the door before picking up the phone.
"Hey Lena, it's Howard. Is it too abrupt to call you this late?" His voice was magnetic and pleasing to the ears.
"Good evening, Howard. I just finished dinner and was resting, so no disturbance at all," Eliana replied.
Howard continued, "I heard from Lyn that you urgently need to export a batch of goods. I happen to know some people and thought I'd ask if you need any help?"
She had guessed it. Who else would be so helpful besides Lyn?
"Thank you, Howard, for offering to help. I can handle it," Eliana felt a bit embarrassed. It had been years since she had been in contact with Howard. Suddenly bothering him felt too forward.
And Lyn, why didn't she discuss this with her before calling Howard?
Howard was a smart man. Despite her subtle refusal, he fell silent for a moment before saying, "I know you're capable. S

Eliana was dumbfounded. How did he manage to come out?
Wasn't he soaking in the water? Why did he look so good?
She stormed off the stage, seething with anger. He had just come out, why didn't he hide immediately? What was he trying to prove by showing up here?
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Eliana's first instinct was to check his body, making sure he hadn't broken any bones.
Watching her tense expression, Chase felt a mix of anger and guilt. There was an issue in New York yesterday, and he was worried that she might trace his IP address through the phone signal, so he didn't turn on his phone. He only found out today that Stuart had deceived her.
"You just dance whenever someone snaps their fingers, don't you realize you're a married woman?" Luckily, she'd been wise enough to rock some loose athletic gear.
Eliana was still fuming, feeling like she had nowhere to let off steam, and now he was already pointing fingers at her! It made her feel so angry she could almost taste it. "If I wasn't worried sick about you getting into serious trouble, do you really think I'd be this worked up?"
Suddenly, a warm hand gently rested on her head. Maybe it was just the lighting, but she sensed Chase's gaze was softer than usual.
Chase's expression hardened. "Let me vent it for you."
"I don't need you to vent for me. Let's just go home." Eliana tried to pull him away, but Chase held her back.
At that moment, Stuart's threatening voice came from upstairs. "Lena, as soon as you stepped out, I was going to push him down the stairs."
Eliana looked over to see Stuart's henchmen holding someone at the stairwell. The man was wet and pale, as if he had been soaking in water all day.
So he had mistaken the person?
She had worried Chase for nothing all day.
The man held by Stuart's men begged desperately, "I just stole a wallet when I passed by last night, I didn't hit anyone... Save me!"
Stuart realized his men had grabbed the wrong person, and he reached out to hit the man, aggravating his injury. "Idiots, you got the wrong guy! Hurry up and bring him back to me!"
After being scolded, the henchmen hurriedly ran towards Chase.
Before they could do anything, several figures walked in from outside. The leader was a middle-aged man who slapped Stuart's leading henchman. "Your master is too young and clueless, but instead of stopping him, you all go along with his nonsense and cause trouble. Do you want to get yourselves killed?"
The henchman who was slapped looked terrified. "Mr. Dennel? Why are you here?"
"If I don't come , you'll smash the roof of the Dennel family's house." Anatole Dennel was angry. Did they know whom they were messing with? If Chase got angry, the Dennel family would be begging on the roadside tomorrow.
Anatole recognized everyone present as Stuart's associates, which made him even angrier. "You troublemaker, all you know is to cause me trouble. Even with a broken back, you still don't know how to behave. I might as well take your legs."
Stuart rarely saw his father so angry. Wasn't it just an unknown nobody? Why was he getting mad at his own son for the sake of a stranger?
Anatole ordered everyone to clear out of the venue, then walked up to Chase, smiling. "Mr. Wilkinson, I'll make sure to give you a satisfactory explanation for this."
Eliana stared in disbelief at the scene before her. Did the previous lighting play tricks on her eyes?
Anatole was a well-known figure in the city, with influence in both worlds. How could he be so subservient to Chase?
This just didn't make sense.
Chase shrugged casually. "Young folks need a lesson now and then, no need to be too harsh."
Anatole's face froze, feeling a pang of unease. It seemed Chase wasn't going to let this slide easily. For the glory of the Dennel family, Anatole gritted his teeth. "Break the young master's right hand."
Eliana's heart skipped a beat. She thought she misheard until she saw the baseball bat in the bodyguard's hand crashing onto Stuart's hand, causing him to pale and faint on the spot.
It was like watching a top student witnessing a crime for the first time. Eliana was more surprised and taken aback than afraid.
She couldn't fathom how a mere boxer could have the power to make the local mafia scared, even at the cost of his own son.
"We should go back," Chase said, grabbing Eliana's hand as they exited.
Just when Eliana thought Anatole's fury in the bar was shocking enough, the scene outside was even more astonishing.
The onlookers from earlier were now lining up to leave, each receiving a punch from the guards at the door. The guards were towering figures, and with one punch, they made some people vomit bile.
"What's going on?" Eliana asked, bewildered.
Chase's tone was icy. "Cost. They enjoyed the show, and there is a cost."
Eliana chuckled. "I was wrapped up tighter than a sealed bag. They didn't see a thing, and still got punched. They'll regret coming here tonight."
"They deserve it," said Chase.
He opened the car door. It was a Chevrolet, worth around a hundred grand, an SUV just like hers.
The car suited his status.
Eliana silently observed Chase's every move. Chase noticed her gaze and spoke up. "Just say what you want directly, no need to act sneaky."
"Why did Anatole help you? Don't tell me you saved his life. How old is he, and how old are you? Were you a bodyguard at fifteen? Did you start wearing diapers for training at three?" Eliana asked, incredulous.
Such absurdities only happened in science fiction novels.
Chase chuckled, finding her earnestness amusing. This woman wasn't as gullible as he thought. "Of course not."
Eliana was eager to know the truth. He kept laughing, frustrating her like an unexpected commercial break during a crucial moment in a drama. "Spill it!"
"This time it wasn't about doing me a favor. It was my former boss, Cesare Baresi. He and Anatole had business dealings together. Anatole cooked the books, got caught by Cesare, who broke Anatole's leg. He spared his life, so Anatole owes him a debt." Chase explained.
Eliana blinked. "Can things really work like that?"
She had heard of Cesare Baresi, but it was all from her parents' generation. She only knew he was a formidable figure, with many influential people owing him favors. If he showed up, everyone would give him some face.
Chase remained composed, even a bit smug. "Don't you understand the saying, 'The bigger the tree, the more shade it provides'?"
No wonder Chase remained unfazed in every situation. He had someone backing him. No wonder so many big shots wanted to hire him.
"With such perks, why did you quit?" Eliana asked.
"Too expensive. He doesn't need to hire such an expensive bodyguard when he's not in trouble," Chase replied.
"Then are the people who hire you all in some kind of danger needing protection? Isn't that dangerous?" Eliana worried, images from old gangster movies flashing through her mind.
Was Chase like those characters in the movies?
Would he get assasinated?

Chase saw right through her expression and teased, "Worried about me?"
Eliana scoffed lightly, "You're overthinking. I just don't want you to meet with an accident before our contract ends. I don't want to be left with a bad reputation as a black widow."
Chase's expression darkened visibly, showing signs of displeasure. "You're thinking quite far ahead."
"If I didn't think ahead, I might not even be alive now," Eliana said with a self-deprecating tone, her lashes fluttering.
Chase witnessed her show real emotions for the first time, and it caught him off guard. Luckily, Eliana played it cool and shrugged it off.
Her phone rang, and Eliana answered. Lyn's worried voice came through, "I received word that Stuart isn't going to let you leave tonight. I'm rounding up a crew to come get you. Are you..."
Eliana's heart skipped a beat, feeling a rush of relief. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I've already made it out safely."
After briefly explaining the situation, Lyn breathed a sigh of relie

Chapter 20: Worried About Me?