The moment Hunter took off his helmet, Stella froze.
The man standing before her was unexpectedly young.
No.
"Boy" might be a more accurate description.
Asians tended to look younger than Westerners of the same age.
His body was muscular and defined, but his face and skin still held a hint of youthful smoothness.
When she was clinging to him on the bike, Stella had assumed her savior was a rugged, seasoned man.
Now, seeing his face clearly, she realized he still had a touch of adolescence about him.
"Is he even twenty yet?"
She thought with a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Let's go inside. I'll explain everything later," Hunter said, noticing her amazed stare but ignoring it.
Stella had just been rescued from a living hell. Although she was full of questions, she didn't argue.
"Okay."
They walked into the motel office. Hunter booked a single room at the counter.
"Why only one room?" Stella whispered, leaning close to him.
Hunter explained quietly. "Motels like this usually have gang ties."
"A young, beautiful woman staying alone in a place like this?"
"You don't want to wake up with a few strangers in your room, do you?"
"Or get snatched right out of the frying pan and sold on the black market?"
Stella opened her mouth to argue but closed it again.
She was well-educated. Her father was an international thief, and his illicit earnings had afforded her a privileged life.
For over twenty years, Stella had enjoyed the best education money could buy. She even owned her own locksmith company in downtown Los Angeles, a venture funded by John Bridger's "earnings."
Because of this, her feelings about her father's profession were complicated.
On one hand, she benefited from his crimes.
On the other, her education and moral compass told her that theft was wrong.
However, running a locksmith business that often cooperated with the LAPD had exposed her to the darker side of society. She knew the underbelly of Los Angeles wasn't just a story—it was real.
Seeing her fall silent, Hunter ignored the motel owner's lewd smirk and led Stella to their room.
The room wasn't large—maybe thirty or forty square meters.
As soon as Hunter locked the deadbolt, Stella couldn't hold back anymore.
"Who are you? How did you know Steve kidnapped me? Why did you save me?"
Hunter sat down on the small sofa in the living area and gestured for her to sit opposite him.
Stella sat, suppressing the discomfort of her filthy clothes and the smell clinging to her. She desperately wanted to shower and change, but the mystery of this Asian boy was making her anxious.
He had saved her, yes. But he was too mysterious.
She knew nothing about him, yet he seemed to know everything about her.
That imbalance was terrifying.
Seeing her seated, Hunter smiled and began to answer her questions.
"Let me introduce myself, Miss Stella Bridger."
"I'm Hunter Sun. Chinese-American. And I'm a thief."
"A thief?"
Stella looked at him in surprise, scrutinizing his face. She had never considered that this boy could be a criminal.
Hunter's smile widened.
Long before he stole the gold, he had been preparing a cover story.
When he learned Stella was missing and deduced Steve had taken her, he had spent the waiting hours refining his narrative.
He was ready for this conversation.
"Yes," he nodded with a smile. "Just like your father, John Bridger. I steal for a living."
"Though I lack his legendary lockpicking skills and his fame."
Stella frowned slightly. The wound of her father's death—caused by Charlie dragging him out of retirement—was still fresh.
Hunter realized he had touched a sore spot. He immediately shifted his tone to one of apology.
"I'm actually ashamed to say this, but your ordeal... it's partly my fault."
Stella was distracted from her grief. She looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
She wasn't just a pretty face. A thought flashed through her mind.
She looked at Hunter sharply. "The gold? You're the one who stole Steve's gold?"
"Smart," Hunter said, nodding frankly. He admitted it without hesitation.
"Steve has been selling gold bars stamped with the 'Dancer of Bali' on the black market for a long time."
"I wasn't the only one watching him."
"A while back, I noticed you and your friends—Charlie's crew—were also targeting him."
"I beat you to the punch. I stole the gold."
"But I never expected Steve to track you down and kidnap you because of it."
"When I heard you were taken, I felt responsible."
"You suffered because of my actions. So, I decided to go back into the lion's den and get you out."
Stella's throat worked, but she couldn't find the words.
She hadn't expected the situation to be this complex.
Charlie had told her he found Steve through contacts in the gold market. That was why he invited her to join the revenge mission.
But it turned out they weren't the only sharks circling Steve.
And this... kid... had outsmarted everyone.
He had completely blindsided Charlie, the so-called master thief.
He had stolen the gold under everyone's noses.
And when she was captured, he had broken back in to save her.
Hunter's mix of truth and lies painted a very specific picture for Stella, who didn't know the full story.
It led her to a flawed conclusion:
"Charlie kept telling me his team was the best in the world."
"Turns out, they're not even close."
"If it wasn't for Charlie's incompetence, John wouldn't have died in Venice."
"And now, because of him, I almost died too."
In that moment, Stella's already shaky trust in Charlie crumbled further. The resentment she harbored for him dragging her father to his death flared up again, hotter than ever.
Read ahead with 100+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Authorizz