This was probably the most comfortable sleep Stella had ever had.
She didn't know how long she had slept.
All she remembered was being rescued last night by a young Asian man who called himself a thief.
He had taken her to a motel and rented a room.
They had talked a lot. He had been refreshingly open about his identity and why he had saved her.
And he was incredibly gentle. He had noticed her distress and awkwardness without her having to say a word.
He bought her a simple but delicious dinner. He even bought her fresh clothes to change into.
Although they shared a room, nothing happened.
Stella slept in the bed. He voluntarily took the small sofa in the living area and slept there all night.
When she finally woke up, she saw that he was already awake.
He was sitting in the living area, engrossed in a book about locking mechanisms.
"You're awake."
Sensing her gaze, Hunter looked up from his book.
"Mhm."
Stella fought the urge to stretch lazily. She wasn't going to fall head over heels for a boy she just met.
But she had developed a favorable impression of him, so she kept her composure.
"I picked up breakfast. Do you want to freshen up first, or eat?"
Stella was surprised. She followed his finger and looked at the table by the TV.
Sure enough, a breakfast box was waiting there.
"Thank you."
She hadn't expected this young thief to be so thoughtful.
She thanked him and sat up. Instinctively, she reached for her phone on the nightstand to check the time.
Her hand grasped air.
Only then did she remember. Her phone had been confiscated by Steve's men when she was kidnapped.
"Oh no. Steve demanded the gold from Charlie yesterday."
"I need to contact them. If they walk into a trap..."
As the fog of sleep lifted, Stella remembered the critical details she had ignored in the chaos of the escape.
But she froze, frowning.
Without her phone, she realized she couldn't remember Charlie's number.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her freeze on the bed, Hunter walked over to ask.
Stella hesitated, then answered.
"Steve doesn't know you stole his gold."
"He thinks Charlie did it. That's why he kidnapped me. He gave Charlie twenty-four hours to bring the gold to exchange for me."
"Last night... I think Charlie was at the villa trying to save me too."
Hunter nodded, feigning indifference. "Charlie Croker? The famous international thief?"
"And the gold... that's the haul from the Venice job a year ago?"
"Yes."
Stella nodded. There was no point hiding it from this boy who already knew so much.
Hunter smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Miss Bridger, you don't need to worry."
"From what I hear, Charlie Croker leads the world's elite thief crew."
"Every member is a top-tier specialist."
"Even if I hadn't intervened, they probably would have saved you easily."
Stella was about to nod in agreement, but then she remembered something.
Charlie and his "elite" team had spent nearly a month scouting Steve's villa.
And yet, before they could even make a move, the gold was stolen by the boy standing in front of her.
Her gaze landed on Hunter's youthful face.
In an instant, her confidence in Charlie wavered even more.
"Are they... really that good?"
Thinking back, she remembered how Charlie had dragged her father out of retirement, leading to his death.
She still held a grudge against him for that.
When Charlie reappeared and invited her to steal the gold back as revenge, she hadn't refused. But her motivation was purely to avenge her father.
She hadn't fully forgiven Charlie for John's death.
Because of that resentment, she had kept him at arm's length. She had his number in her phone, but she hadn't let him into her life.
So now, even though she was worried, she realized she had no way to contact them.
And going back to the villa to check?
Don't be ridiculous.
Steve was probably hunting her right now. Showing up anywhere near him would be suicide.
Realizing this, Stella nodded helplessly.
She decided to call her office later to see if Charlie had left a message there. Otherwise, she was cut off.
She got out of bed and went to the bathroom.
When she came out, she checked the breakfast. It was a small Black Pepper Beef Pizza from Pizza Hut.
Surprisingly, it was still warm.
"Aren't you having any?"
Stella rarely ate fast food pizza. But after being starved for two days, it looked like a gourmet meal.
"I already ate."
Stella nodded and started eating.
"Are you serious about learning from me?"
She asked between bites, sitting not far from him.
Clearly, after sleeping on it, she had made a decision.
Hunter's smile widened brilliantly.
"Absolutely."
"Call me Hunter. And please, call me Stella. No more 'Miss Bridger'."
Stella hesitated, then asked, "Hunter, why did you become a thief?"
"You know John Bridger was my father. You should know... thieves don't have happy endings."
Hunter paused. He hadn't expected Stella, whom he had known for less than twenty-four hours, to offer him life advice.
Clearly, saving her life had earned her friendship.
"She's a good woman."
Hunter thought for a moment, then replied. "My parents died early. I have no family. I have to feed myself somehow."
It was a realistic answer.
Hunter didn't lie, though he omitted the context of his transmigration.
Stella fell silent, sensing the weight of his words.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
In the comfortable silence, Stella finished the pizza.
She looked at Hunter, who had quietly returned to his book.
After a moment of hesitation, she spoke again.
"I'm worried Steve might be watching my office, so we can't go there yet."
"But if you want to learn lockpicking... come with me."
"I know a place. It has all the tools I need to teach you."
"Deal."
Read ahead with 100+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Authorizz