Chapter 33

As evening shadows lengthened, Grace emerged from Ambrosia Dining and stepped into the gentle glow of dusk.

A palm drifted to her softly swelling belly while she resolved to walk the rest of the way home,hoping it would help settle her meal.

She still savored the memory of dinner-Ambrosia's flawless ingredients and delicately crafted flavors had coaxed her into eating far more than she'd planned.

Meandering down the lively pedestrian street, Grace took her time, letting the world drift by.

Her pace slowed and then halted altogether when she turned onto a quieter lane.

Up ahead, she caught sight of Johnny, hemmed in by a rough-looking group of young men.

Behind Johnny, a timid woman clung to his shirt, her wide eyes brimming with fear and her skin almost ghostly in the streetlamp's dim glow.

The thugs,half-hidden in the shadows, looked all the more threatening with the faint light casting their faces in sharp relief.

"You'd better keep your nose out of this!" shouted the ringleader, voice low and threatening. "If you don't want trouble, walk away now, or you'll wish you had!"

Grace had every reason to ignore the scene. Still, the thought of Julia's inevitable worry måde her sigh-she couldn't just turn a blind eye. Setting her shoulders,she took a step forward to intervene.

Johnny faced Tony with stubborn resoIve. "Tony Reid,your reign of terror ends tonight. You're not pushing anyone around anymore," he said, voice unwavering.

A mocking laugh came from Tony, who motioned to his crew. "That's enough from you. Boys, teach him a lesson!"

Johnny did his best to defend himself, managing to fend off a couple of attackers, but the odds quickly overwhelmed him. Before long, bruises blossomed across his face, a testament to the one-sided brawl.

Drawing closer,Grace witnessed Johnny taking blow after blow from the gang.

Without so much as a second thought, she tossed her water bottle, and it smacked Tony right on the back of his head.

"Who the hell threw that?" A string of curses erupted from Tony as he spun around, clutching his skull.Spotting Grace, his expression shifted to one of predatory interest. A smirk crept onto his lips. "Well look what we have here. Why not join me for a little excitement,sweetheart?"

Johnny's eyes widened in shock at Grace's sudden appearance. "Grace! Why did you come? You need to leave right now!"

Grace paid him no mind, striding confidently over."Quiet down. Now, someone tell me what's happening here."

Before Johnny could speak, the frightened woman beside him choked out through her tears, saying "They-they forced me to go with them..."

Tony yelled from behind, "Your old man owes my boss five hundred grand! He said we could have you until the debt's paid. It's only fair!"

Horror flickered across the woman's face as she ducked behind Johnny for safety.

At that moment, Grace's gaze landed on the angry red marks circling the woman's wrists-a silent testament to her struggle. A cold edge crept into her tone as she faced Johnny. "Is she someone you know?"

Johnny straightened up, refusing to back down. "She's Beatrice Green-my classmate. Stay out of this, Grace.I've got this under control."

Tony cut them off with a wave of impatience."Enough chatter. Last chance-clear out, or you'll regret it just as much as he will!"

With steady confidence, Grace eased Johnny behind her and spoke in a low, even tone. "Walk away now, and I'll forget I ever saw you here."

For a split second, the thugs just stared, then their laughter rang out, mocking and loud.

Tony stepped up, flashing a crooked grin. "You've got a mouth on you. Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson-"

Grace didn't let him finish. She seized his wrist in one smooth motion and drove her foot into his shin.

A gasp tore from Tony as his legs gave out, sending him crashing to the pavement with a howl.

Not a single thug had time to blink before Grace darted through them, swift and silent as a shadow. Each move flowed into the next, and every hit landed exactly where she meant it to.

Ten seconds later, not one of the thugs was still standing-just a heap of bodies groaning in pain at her feet.

A single cold word left her lips."Out."

No one argued. The would-be tough guys scrambled upright and took off as fast as they could. mo Johnny could only stare, his jaw dropping in disbelief."How did you... Where'd you learn..."

He'd never seen anything like it. In his mind, Grace was gentle, always careful not to upset anyone.

Nobody could have imagined she'd handle herself in a fight. If he hadn't watched it happen, he would have sworn it was impossible.

A shrug was all Grace offered. "Turns out, I picked up a few tricks," she said, as if it were nothing special.

"Don't breathe a word of this to Mom," Johnny muttered,shifting awkwardly on his feet.

"Sure thing." Grace's gaze drifted over to Beatrice.Something about the woman set off quiet alarms in her mind. Pretty enough, but those restless eyes never once met hers.

"Th-thank you... really, thank you both..." Beatrice said,her hands wringing together, voice trembling. "If you hadn't shown up, l-I don't know what would've happened..."

Johnny tried to ease her worry. "You're safe now. I'lf see you home, don't worry."

Before moving off, he threw a look over his shoulder at Grace. "Go on ahead. And remember-keep this between us, don't bring it up to Mom or Dad."

With little more said, Johnny and Beatrice disappeared down the street.

Grace shrugged it off. After all, they were just classmates and it wasn't her problem.

Her walk home was quiet and uneventful.

Meanwhile, Dominick received an update from the underground market that left him stunned.

"Sir, there's wonderful news! Dr. Q has accepted the consultation request!" Dominick's words shook with barely contained excitement.

Colton could hardly hide his astonishment as the message sank in.

Hope had been all but lost when it came to Dr. Q.

His backup plan had been to seek out Grace,especially since just one of her pills had already started purging the toxins from his system.

With Dr. Q now agreeing to a meeting, the turn of events felt nothing short of miraculous.

Rumor had it, Dr. Q's acceptance was due to nothing more than a fleeting good mood and a free schedule.

Brilliant minds often came with their quirks.

ntrigue buzzed through Colton's thoughts-he found himself more eager than ever to uncover the true identity of this elusive genius.