Chapter 86

She picked up her pace, hoping to shake off whoever was tailing her, but the person behind clearly had no intention of letting her go. Her ankle throbbed painfully from an earlier twist, but stopping wasn't an option. Running like this wasn't going to work forever. Up ahead, the path was blocked by a dense patch of woods. Stella bit her lip and made a break toward the trees, hoping to ditch whoever was chasing her. Dead leaves and twigs crunched under her feet as she rushed in. What she didn't know was whether they had already set traps nearby. Several figures in black suddenly emerged from the shadows, surrounding her. "Ms. Johnson, there's no point running anymore," said the man in front, his tone cold. She gripped the metal box tightly in her hand, her mind racing to figure out a way out of this. Buying time was all she could do for now. "Oh, let me guess, Robert sent you? Tell him not to celebrate too early—I've already backed up the evidence. Even if I die, it's coming out." They