Shutting her eyes and exhaling deeply, Ashley pulled Mia closer, resting an arm casually over Mia's shoulder. She smirked at the man, her expression cool and collected.

"Here she is," Ashley said, gesturing toward Mia with her free hand. "Release that woman first, and I'll give you the actress."

Clicking his tongue, the man roughly shoved Maya forward. She stumbled but didn't fall, and Ashley caught her effortlessly.

"You okay?" Ashley asked, quickly scanning Maya for injuries. Maya nodded, breathless but unhurt.

"Now, give me Mia Tran!" the man shouted, his tone growing frantic.

Ashley straightened, gently pushing Maya and Mia behind her. "You want this actress?" She laughed, taking a calculated step forward. "I thought you weren't an idiot."

"What?" The man blinked, thrown off by her words.

"You heard me," Ashley said, her tone mocking. "Releasing the hostage? You've just made yourself vulnerable to the authorities. Smart move."

She lunged forward, aiming a kick at him, but the man managed to sidestep just in time.

Impressed, Ashley chuckled and shook her head. "Quick on your feet. Who's calling the shots for you?"

"Why would I tell you that?" the man sneered, slashing the air with his knife to keep her at bay.

Ashley tilted her head, her gaze narrowing. "Don't tell me this is connected to Mia's ex-husband?"

The man let out a deranged laugh, swinging the knife wildly.

"Go ahead," Ashley taunted, advancing steadily. "Keep swinging. You'll tire yourself out."

"Ash!" Natalie's sharp voice cut through the tension as she hurriedly pulled Mia and Maya away. "Do it now!"

Realizing he'd been set up, the man snarled and lunged, his knife slicing across Ashley's left side. She hissed in pain, clutching at her abdomen as blood seeped through her clothes.

Shocked by his own actions, the man hesitated, giving Ashley a split second to grab his wrist and immobilize him. But before she could fully disarm him, he pulled out a second knife and struck toward her.

Reacting on instinct, Ashley raised her right arm to shield herself. The blade bit into her skin, but she caught the knife with her bare hand, gripping it firmly despite the pain.

"You wanted an opening, Nat?" Ashley shouted, her voice strained but steady. "You've got one now!"

Natalie didn't hesitate. Taking a precise stance, she fired at the man's leg, the shot dropping him to the ground with a pained yell. Ashley wrenched the knife away as other officers rushed in to secure him with handcuffs.

Panting, Ashley dropped to the ground, clutching her bleeding abdomen.

"Ash." Natalie crouched beside her, her voice soft but tinged with concern.

"What?" Ashley chuckled weakly, glancing at the wound. "Let me guess—you're thinking this is also the part where you stabbed me before?"

Natalie smirked despite herself, shaking her head.

"Ashley!" Mia and Maya's voices rang out, pulling their attention. Mia dropped to her knees beside Ashley, her hands trembling as she cupped Ashley's face and inspected her injuries.

Her gaze landed on the blood staining Ashley's abdomen and hand. "You're bleeding," she whispered, her voice thick with worry.

Ashley gave a soft laugh, trying to reassure her. "Obviously. I'm fine, though. Nothing I can't handle."

The medics arrived, swiftly attending to Ashley's wounds. Mia stood aside, biting her lip, her concern palpable.

"She'll be fine," Natalie said, her tone confident as she patted Mia's shoulder. "She's tough. These injuries are nothing to her."

Still, Mia couldn't shake her unease. "She'll recover, right?"

"Of course," Natalie assured her with a grin before excusing herself to speak with the director.

Mia's gaze shifted between Natalie and Ashley, who was now being bandaged. She turned to Maya, her voice quieter. "Are you okay?"

Maya nodded, though her hands trembled slightly. "Just shaken, but I'll be all right. What about you?" She gave Mia a teasing smile. "You looked downright panicked for Detective Ashley back there."

Mia flushed, lowering her gaze. "Sorry... I just—"

"You don't need to explain," Maya said, patting Mia's head gently. "Let's check on her once the medics finish up."



Mia jogged toward the nurse's station, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. After Ashley had been treated, she hadn't gotten a chance to speak with her. The production team had immediately called an emergency meeting to address the incident and the legal actions to be taken. Now, her worry had only grown.

She tapped at her phone nervously while waiting for the nurse to confirm Ashley's status.

"Mia?"

The familiar voice made her pause. Turning around, Mia blinked in surprise. "Harriet? Zoey?"

Harriet stood there with Zoey at her side, both looking concerned.

"Why are you here?" Harriet asked, her brows furrowing.

Mia hesitated, struggling for words. "I... um..."

Before she could explain, the nurse called out to her. "Ms. Tran?"

Mia snapped her attention back to the nurse, gulping.

"Patient Ashley Amosa was here earlier, but she was discharged about thirty minutes ago," the nurse said with a polite smile.

"Discharged?" Mia echoed, the knot in her chest loosening slightly but leaving behind a swirl of unanswered questions. "Oh, t-thank you," she managed, returning the nurse's smile faintly before sighing.

Turning back to Harriet and Zoey, she saw Harriet's puzzled expression.

"Something wrong, Mia?" Harriet asked.

"I..." Mia's shoulders slumped as she exhaled deeply. "I was looking for Ashley... but she's already gone."

Zoey tilted her head with a soft smile. "Why not just call her?" she suggested gently. "Instead of worrying like this, give her a ring."

"Right," Mia nodded quickly, fumbling with her phone. "I should have thought of that."

Harriet crossed her arms, watching Mia with concern. "What's going on, Mia?"

Mia bit her lower lip, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialed. "There was... an incident during filming," she began haltingly. "A hostage situation. Ashley... she got hurt. Stabbed." Her voice wavered as her gaze dropped to the floor.

Zoey gasped softly, while Harriet stepped closer, her expression softening. "Hey, hey," Harriet murmured, reaching out to pat Mia's head lightly. "Calm down. Breathe, okay? You're all over the place."

Mia nodded quickly, muttering an apology before stepping aside to focus on the call. The line connected, and after a brief exchange, she ended the call with a small sigh of relief.

"Well?" Zoey asked, watching Mia's expression closely.

"She's home," Mia said, showing them her phone. "She sent me her address."

Harriet tilted her head. "Did you drive here?"

Mia shook her head sheepishly. "No, I, uh... I took a cab after the meeting."

Harriet raised an eyebrow, her tone half amused, half scolding. "An actress like you, taking cabs? Really?"

Mia pouted. "It's not like I'm banned from using cabs or anything!"

Zoey chuckled softly. "We can give you a ride, can't we, Harriet?"

Harriet rolled her eyes but smirked. "Fine. Like I have a choice when Zoey's decided, huh?"

"Come on, Mia," Zoey said, gently tugging her forward. "We'll drop you at Ashley's place."

"But—"

"No buts," Harriet interjected firmly, pointing a finger at Mia. "You're not taking another cab. And when Zoey says we're doing something, we're doing it."

Zoey giggled and nudged Harriet playfully. "See? She listens to me."

Mia sighed but couldn't hide her grateful smile. "Okay, fine. Thanks, you two."

Harriet shrugged with a grin as they led her to their car. "Don't mention it. Now let's get you to Detective Ashley before you drive yourself crazy with worry."