"Don't you ever bother her again! Get lost now, or I'll beat both of you until you can't stand!" Devandra threatened, his booming voice heavy and commanding.
The two injured thugs exchanged glances, then hurriedly got to their feet and ran away.
Renata remained standing there, frozen with fear and shock. "Th-thank you, Mr. Devan..." she said hoarsely.
Devandra looked at the girl before him, who appeared so fragile. He let out a short sigh, unable to bring himself to leave her alone again. "It's way too late. Come on, I'll take you home. Where do you live?"
Renata was stunned for a moment as she stared at Devandra's stern face, illuminated by the streetlights. Beneath her fear, she had to admit that she had truly liked and admired Devandra for a long time. She had never imagined there would be so many unexpected interactions between them today. However, Renata quickly pushed those feelings aside. She knew her place and didn't want to get her hopes up, because someone of Devandra Malik's standing could never have feelings for a lousy assistant cook like her.
"Come on, get in! You like him, don't you?" an unfamiliar voice suddenly whispered right beside her ear. "Better than having those thugs chase you again!"
Renata jumped in fright when she heard it. Slowly turning her head, she could see Amara's hazy figure standing nearby. Her fear intensified. Without responding to Devandra, Renata hurried forward and immediately climbed into the black car. She chose the back passenger seat, squeezed her eyes shut, and prayed that the female ghost wouldn't follow her.
But her hopes were dashed. After Devandra got into the car and sat in the driver's seat, Amara casually floated inside and sat right in the front passenger seat, directly beside Devandra.
Renata immediately turned her face toward the window, keeping her eyes tightly shut. "I've already shown myself to you, and honestly, I don't know how to disappear again," Amara chattered casually, twisting her transparent body around to look at Renata. "It's okay, don't worry. I won't bother you, either. I just want to get a closer look at this handsome guy. Oh my God, I really want to touch him..." Amara stretched out her fingers, trying to feel Devandra's broad shoulder. But her transparent fingers passed through empty air and straight through the man's suit without feeling a thing.
"Where do you live?" Devandra asked from behind the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road as the car began gliding forward.
"At... at the intersection up ahead, then turn right," Renata answered briefly, her voice quiet as her eyes remained glued to the window. She didn't dare look forward.
Devandra glanced at the empty road outside. "If you walked here from the restaurant, it's quite a distance. Why didn't you bring a motorcycle?"
"I don't have one, sir," Renata replied softly and briefly.
Devandra only glanced at the rearview mirror. He saw how tense and frightened Renata looked. Yes, it was probably because of the thug incident. Not wanting to make the atmosphere even more uncomfortable, Devandra decided not to ask anything else.
"You can stop here, sir," Renata suddenly said as the car began approaching the intersection. She deliberately asked to get out a few dozen meters before her house so Devandra wouldn't see its shabby, fire-damaged condition.
"All right." Devandra steered toward the side of the road and brought the car to a smooth stop.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Devan," Renata said quickly. She immediately opened the door and hurried out of the car.
Inside the car, Amara was still resting her chin in her hand, gazing longingly at Devandra's profile. "Should I follow this handsome man or not?" Amara murmured uncertainly. "But I'm curious about that indigo girl, too. Ah, I'll follow this man another day! Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to possess his girl. I'm so damn curious to find out how long it lasts! I hear he just acquired the hotel where I hunt for victims. We'll be seeing each other a lot. Mmm, I can't wait to get inside you. Heeheehee."