On a sunny early winter day, Mia Grant walked alone down the street.
She had just gotten off work. A new bakery had opened near her company, and she decided to check it out before heading home.
The bell on the shop door chimed crisply. Not long after she went inside, it rang a few more times intermittently.
She took a moment to glance around and, sure enough, spotted a few familiar faces.
She frowned, instantly losing her mood for browsing. Following the clerk's recommendation, she grabbed a few random pastries and went to line up to pay.
When she came out, the same figures followed.
Before long, a black Bentley with a flashy, sequential license plate was cruising along the curb at a snail's pace.
A moment later, the window rolled down, revealing Mr. Payne's sycophantic face. "Mr. Grant, it's getting late, and it's hard to get a taxi around here. Even if you still don't want to go back today, we can give you a ride to your place."
