*Runze's POV*
My fingers remain wrapped around Ling Yue's arm the entire drive back, resting against the cool fabric of Bael's coat.
Ling Yue hasn't spoken a single word since we left the pier.
Up front, Bael sits in the passenger seat, one elbow resting casually against the door armrest as he works through emails on his tablet. His posture is calm, imposing, and completely unbothered, acting as an invisible shield between us and the outside world.
Every now and then, his eyes flick briefly to the rearview mirror—not in an intrusive way, but with a quiet, sharp vigilance, checking that everything in the back remains undisturbed.
Beside me, Ling Yue stares blankly out the tinted window.
Bael's dark coat rests over his shoulders, its broad structure completely swallowing his slender frame and making him look painfully small. His hands remain clasped tightly in his lap, fingers intertwined so fiercely that his knuckles are stark white.
