---
[FLASHBACK – YEARS AGO – DARK ALLEY]
Rain pours down.
Young Fred stumbles through a dark alley, clutching his bleeding side.
He collapses to his knees — alone, betrayed.
Footsteps approach.
A tall man in a black coat and gloves kneels beside him.
His face is hidden by the shadows.
MYSTERIOUS MAN (low voice)
"You trusted the wrong people, boy.
Now look at you."
Fred grits his teeth, blood dripping onto the ground.
MYSTERIOUS MAN
"But you're lucky.
I can give you a second chance."
Fred lifts his head weakly.
MYSTERIOUS MAN (smirking)
"Work for me.
I'll help you get revenge... and power."
Fred, desperate and broken, grips the man's outstretched hand.
From that night — he became part of something much darker.
And he never escaped.
---
[BACK TO PRESENT – FRED'S PENTHOUSE – NIGHT]
Fred wakes up suddenly, gasping for breath.
The scars on his side throb painfully — reminders of that night.
He sits at the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands.
FRED (whispering)
"I don't deserve her."
---
[INT. UNKNOWN LOCATION – VILLAIN'S SIDE]
A dark, luxurious office.
The same mysterious man — older now — sits behind a desk.
A woman stands before him, holding a file.
Inside the file:
Photos of Harriet.
Photos of Fred with Harriet.
A copy of Harriet's parents' death records — altered.
WOMAN (smirking)
"They're getting closer.
The girl's more important than we thought."
MYSTERIOUS MAN (cold)
"Good.
Use her.
Fred will destroy himself... trying to protect her."
The woman bows and leaves.
The man leans back in his chair, smiling cruelly.
MYSTERIOUS MAN (to himself)
"Blood always calls to blood."
[EXT. CAMPUS PARK – EVENING]
The rain has stopped.
Harriet sits alone on a damp bench, knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly at the gray sky.
Her phone lies forgotten beside her.
She feels hollow.
Like she's floating outside her own body.
Footsteps crunch softly over the wet grass.
Harriet doesn't look up —
She already knows who it is.
Rufei stands a few feet away, his hands shoved into his pockets, his hair damp from the rain.
For a long moment, he just watches her.
Like he's afraid if he speaks, she'll disappear.
Finally, Rufei clears his throat —
soft, awkward.
RUFEI (quietly)
"Hey."
Harriet hugs her knees tighter.
She forces herself to lift her head, to meet his eyes.
The sight of him — familiar and painful — slices through her chest.
HARRIET (whispering)
"Hey."
Silence stretches between them.
Harriet doesn't look up, her voice low, almost too quiet to hear.
HARRIET
"Rufei... I don't want to talk right now."
But Rufei doesn't leave. He sits beside her, keeping a distance but clearly not ready to walk away. His eyes, filled with worry and something deeper, stay fixed on her.
RUFEI (after a beat, voice trembling)
"I saw you... with him."
Harriet's breath catches, her fingers tightening around the phone. She looks at him, but her gaze avoids his.
HARRIET
"It's nothing."
Rufei shakes his head, his voice soft but edged with pain.
RUFEI (gently)
"Nothing? Harriet... I don't know who he is, but you looked different with him. Like... like you weren't even thinking about me."
Harriet's heart sinks. She wants to say something, anything, but the words catch in her throat.
HARRIET
"You don't understand."
RUFEI (softly, hurt)
"I don't, no. But I know something's wrong. I've known you long enough, Harriet. It's not just 'nothing.' And I can't just sit here and act like everything's okay when I see you slipping away."
Harriet's gaze shifts to the ground, trying to hold back the tears. The pain from everything — from Fred, from the confusion, from the distance between her and Rufei — is too much.
HARRIET
"I never wanted to hurt you, Rufei. You're my... you're my best friend. But I don't know what's happening. I don't know how to make sense of it all."
Rufei looks at her with longing, his voice quiet but steady, even if it hurts.
RUFEI (softly)
"I don't want to lose you, Harriet. But if you're with him... if you trust him... I don't know if I can stand by and watch you fall deeper into something you don't even understand."
Harriet's breath hitches, and she looks up at him, her eyes full of sorrow.
HARRIET
"It's not like that... I don't want to hurt you."
Rufei watches her for a long moment, his jaw clenched in frustration.
RUFEI (voice cracking)
"I know you don't. But you're not okay. And I can't... I can't stand seeing you like this. If you're going to choose him, then choose him, but don't make me watch you disappear in front of me."
Harriet's heart breaks. She wants to reach out, but the words between them are like a wall she can't break down.
For a long time, neither of them speaks.
Then, Rufei stands up slowly, turning to walk away.
RUFEI
"If you need me... you know where I am."
Harriet watches him leave, her heart heavy and aching.
To be continued..
***