Inside the small western-style building, Mia Foster stood in the kitchen making food for herself. The pasta in the pan on the stove was sizzling, and the woman standing in front of the stove was staring ahead, lost in thought and forgetting to stir.
A strong burnt smell filled the kitchen, yet Mia Foster’s mind remained uncalled until a thumping sound from an unknown room brought her back to reality.
In front of her, the newly fried pasta in the pan had already burned; the colorful peppers and noodles had turned black, smoke rising from the pan. Coughing a few times from the smoke, Mia Foster hurriedly turned off the stove, dumped the food in the sink, and opened the faucet, quickly pushing the window open.
Behind her, footsteps approached unnoticed until a frantic shout startled Mia Foster.
"Mia, there’s an alligator in the back garden!"
Felix Shaw rushed into the kitchen, his short hair dangling messily over his forehead, his light gray t-shirt and jeans stained with dust. Whether worried or having just climbed a water pipe, his handsome face was sunlit.
"How did you get in?" Mia Foster turned around and leaned against the sink, supporting herself with her hands, looking at Felix Shaw with a vigilant expression. Yet Felix did not answer her question, striding over to grip her shoulders urgently, saying, "There’s an alligator in the lake at the back, call the police quickly to get it removed!"
Mia Foster...
Reacting, she shook off Felix Shaw’s hand, turned away from the sink, her gaze somewhat evasive, "How could that be? Felix Shaw, stop playing such childish games, okay."
"Mia Foster! I’m not lying to you!" Felix Shaw once again gripped Mia Foster’s shoulders, turning her to face him, speaking seriously, "There really is an alligator. Just as I ran in, it was crawling towards the lawn!"
The yard behind Mia Foster’s small western-style building wasn’t large; one half was taken up by the lake, the other half fenced off. Once she stepped out of the building’s back door, she’d be within ten meters of that small lake. If the alligator crawled out of the water, it could very well enter her home.
Even though she kept her doors tightly closed every day, still, one day when she went through the back door, if she were to encounter the alligator, be attacked by it... Just thinking about it sent a shiver down Felix Shaw’s spine.
"Felix Shaw!" Mia Foster’s thoughts were not on the alligator but on the fact that Felix Shaw had actually climbed in through the back door of the building, "Do you know? You call this illegal intrusion into a private residence, I can call the police to take you away!"
"Mia Foster! Can you not understand human speech!" Felix Shaw’s strong hands gripping Mia Foster’s shoulders shook her vigorously; his eyes were anxious and red, "Is your safety more important or your dispute with me more important!"
Mia Foster...
Closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead, dizzy from Felix Shaw’s violent shaking. Realizing he had lost control, Felix Shaw hastily ceased his actions, releasing Mia Foster’s shoulders and stepping back, licking his lips, saying, "Sorry, I was too worried, so... I forgot my strength."
Having calmed down slightly, Mia Foster opened her eyes, frowning suspiciously, asked, "Is there really an alligator?"
"Yes, I just saw it," Felix Shaw nodded, then grabbed Mia Foster’s arm, leading her to the room he had jumped into, standing in front of the window pointing in a certain direction, "Look, just there, I just saw it in that spot, it seems to be going ashore,"