After socializing with everyone, Elliana Lyle felt she was already drunk, her head heavy and feet light, her whole face burning.
Worse yet, she felt hot all over, a deep unease and agitation spreading through her heart, a bad premonition looming.
But she soon dispelled it.
Then she called Luna again, but still no answer. Having no choice, Elliana could only walk out of the party to the window outside, open it, and let a cool breeze wash over her, making her feel much clearer.
Leaning against the window, she looked at her phone, unsure if she should call Luna once more.
At that moment, an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. She squinted to look at it and finally decided to answer.
Hearing the familiar voice, Elliana was momentarily broken down. She asked eagerly, "Where have you been?"
"Something urgent happened here. Where are you?" Luna said smoothly, her voice interspersed with panting, as if running yet not quite.
Elliana ran her fingers through her hair and said, "I’m at Vicars Hotel, on the second floor."
"Wait there, don’t drink anything. I’m coming to find you."
"Hmm~" Elliana lazily leaned against the window, watching the cars driving on the street outside, her eyes becoming vacant and powerless.
In a daze, she recalled the last time Norman Bennett held her in his arms, pressing down on her, his cold eyes filled with wild desire, completely different from his usual self.
Thinking of this, Elliana chuckled to herself, feeling even more agitated and restless. Her delicate hands weakly tugged at the hair covering her collarbone.
Her blurry vision watching the buildings outside shrink, almost turning into mirages...
Just then! Someone came from behind and tapped her on the shoulder, jolting her awake. She turned around, nearly losing her balance.
She felt someone steady her, a faint scent of blood drifting into her nostrils. After rubbing her eyes, Elliana finally saw the person in front of her—it was Luna.
Looking rather disheveled!
Her hair was messy, her forehead had a dirty wound, half of her face was smeared with blood, her arms exposed from her short-sleeved shirt showed severe abrasions.
Luna looked at Elliana with worried eyes, seeing Elliana smiling idiotically, her face flushed, eyes glazed.
"Did you drink?" Luna asked.
Luna frowned, ignoring Elliana’s nonsense, directly snatched her phone, and unlocked it with her hand.
While Elliana was being difficult, she accidentally grabbed the wound on Luna’s arm. Luna didn’t cry out, just gritted her teeth and then slapped Elliana’s rear with her backhand.
Luna called Norman Bennett and said, "Come quickly to pick up your wife, or she’ll be snatched by someone."
After saying this, she handed the phone to Elliana, who stupidly put it to her ear, hearing nothing but Norman Bennett’s voice.
Elliana foolishly said, "Norman Bennett, come quickly, I want to devour you."
Norman Bennett, hearing this, just took it as Elliana being too drunk at the party and said, "I’m coming right back."
The phone was hung up, Elliana pouting with some grievance. Luna looked around warily, grasped Elliana’s shoulder, and instructed, "Wait here for Norman Bennett, don’t go anywhere."
Finished instructing, Luna opened the window to the maximum and directly flipped out in front of Elliana.
"Eh?" Elliana dumbstruckly stuck her head out the window, but Luna had already vanished, while downstairs, fragrance wafted out from the window.
At this moment, a few people emerged from the party hall, most were backstage crew, and after some left, only two remained.
Those two looked around and ultimately focused on Elliana by the window.
"Elliana, we’ll help you upstairs to rest," the two said.
"Hmm?" Elliana tried to maintain that tiny bit of clarity in her mind, but her whole body felt limp, with almost no strength at all.
She was half-pushed, half-pulled into the elevator by them, and just as the doors were about to close, Elliana grasped the door, which lightly pinched her hand before opening again.
Seeing Elliana about to vomit, the two quickly let go to avoid her, their faces showing disdain.
Elliana couldn’t hold back any longer, stumbling out of the elevator, running to a nearby trash can.
Her legs somewhat weak, she clung tightly to the trash can and, with a loud gag, vomited most of the red wine out of her stomach.
Hearing the two chasing her from behind, Elliana touched her head, feeling a bit clearer with the alcohol being expelled, she mused she couldn’t go upstairs...
Understanding this, Elliana then realized those behind her didn’t actually want to take her to rest. She wanted to run away, feeling like she was flying, her whole body burning like a blazing phoenix.
Flying, she pushed open a door, turned around and used her last bit of strength to close it.
"Elliana? Elliana? Open the door!"
Outside was the sound of knocking, Elliana slumped against the door, sliding down to sit on the floor, despite the knocking outside.
"I didn’t drink much..." Elliana felt anxious and panicked, quickly pulled out her phone, shakily pressed it to call Norman Bennett.
"Hello~ Norman Bennett~ Help me... save me... wah..." Elliana said and immediately started crying.
On the phone, Norman Bennett’s anxious consoling voice said, "Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, I’m coming right away. Tell me, where are you now?"
"I... I’m... behind the door."
"Which door are you behind?"
On the expressway circling the city, a black car was speeding, Norman Bennett gripping the steering wheel with one hand, eyes full of worry, his palms sweaty.
He quickly called the manager of Vicars Hotel: "Get everyone to find Elliana!"
―――At Vicars Hotel, currently chaotic from top to bottom, whether there were people or not, doors were being opened and checked one by one.
Manager Hu Xue was also leading people to check each floor, outside the competent female manager was already cursing mentally.
If anything happened to the young lady at her hotel, she couldn’t imagine the consequences.
At this time, Elliana was still behind the safety exit door, the two outside had long left, no longer knocking.
Elliana’s face was flushed, feeling hot and restless all over, her shoes were already off, legs rubbing against each other, trying to keep her last bit of clarity. She had to leave here fast.
Supporting herself on the stair railing, she managed to stand up, suddenly hearing someone coming up from downstairs, footsteps getting closer.
The two coming up were the ones who wanted to take her just earlier.
Elliana recognized one, the one who handed her the drink, May Lewis!
"No..." She struggled to climb up, but her legs were utterly powerless, like walking through water with abnormal resistance.
"Elliana, we’ll help you rest." May Lewis said once more, her eyes guilty but quickly concealed.
Elliana wanted to call for help, but opening her mouth produced no sound, her throat dry and hoarse as if filled with sand.
May Lewis and the other unidentified person exchanged glances, and forcefully pulled Elliana up, trying to take her upstairs.
However, Elliana’s constant resistance made it not so easy to get her upstairs.
A slap landed harshly on Elliana’s face!
May Lewis was shocked! "What are you doing! How can you hit her!"
"Make her behave, it’s not like she’ll die from it."
Pain, instead, caused a moment of clarity for Elliana, knowing if she were taken, she’d be doomed!
"Elliana, don’t be afraid, I’ll take you upstairs to rest, don’t be scared~" May Lewis began to comfort her, her voice soft and gentle like a stream.
"Let go of me... let go~" Elliana continued to resist.
"Stop talking, just take her upstairs," the other woman said and dragged Elliana up.