18

After Argon finished his meal, he waved his hand for the bill. Autumn quickly approached the table with the bill in hand.

"Did you enjoy your meal, sir?" she asked Kant first before turning her head towards Argon for a review. Kant forced a smile and nodded. "It was great," he replied half-heartedly. Argon's brow creased at being asked second, feeling somewhat overlooked. He broke into their conversation, adding, "It was exceptional." Autumn turned to him with a joyous smile.

"I'm so glad you liked it," she clapped her hands happily.

Kant paid the bill and stood up to leave, but Argon stayed seated, waiting for Autumn to return with the receipt. 

"Here you go, sir," she said kindly, handing it to him.

"Thank you," Argon stammered, flustered and unable to speak freely as if bound by some spell. He felt self-conscious, wanting to appear good and attractive in her eyes. He remained standing there, making her question.

"Is there something else you wanted, sir?" Autumn tilted her head slightly as she asked.

Argon gulped and took a deep breath before pulling out his business card and holding it out. "This is my business card," he said.

Autumn looked at him blankly, finding the gesture completely unrelated, but she didn't want to seem rude, so she took it with both hands and smiled lightly. Argon didn't let go immediately, making the situation more awkward.

"You can contact me if you—if you want to," he said, hoping she would reciprocate his interest.

"Contact you? Why would—" Autumn was confused until she glanced at the card and noticed that he owned a jewellery business. "Oh, you mean if I ever want to buy some jewellery? Alright, I will contact you if I ever want anything like that," she said, pulling on the card forcefully as he still seemed reluctant to let go.

Argon felt at a loss for words, unable to explain his true intentions. Not wanting to overburden her, he nodded and pulled away, walking towards the door and occasionally glancing back to see Autumn waving at them. When they left, Autumn, who seemed to be holding her breath and breathing as little as possible due to nervousness, took a deep breath and looked down at the card in her hand with a complicated expression.

"He looks like a big deal. I wonder if the jewellery he sells is expensive." She pouted. "It must be, look at how extravagant just the card is. I will never have a use for this card because I can't afford it anyway." She lifted her shoulders and spoke to herself before turning around and leaving the card at the corner of the reception table. She walked back into the kitchen to wrap things up.

She had just turned around when there was another ring at the door. Autumn turned to greet the new customer, but the second her eyes fell on the door, her skin paled instantly, and her eyes widened with horror. A cold shiver ran up her spine as she spoke in a cracked voice, "You?"

---

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Viviana hit the door of her room aggressively. The guards outside frowned and quickly opened it.

"What is it?"

"I need to use the restroom. I can't hold it in." Her voice, changed to resemble that of a boy in puberty, threw the guards off. The guard frowned at the sight of her, then stepped away, signaling for Viviana to take the lead. She readily did so, her steps quick. The guard quickened his pace too. Viviana entered the washroom and slammed the door behind her, instantly locking it. She turned on the tap of the sink and leaned against the door, taking heavy breaths, afraid of getting caught.

"Now the window," she hissed, looking at the wooden frame resting above the shower head. She looked around and spotted a bucket. Quickly, she flipped it over and slowly stood on its edges to avoid cracking it. She reached the window with ease.

"Hey, you in there! Is everything okay?" the guard demanded, causing her to almost slip off the bucket. She grabbed onto the shower pipe and steadied herself. "Yes, just an upset stomach. I will be okay in a while. I think I will be needing some medication," she replied, pushing the thin wooden flap with a net covering on it.

"Okay, I will get some medication. You stay right here," the guard said, and she heard his footsteps retreating. This was her chance. She pulled her body up, realizing that Liora's body was in better shape than her former self. Her muscles supported her, and she quickly managed to stick half her body out of the window.

"Well, it's about time a vision shows up and tells me that someone will beat me up." She waited a few seconds, and nothing came. She shrugged, feeling a strange confirmation that she would not face serious consequences for her actions. Viviana successfully got out of the window and jumped down onto the gravel. The mansion was silent, and no one was around.

"Is it supposed to be this quiet?" she asked herself suspiciously. She patted her legs and then curled close to the wall, covered with vines and ivy, making sure she didn't stick out in the night and was well blended into the surroundings. Her chest thumped violently, and she was very nervous, but this was the only way she could find to escape at this point.

"As far as her memories serve me, there is a back gate somewhere that will lead out of this place," she muttered to herself. At that moment, she heard knocking on the bathroom door from over the window, causing her heart to jump. "Sh*t! I almost forgot." Without thinking for a second, she sprinted towards the direction where the supposed back gate was. Low and behold, she was right, but there was a problem. The gate was sealed.

"No!!" she screamed in a hushed manner, punching the air in frustration.