Just a few seconds later, I realized with a start that something was amiss. I leaped to my feet and dashed out of the private room. Meanwhile, Holden raced after me, but my rapid acceleration had already placed me beyond his reach.
The lobby looked just as it had when we’d first entered. Even the people lounging around lazily were the same. Out of the corner of my eye, however, I felt the combined gazes of those who had been playing poker at the side suddenly turning towards me.
Coincidence? Most probably not, I mused.
I surveyed the lobby. Turning around, I raised my voice and called towards Holden, who was just catching up, “Ashton had a great deal of faith in you. I was the one who had a bad feeling about you, so I kept an eye out. I didn’t know whether the Moore family would be able to bankrupt you, but I’m pretty sure they can manage to humiliate you, at the very least.”
Holden wrinkled his brow. With a glint in his eyes, he asked, “What do you mean by that?”
I scoffed, “Holden, you were the mastermind, so you should have thoroughly investigated everyone involved before proceeding with your plan. It was pure negligence on your part to underestimate me.”
Holden bit his lip, his face growing darker. He then took a step forward, towered over me, and demanded, “Who are you?”
I shrugged, smiling faintly. “How shall I say this? Perhaps I should start from the beginning. My name is Scarlett. I was born in R Province, and my Grandma was the one who raised me. My parents searched for me for many years, and I only reunited with them recently. I only just found out that I’m Zachary and Cameron’s daughter. They’re giants in the commercial world, and I’m lucky to be their daughter. I have to admit that it’s rather convenient for me to ride on their reputation sometimes.”
Hearing that, Hunter’s frown deepened. “Wasn’t Larson the last name of the daughter that Zachary brought home? You…”
He trailed off uncertainly. I bestowed a kindly smile on him, then replied, “Sorry to disappoint you. There was a bit of a mix-up. Afterward, we decided not to make a fuss of things in the interest of my safety.”
Holden narrowed his eyes, a hint of suspicion still lurking in his gaze. I met his eyes without flinching, then said evenly, “Holden, you seem rather doubtful still. Why don’t you bet on it then? Let’s find out whether I’m speaking the truth.”
Having thus issued the challenge, I immediately picked up my phone and dialed Zachary. The phone rang a few times before he picked up. “Hey, Letty, how’re things?” Zachary inquired.
Holden’s pupils constricted; there was still a glimmer of skepticism in his manner.
After a while, I continued in an innocent tone, “Dad, I’m still at the casino. Ashton isn’t with me at the moment, but I’m with Holden.”
Zachary answered pleasantly, “All right. Send my greetings to Holden.”
I nodded, steadfastly gazing at Holden. “Sure!”
The phone had been on speaker mode, and Holden was naturally privy to the entire conversation. When he heard our conversation, he glanced at me, staggering slightly.
Ending the call, I then punched in another number. This time, the recipient answered the call almost instantly. “Miss, we’re all prepared! We can make a move anytime.”
I looked at Holden. At that moment, his face had grown thunderous. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Let’s go and meet Ashton then.”
At that, I smiled winningly at him, then instructed over the phone, “All right, wait out for a moment. If Ashton and I haven’t left this place within half an hour, don’t wait for me to call. Proceed immediately as we originally planned.”
My orders were readily received. “All right!”
After I’d hung up, Holden looked at me and begrudgingly admitted, “You’ve really planned everything out, I suppose.”
I flashed him a sunny smile. “I don’t have a choice. Besides, isn’t it better to nip things in the bud? We can’t go about placing our lives in the hands of strangers, can we?”
Holden snorted at my remark. He then brought me to another spot on the second floor, past multiple private rooms. At the last room in the back, Holden keyed in the password to unlock the door.
When the door slid open, I carefully assessed my surroundings. Nothing seemed particularly surprising as I had been in far more pressing situations than this.
This room was very much the same as any of the others. The typical furniture was present in its usual arrangement, with a poker table and surrounding sofas. The setting was made noteworthy by the fact that most of its occupants were people I knew.
I was mildly surprised to see Abe again. Oddly enough, he didn’t appear out of place here at all.
Around the table, Ashton and Abe both held cards in their hand, seemingly in the midst of negotiating. When I suddenly appeared, all eyes were riveted on me.
Obviously, Ashton was taken aback. He put his cards face down on the table, then walked towards me. “Why did you come over?”
As he spoke, he shot a glance at Holden, who merely shrugged in return. “I had no say in this.”
At the same time, Abe squinted at me, evidently bewildered. He didn’t seem able to recall who I was. That wasn’t shocking. However, considering the multiple women he’d encountered over the years, the women Abe had met probably numbered in their hundreds, even thousands. I was merely one among his many faceless victims. The only conceivable difference that set me apart from the rest was probably the fact that I’d managed to escape. I was lucky that he’d never gotten to torture me.
Abe’s eyes flickered with recognition. However, as he saw Ashton and me standing side by side, Abe gazed at me, then intoned in a low voice, “Is it you?”
I smiled at him brightly. “Long time no see, Mr. Abe.”
