“Assassination?” Serena’s expression turned anxious. “Tyler, are you guys okay? Where did it happen? Is it really that dangerous out there and
“You mean you don’t know?” Eleanor said coolly, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you’d be well aware. After all, when things go wrong, someone always has to report back to you:”
Serena’s expression turned to shock. “Eleanor, who told you that? How could I ever do something like that?”
Eleanor smirked. “But what if you just got someone else to do your dirty work?”
“Chris.” Serena grabbed Chris’s hand, her voice trembling. “Please explain it to me. I’m not that kind of person.”
1
Back in the day, Chris would’ve jumped in to defend Serena without a second thought. But lately, he’d started to wonder if Serena was truly as innocent as she seemed.
When Chris stayed silent, Serena got anxious, her voice cracking. “Chris, do you think I did it too?”
Eleanor cut in sharply, her tone serious. “Serena, let’s talk. Just the two of us.”
Serena looked over at Eleanor, shook her head slowly, and whispered, “Can’t we just talk here?”
“Of course not,” Eleanor replied, half–smiling. “I’m not going to eat you. What are you terrified of? Honestly, I should be worried. After all, you’ve often played dirty tricks behind me.”
Chris watched Eleanor quietly, then finally spoke up. “Serena, just go with Eleanor. She won’t hurt you at home.”
“Chris, I’m still scared. Eleanor did something strange today. She made someone kneel and he couldn’t get up. It was seriously creepy. I don’t want to
go.”
“How do you know about that?” Eleanor asked. “Were you there, or did someone tell you?”
A flash of frustration crossed Serena’s face. “I saw it on the news.”
“What news? That’s funny. I didn’t know I was that famous,” Eleanor laughed.
Chris gently nudged her forward. “Serena, if you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve nothing to fear. Call me if anything happens.”
Reluctantly, Serena followed Eleanor into the room. As soon as Eleanor closed the door, Serena suddenly dropped to her knees, pleading, “Eleanor, ! swear, I never did anything to hurt you.”
Eleanor casually locked the door and crossed her arms. Her voice was cold. “There’s no one else here, and no cameras. You can stop pretending now.”
Serena stayed kneeling for a moment. Then, slowly, she stood up. Her expression shifted, no longer the weak, innocent girl, but filled with malice. “Eleanor, why are you so lucky? You escape every time!”
Eleanor didn’t look the least bit surprised. She replied/calmly, “So, it was you all along.”
“So what if it was? Do you have proof?” Serena sneered. “Guess I underestimated you.”
“No,” Eleanor said coldly, “you overestimated yourself.” Her eyes locked onto Serena. “What do you think I should do with you? Also… can you smell it? That faint fragrance?”
Serena hadn’t noticed before, but now that Eleanor mentioned it, she caught a faint scent. She whipped around and spotted a candle on the table, thin wisps of smoke curling up.
“I’ve been bored lately, so I started messing around with fragrances. For example, this one can cause someone to lose all of their strength without even recognizing it. Do you believe it?”
1/3
Fri, 23 May
Chapter 108
Seeing the faint smile on Eleanor’s face, Serena’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t want to believe it, but there were so many things aboud Eleanor si
didn’t understand. What if it were true?
“Oh, and one more thing, what if I told you I keep poisonous bugs?”
Before Serena could answer, Eleanor pulled out a little bottle with a black bug inside and waved it in front of her. “Want to try it out?”
Serena’s eyes went wide in terror, and to her horror, she realized she couldn’t move. As the bottle got closer and closer, she let out a scream and passed out cold.
Minutes later, Serena slowly opened her eyes. But now her gaze was vacant.
Eleanor also learned hypnosis from her master when she was a child growing up in the countryside. He always reminded her that, just like martial arts, she shouldn’t use it foolishly. Martial arts are for self–defense, so don’t shove your nose where it doesn’t belong
Hypnosis, on the other hand, was used to heal those who have profound traumas or who keep their secrets hidden. But if she wanted to help them, she must first address the underlying issue.
Eleanor snapped out of her thoughts, sat nearby, fiddling with a recorder. She looked at Serena. “What’s your name?”
“Serena.”
“When you were ten, did you set that fire at the Donovan family’s house?”
“Yes.” Tyler nodded.
“Why?”
“Because Uncle said he’d make me the Donovan family’s adopted daughter. If you died, I’d be the real heiress.”
“Did you kill those animals?”
“Yes.” Tyler nodded.
“You had a flirtatious relationship with your uncle. Was he forcing you?”
“No. I volunteered. He could help me get what I wanted.”
“You knew he joined a murder–for–hire organization?”
“Yes. I even encouraged him.”
“Do you believe in soul transference?”
“That’s just nonsense. I don’t buy it. I just want Eleanor dead!”
As the candle finished burning, the smoke disappeared
Eleanor snapped her fingers, and Serena’s eyes slowly closed.
Serena had no idea what was happening to her. The moment she caught a whiff of something sweet in the air, her whole body went numb, and she blacked out.
Suddenly, a stinging slap jolted her awake. A splash of cold water followed. “Wake up! Stop sleeping,” Eleanor’s voice snapped.
Serena’s eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. She struggled for a moment, then finally managed to open her eyes, just in time to see Eleanor’s hand pulling back from her burning cheek.
Panic flashed across Serena’s face. Suddenly realizing she could move again, she scrambled to her feet. “Are you crazy?!”
12:45 Fri, 23 May GOG
Chapter 108
Eleanor looked innocent. “What are you talking about? I barely said anything before you started laughing like a maniac and just collapsed. Sure, I was a little rough, but it worked, didn’t it? You’re awake now.”
Serena’s heart pounded even harder. “Did I… say anything?”
“Nope,” Eleanor replied. “Honestly, you scared the crap out of me.”
Serena glanced around the room–no candle anywhere. Her eyes landed on the window. She could’ve sworn it was closed before, but now it was wide
open.
“Eleanor, don’t you have any candles in here? And wasn’t the window closed just now?”
Eleanor tilted her head, giving Serena a sideways look. “This isn’t a tea room; why would I have a candle? The window’s been open since you came in. Are you sure you’re not just imagining things? Maybe your memory’s playing tricks on you. Or who knows, maybe you just slipped into a parallel universe for a second.”
Serena stared at Eleanor, suddenly finding her terrifying. She let out a scream and bolted for the door.
She twisted the doorknob and froze. She could’ve sworn Eleanor had locked it earlier.
“Chris!” Fear shot through her as she flung the door open and dashed out.
Eleanor watched Serena flee in a panic, then strolled out after her, completely unbothered.
AD
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