Chapter 399: She Would Never Give Up
Once Adeline entered Benjamin's room, her eyes immediately landed on a phone resting on his desk.
Her hands trembled slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm.
She quickly walked over to the desk, picked up the phone, and pressed the lock screen button.
The phone was locked with a password.
However, just moments ago, as Benjamin had rambled on about his past with Whitney, he mentioned her birthday.
He only mentioned it once, but Adeline's memory was sharp.
So she remembered it.
Now, she tried entering Whitney's birthday-and the phone actually unlocked.
The lock screen showed a picture of Whitney.
Adeline didn't have time to think too much about it; she hurriedly input Harrison's number.
She needed to contact Harrison and let him know where she was.
Although she didn't know the exact location, the suburbs of Daltoria, the candy house-just giving these two pieces of information should help Harrison find her much easier.
Earlier, as she was coming upstairs, she had wondered if she should escape through the small door in the backyard.
But she didn't know the situation there-was it locked? Were there people guarding it outside? If she rushed over and couldn't escape, she could end up alerting everyone.
So it seemed safer to contact Harrison through the phone first.
She quickly finished typing in Harrison's number, pressed the call button, and held the phone to her ear.
But... she heard nothing.
Adeline's hand stiffened.
She pulled the phone away from her ear.
The screen had gone black.
She thought, "What was going on?"
Adeline suddenly realized something, and a chill ran down her spine.
Just then, she heard Benjamin's voice behind her.
"Had enough fun?"
At that moment, it felt like Adeline was being drowned by a wave of suffocating panic.
Her fingers clenched tightly as she spun around.
Benjamin was standing at the door.
His face was still a bit flushed from the wine.
But his eyes-his eyes were clear, as if he was completely sober.
There was no trace of drunkenness left.
"You're not drunk," Adeline said, her voice not questioning, but stating it firmly.
Benjamin let out a small laugh.
"I forgot to tell you," he said with a grin. "I can hold my liquor pretty well. Even if I drank a few more bottles of red wine, I wouldn't pass out."
Adeline's body trembled slightly.
She didn't know if it was from anger or sheer disappointment.
"Is this fun for you?" Adeline threw the phone she was holding at his feet, her voice cracking, "Playing me like this?"
The phone was clearly a fake.
It was something Benjamin had set up to toy with her.
"I just wanted to see you get worked up,"
Benjamin chuckled. "That feeling, the rush-pretty good, right? Let me guess... were you about to call Harrison?"
Adeline bit her lip.
"If you actually got through, what would you say to him?" Benjamin tilted his head, as if genuinely pondering, "Would you cry? Tell him you didn't want to stay here, that he should come rescue you?"
Adeline took a deep breath.
She leaned weakly against the desk next to her.
"What's the point in talking about it now?" she said with a bitter smile. "I didn't even get through to him."
Benjamin bent down, picked up the phone from the floor, and began to idly fiddle with it in his hands.
"No matter what, I still need to thank you," Benjamin said, his tone lighter. "Thanks for staying here in that white dress, talking to me for so long."
"If you really want to thank me, then send me home," Adeline said tiredly.
The smile on Benjamin's face faded slightly.
"Go back to your room and rest," he said.
Adeline shot him a fierce glare and turned to leave. But as she passed by him, Benjamin grabbed her wrist.
"Don't have any unrealistic fantasies," Benjamin warned, his grip tightening.
"Adeline, I went through a lot of trouble to bring you here. I won't you escape so easily."
Adeline shook off his hand forcefully and continued on her way.
Yet once she was back in her room, the anger and disappointment on her face slowly faded away.
She walked over to the desk, filled a glass with water, and drank it calmly.
To be honest, she'd already guessed this might happen before she went upstairs for the phone.
After all, Benjamin was a schemer.
There was no way he'd let her get him drunk so easily, letting her take his phone.
She'd only clung to that slim thread of hope.
In her current situation, she couldn't afford to give up, not even on the smallest possibility.
She didn't succeed this time, and while she was disappointed, she had prepared herself for this outcome, so that disappointment quickly faded away.
Her earlier reactions in front of Benjamin had all been an act.
She wanted him to believe she was truly disappointed, frustrated, or even angry.
That way, her next moves would seem more reasonable.
After finishing the water, Adeline took off her white dress and changed into something more comfortable-home clothes.
Though she'd only been listening to Benjamin talk, it had drained her.
So she lay down on the bed, hoping to rest for a while.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with thoughts of her family, friends, and Harrison.
This candy house, as cute as it was, felt more like a terrifying prison to her.
But she would never give up.
Harrison landed at Daltoria airport.
A middle-aged man was waiting for him, extending a polite handshake.
"Harrison, it's been so many years," the man smiled. "You've really grown up."
"Bruce." Harrison nodded.
The man was Bruce Goodwin, Lorenzo's godson.
He was the son of one of Lorenzo's friends, who had lost both his parents in a car accident when he was sixteen and had since lived with Lorenzo.
Later, he fell in love with a woman from Daltoria, and since the Thomson family had some business interests here, Lorenzo had sent him to manage things.
Bruce had been living in Daltoria for nearly twenty years now.
Over the years, he had remained loyally dedicated to Lorenzo, though because of the distance and his busy work schedule, he hadn't visited often. The last time Harrison saw him was six years ago.
"You're getting more handsome," Bruce said, frowning as he looked at Harrison. "But you look a little worn out. Come on, let's get you to a hotel to rest."
Bruce, I'm fine," Harrison replied. "I came to Daltoria to find someone."
"I know," Bruce smiled knowingly. "Your girlfriend, right? Your grandfather already called me about it. Don't worry. He sent me pictures of your girlfriend, and I've already arranged for people to search for her all over Daltoria. The moment we get any leads, we'll let you know. You just got here, and you don't know Daltoria very well. Wandering around like a headless chicken won't get you anywhere. You're better off resting and getting your strength back. Besides, the people you came with need to rest, too."
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