Chapter 296: Chapter 299: Going to Play a Couple’s Game with Willow Quincy
"Ptooey!"
The man spat forcefully on the bodyguard lying on the ground. He then bent over, dragged the unconscious man into a nearby grove, and hid him.
After emerging, he tilted his head back and scanned his surroundings, spotting a hidden security camera in the upper-right corner of the estate’s main gate.
He mulled it over for a moment, then abruptly turned and went back into the grove. When he came out again, he was holding a heavy rock.
He stood under the camera, adjusted his angle slightly, and then, without hesitation, swung the rock up at the camera above him.
"CRACK!"
The hard rock struck the camera lens dead center. The camera swayed twice before tumbling ignominiously to the ground.
The man stepped forward and stomped hard on the camera several times. Once he was sure it was completely wrecked, he kicked the pile of scrap aside.
He then pulled out his phone and sent a message to Felix Preston.
—Preston, it’s done. You can come over now.
Felix Preston: OK.
"Let’s go." Jasper Linden pulled on his baseball cap and started to head out.
"Wait!" Felix Preston reached out and grabbed him. "Don’t rush out. We’ll stick to the grove and only come out when we reach the estate gate."
"Oh." Jasper Linden nodded.
"Let’s move." Felix Preston pulled up the hood of his tactical jacket and set off first.
Jasper Linden, Mason Shaw, and the rest of the guys followed close behind him.
The group moved cautiously through the trees. Upon reaching the estate’s main gate, they slipped inside quickly.
Remembering Riley Chase’s warning, they ducked into the shrubbery along the path as soon as they entered the estate, staying crouched as they moved.
After about fifteen minutes, they reached the lawn behind the villa.
Several rows of tall camphor trees lined the edge of the lawn. Felix Preston and the others split up, hiding behind the trees and observing the villa intently.
"Get lost! Mind your own damn business!"
Charlotte Shaw’s voice rang out again from the second floor of the villa.
Felix Preston’s brow furrowed, and the hand resting on his knee instantly clenched into a fist.
"Charlotte..." he murmured, his voice soft and strained with longing.
But inside the villa, Charlotte Shaw turned her head in the very next second.
"Hm?" She looked at the wall behind her in confusion, frowning slightly. ’Why do I feel like someone just called my name?’
"Sonia, where on earth are you taking that cooking oil?" Aunt Bell asked, her head aching with frustration.
"None of your business!" Charlotte Shaw whirled around to glare at her, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I’ll do whatever I want. Since when does a live-in maid get to meddle in my affairs?"
Aunt Bell: "I’m not trying to meddle. I’m just worried you’ll do something reckless with that oil and hurt yourself."
"...This cooking oil isn’t good for a damn thing besides cooking. I’d have to have a screw loose to get hurt by it!" Charlotte Shaw shot her a venomous glare, then picked up the two jugs of cooking oil and turned to leave.
"Sonia!" Aunt Bell chased after her, still worried, sticking to Charlotte Shaw’s side like a persistent shadow. "Sonia, you can take the cooking oil, but you have to tell me what you’re going to do with it."
"Tell me what you’re planning, and maybe I can help, right?"
"...You want to help me?" Charlotte Shaw stopped in her tracks, tilting her head to look at the woman.
She nodded eagerly. "Of course! Before Mr. Quincy left, he specifically instructed me to take good care of you. If you need help with something, I’ll definitely help you!"
"Fine!" Charlotte Shaw agreed, which was completely out of character.
"Since you want to help, I’ll let you. But first, let me go put this cooking oil away in my room."
"...Alright," Aunt Bell agreed hesitantly.
"Wait for me here, then." Charlotte Shaw gave her a small smile before turning and entering the room with the jugs of oil.
When she came out a moment later, she linked her arm with Aunt Bell’s in a rare display of gentleness. "Aunt Bell, come on, let’s go talk downstairs."
"Talk downstairs?" Aunt Bell was confused but followed Charlotte Shaw nonetheless.
Charlotte Shaw explained, "Yeah. I need some more cooking oil, and I have to go downstairs to get it anyway, so I figured we could talk on the way down."
"Oh..." Aunt Bell was still skeptical.
Charlotte Shaw led her downstairs and coaxed her into her own room. Then, when the older woman wasn’t looking, she silently swiped the key from the bedside table.
"Sonia, you’re really taking all that oil upstairs just to play a game?" Aunt Bell listened to Charlotte Shaw’s tall tale, feeling a strong sense of disbelief.
"Yep." Charlotte Shaw blinked, deliberately putting on an innocent expression. "This ’cooking oil game’ is super popular online right now. I’ve been dying to try it for days, and I finally have a chance."
"’Cooking oil game’..." Aunt Bell scratched her head blankly. "How do you play it? How come I’ve never seen it on my phone?"
"...Oh, come on!" Charlotte Shaw shot her a playfully mournful look. "It’s a romantic game for young couples. How would an old lady like you ever come across it?"
"A game for young couples?" Aunt Bell’s attention was caught by that phrase. Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise as she stared at Charlotte Shaw in disbelief. "Sonia, are you saying you want to play this game... with Mr. Quincy?"
Charlotte Shaw lowered her head, looking a bit shy. "Besides Mr. Quincy, is there any other man in this villa I could play it with?"
Her words were indirect, but Aunt Bell understood immediately.
"Sonia, it’s wonderful that you’ve finally come to your senses!" She grabbed Charlotte Shaw’s hands excitedly, looking even happier than Willow Quincy might have. "I told you a long time ago, it doesn’t matter who you end up with! As long as the man is good to you, as long as he cherishes you, you can follow him with peace of mind! You’re guaranteed a good life!"
"Mmm..." Charlotte Shaw’s eyes narrowed, her smile painfully fake.
Aunt Bell: "Seeing you come around really puts my mind at ease! You go on upstairs and set up your little game. Mr. Quincy should be back soon."
"You got it." Charlotte Shaw released her hands. "It’s getting late, so you should get some rest. I’ll handle things out there. You don’t need to worry."
"Okay!" Aunt Bell sat on the edge of her bed and watched Charlotte Shaw go.
Once outside the room, Charlotte Shaw pulled the door closed and used the key to lock it from the other side.
Aunt Bell had already lain down to rest, so she didn’t notice that Charlotte Shaw had locked her inside the room.
Charlotte Shaw pocketed the key, went to the kitchen for two more jugs of cooking oil, and sauntered back upstairs with them.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard below.
Riley Chase had finished inspecting all the equipment in the estate and no longer had a reason to linger.
He was escorted to the estate gate by two bodyguards. Just as he was about to leave, he heard one of them say:
"Hey, where’s Sven? Why isn’t he around?"
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