Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Intense Desire to Win

Cecilia Croft was lost in thought. When she looked up, she realized a distance had opened up between her and Sebastian Hawthorne.

Just as she was about to step forward and catch up, a partition in front of them suddenly began to move.

"Mr. Hawthorne..."

Cecilia called out to Sebastian Hawthorne.

Sebastian Hawthorne turned to look at Cecilia. Seeing that the partition was about to separate them, he quickly turned back.

Cecilia also hurried toward him, but she was a step too late.

The partition slid shut, separating the two of them.

Cecilia pounded on the partition.

"Mr. Hawthorne! Mr. Hawthorne, can you hear me?"

No sound came from the other side.

Cecilia began to feel around on the partition, searching for some kind of mechanism to open it.

Sure enough, her fingers found a hidden door.

She pushed open the secret door in the partition, thinking it would lead her to Sebastian’s side. But after opening it, she found he wasn’t on the other side at all.

Cecilia froze, a flicker of astonishment in her eyes.

She was sure Sebastian wouldn’t just abandon her and leave.

The surroundings were gloomy, and coupled with the eerie background music, it was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

With Sebastian by her side earlier, she had been able to stay calm. Now that they were separated, Cecilia felt the hairs on her arms stand on end.

’There can’t be only one secret door here.’

Cecilia took a deep breath and began searching the other walls.

Finally, she found another door.

When she pushed the door open, she entered another space.

The room was filled with mirrors. As Cecilia stepped inside, she was startled by her own reflection. When she tried to go back the way she came, she found the secret door behind her had been sealed shut.

Cecilia rubbed her aching head.

She had no choice but to bite the bullet and enter the room.

’It’s just a game,’ she silently reminded herself. ’There’s nothing to be afraid of.’

But the more nervous she got, the more chaotic images flooded her mind, along with some of the criminal investigation cases she had read about before.

Things like locked-room murders.

She took a deep breath, quickly pushed those chaotic thoughts to the back of her mind, and began to think and observe carefully.

The only things in this space were the mirrors in front of her, which meant the way out had to be related to them.

She summoned her courage and walked toward the mirrors. When she reached out to touch one, she discovered her hand went right through it.

These mirrors were all fake.

Cecilia looked up.

Lights from above were being projected onto these surfaces, making them look like mirrors.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow.

’If I’m not mistaken,’ she thought, ’only one of these mirrors is real.’

And it was hidden among all these fakes.

Just as Cecilia was searching, another person’s figure suddenly appeared in the mirrors.

A flash of panic crossed her eyes. When she saw that the person in the mirror was the young man who had hit on her at the entrance, her heart pounded and she immediately put her guard up.

The young man saw Cecilia too and spoke in surprise, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Miss, you’re here too?"

Cecilia took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and forced a faint, distant smile.

"I stumbled in here by mistake."

The young man said, "Oh," and glanced to Cecilia’s side. "Did you get separated from Mr. Hawthorne?"

Cecilia: "No."

"He should be in a room nearby."

Hearing this, the young man smiled and said,

"How do you know, miss? What if Mr. Hawthorne already solved it and got out?"

Cecilia said coolly, "He wouldn’t. He’ll wait for me here so we can finish together."

She spoke with such conviction that the smile on the young man’s face faded slightly.

"You like Mr. Hawthorne, don’t you, miss?"

Cecilia didn’t answer him. She just continued searching for the way out, keeping a careful distance from the young man.

If her intuition was correct, this young man in front of her knew Sebastian Hawthorne.

She didn’t know why he was approaching her, so all she could do was be on guard.

Seeing that Cecilia was silent, the young man didn’t press her with any more personal questions. Instead, while searching for the mechanism, he said to her,

"Miss, do you believe in love at first sight?"

Cecilia: "I only believe in lust at first sight."

The young man let out a low chuckle.

Alarm bells went off in Cecilia’s head. She was worried this guy in front of her was some kind of psycho.

Fortunately, she found the real mirror. She noticed a tiny flaw on its surface and reached out to press it.

Soon, a section of the wall moved, and a door appeared before Cecilia’s eyes.

The young man exclaimed, "Wow, miss, you’re amazing."

Cecilia walked quickly toward the door.

The young man followed her.

Cecilia stepped out, expecting to see Sebastian Hawthorne, but the corridor was empty.

The young man: "Looks like Mr. Hawthorne didn’t wait for you."

Cecilia responded calmly, "This isn’t the same corridor I came from."

The young man was silent for a few seconds, then said with a smile,

"You’re very observant, miss. A lot of girls who play this scenario would have been crying their eyes out if they got separated from their partner."

Cecilia glanced at him without a word. She spotted something that looked like an envelope on the wall, walked over, and opened it.

There was a clue inside.

The young man crowded closer. Cecilia frowned, not liking his proximity, and handed the envelope to him.

Just then, her phone rang.

Cecilia glanced at the caller ID—it was Sebastian Hawthorne. Just as she was about to swipe to answer, the young man grabbed her wrist.

"Miss, you’re not allowed to use communication devices while playing this game. If you answer, it means you’ve failed the challenge, and a staff member will come get you."

She hadn’t known about that rule. She pulled her wrist free from the young man’s grasp.

"What about the person who’s calling?"

The young man replied with a smile, "They’re considered to have automatically forfeited and quit the game."

Hearing this, Cecilia didn’t hesitate for a second and answered Sebastian’s call.

The young man stood beside Cecilia, silent.

Sebastian Hawthorne’s voice soon came through the phone.

"You can still answer the phone. Guess you weren’t scared stiff."

Cecilia pouted. "I was just about to find a way to meet up with you, and then you go and forfeit the game."

Sebastian said coolly, "I was afraid you weren’t that smart."

Cecilia: "..."

Sebastian: "A staff member will be there to get you shortly. If you still want to continue, we can start over."

Cecilia hummed in agreement, feeling a warmth spread through her heart. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Sebastian had forfeited the game and called her because he was worried something had happened to her.

After getting her response, Sebastian hung up.

A staff member quickly emerged from another door and politely escorted Cecilia out.

As she left, she didn’t even spare a glance for the young man behind her.

The young man stood in place, a smile on his face, but a fierce, competitive fire ignited in the depths of his eyes.