Alexander gently took Quinn''s hand, poised to reveal something, when the distinct sound of Kyle Astor''s voice echoed from outside.


    "Alexander!" he called. At the sound of his name, Quinn promptly released his hand and spun around to seize a jacket."Wet," Alexander observed, capturing her wrist in his grasp.


    Quinn froze momentarily."Kyle Astor!" Alexander''s voice boomed, a summons to the unseen figure beyond their sanctuary.Upon hearing his name, Kyle hastily approached, his voice reverberating from outside the cave, "Alexander, are you and Quinn in there?""Bring in two sets of clothes," Alexandermanded.


    "Okay, got it!" Kyle responded, bending down to shove garments through a crevice in the ''barrier.""They''re from the farmhouse, just make do with them."Kyle had had the foresight to snatch some extra clothes from the house when he had departed the yard. His foresight was now proving useful.


    Alexander epted the clothes, which were unmistakably Walter''s. Given their simr physiques, the clothes fit him perfectly.


    However, on Quinn, the outfit was considerably oversized. It might as well have been a dress for her.Once they had changed, they ventured out of the cave. Quinn''s legs were shaky, causing her to stumble every few steps. Without a moment''s hesitation, Alexander scooped her up, cradling her in his arms as they exited the cave. Upon seeing them both unscathed, Kyle Astor breathed a sigh of relief. However, as dawn began to break, his worry resurfaced."Alexander, we might miss the shareholders'' meeting if we go back now. What should we do?" he queried.


    Hearing this, Quinn cast a nervous nce at Alexander.Alexander raised his gaze to the sky, deep in thought. They were encircled by mountains, as if standing at the bottom of a well."We wait," he dered."Huh?" Kyle checked his watch.


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    It was nearing seven-what were they waiting for? Alexander remained silent, gently setting Quinn down to inspect the metal ring on her foot. The screen was dark, the countdown had ended. Alexander''s brow furrowed as he tinkered with the metal ring, his frown deepening with each passing minute."Alexander, can you make anything of it?" Kyle Astor inquired. The wind whipped through the mountains, sending shivers down their spines.


    Alexander, undeterred, continued his examination of the metal ring. Was he truly nning to skip the shareholders'' meeting? Or had he given up entirely?Alexander rose to his feet and dered, "It''s not a bomb.""What? We''ve been yed?" Kyle Astor''s face paled. "It''s a listening device," Alexander stated coldly, his gaze fixed on the metal ring, "Let''s get a professional to open it when we return."Upon hearing it was a bug, Quinn looked distinctly uneasy-had their conversation in the cave been overheard?Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Noticing her difort, Alexander reassured her, "Don''t worry, there''s no signal out here. Nothing got through."Quinn visibly rxed."We should head back then," suggested Kyle Astor.No sooner had he spoken than the sound of helicopter des filled the air. Everyone looked up to see a chopper circling above the mountain peak.