Lauren''s gaze locked onto Betty''s hideous face, her eyes now aze with defiance. The lifelessness


    that had marred her eyes after the torture was reced with a fierce emotion that only fueled Betty''s


    anger further.


    "Don''t you dare look at me like that, you stupid bitch!" Betty spat, her eyes shing with fury, eager to


    deliver another kick to Lauren before Zoe intervened.


    "That''s enough. Save your anger forter," Zoe admonished Betty, halting her aggression.


    Mason let out azy yawn, breaking the tension. "Zoe, what''s the point of dragging us all the way to


    this godforsaken ce from different corners of the world? Couldn''t you have chosen a more decent


    venue for our reunion?"


    Freddy shot him a cold nce. "Could you have witnessed this anywhere else? After all these years,


    you still sound like a spoiled brat."


    "Damn it, you little piece of—"


    Mason wanted to cuss Freddy out, but the woman in the red dress stopped him with a shake of her


    head.


    While the Hodgsons had gained power in the political scene in Sna City, these wealthy individuals


    lacked any semnce of moral integrity; all they knew was to ingratiate.


    "Zoe, enough with the games. Why did you bring us here?" the man in the blue suit queried impatiently.


    Zoe ignored him, her movements deliberate as she approached a dusty piano in the corner. Lifting the


    lid, she revealed keys that looked as pristine as the day they were made. She then ran her fingers


    across the keys, eliciting an eerie melody that echoed through the empty room.


    Lauren, her body wracked with tremors, curled into a fetal position. Tears streamed down her face, a


    mask of terror and despair contorting her features. She bit down on her lip so hard it bled, but the


    horrific memories flooded back with a vengeance.


    Lauren was often bullied by the group in the abandoned music room in the past, and Zoe would y


    the piano to apany the cruel act with music. The physical and mental abuse had deeply


    traumatized Lauren, exacerbating her psychological condition and even causing her to feel an


    inexplicable fear whenever she heard a piano piece.


    "I gathered you all here because it''s been too long since we''ve seen each other. I''ve missed you guys,"


    Zoe dered, flicking her tidy brown curls and offering a fake smile as she charmingly addressed the


    group. "But I also have another reason for bringing you here—to find out which one of you made the


    mistake of betraying me."


    Her words sent a ripple of confusion through the group.


    The woman in the red dressughed incredulously. "Zoe, where on earth did you hear such


    nonsense?"


    With a scoff, Zoe retrieved her phone and yed a video from ten years ago, showing her cornering


    Lauren and pping her continuously whileughing; this was the video Preston used to threaten her.


    "I remember all of you being there, so I suggest you''d bettere clean now." However, silence filled


    the room.


    Zoe''s lips curled into a smile, though her eyes gleamed with malice as she swept her gaze across the


    group. "Well, if you don''t want to confess, that''s fine. But I expect the woman to p the dumbo while


    the men take their turn with her.


    "I''ll record it all on my phone. This way, we both have something on each other. We''ll call it even, and


    I''ll drop the issue."


    Lauren''s head spun with dread, feeling as though she was being dragged further into an abyss of


    despair.


    The two men present were dumbfounded, even Freddy. Previously promised Lauren as his sole prize,


    why was he now expected to share her with the others?


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "Zoe, have you lost your fucking mind? We''ll all end up in jail for this!" Mason eximed, his malicious


    intent overridden by fear.


    Turning to leave, Mason said, "I''m not doing it! I have women lined up! No need to risk jail time. Find


    whoever wronged you and deal with them! I''m leaving!"


    "You''re not going anywhere." Zoe''s eyes darkened. "I''ve had the vi sealed shut. Anyone who tries to


    leave will meet their end.


    "It''s easy to handle a dead body in such a deste ce like here. I''ll just find a lonely grave, a quiet


    corner of nowhere, and tuck you neatly away. Imagine your parents'' grief and despair."


    Panic seized the group, their bodies drenched in sweat.