"Be cautious of deception."


    Jonah blocked Sophie''s path, maintaining a distance from Reece, who had started to pull away from them.


    His instincts warned him that there would surely be a trap ahead.


    Sophie nced at the contract in Reece''s hands, knowing she needed it, but also aware of the danger looming ahead.


    If Reece had indeed set a trap for her, their first course of action would be to get as far away as possible.


    "Reece, after all, we were friends. The shares were a gift from me to you, and now that you''ve betrayed me, shouldn''t you return them to me?" Sophie''s argument was sound.


    Reece nodded, saying, "You''re afraid I''ve set a trap here, aren''t you?"


    Sophie didn''t respond, but her silence spoke volumes.


    Reece found her reasoning solid and shook his head slightly, adding, "It''s sad to realize we don''t even have this basic trust between us anymore."


    "Don''t try to y the sympathy card here. If you really wanted me to trust you, you shouldn''t have deceived me in the first ce."


    Since learning Reece had been deceiving her all along, Sophie had lost all trust in him.


    She didn''t care what Reece was nning; she certainly wasn''t going to gamble with her and Jonah''s lives.


    Seeing Sophie''s reluctance, Reece had no choice but to say, "Okay, then I''lle over and give it to you."


    Reece took a step towards Sophie, who stood still, not noticing anything amiss.


    But the next second, Jonah pulled her behind him.


    Out of nowhere, Reece had drawn a gun, its dark barrel aimed directly at Sophie''s forehead.


    The bullet flew towards Sophie without hesitation.


    Caught off guard, Jonah stepped in front of Sophie.


    The bullet grazed Jonah''s shoulder, sttering blood instantly.


    The attack was unexpected, and Sophie immediately supported Jonah, her face turning pale.


    She had anticipated every possibility, even considered Reece might try to kill her.


    But she never imagined Reece would pull the trigger himself.


    "Run!"


    Jonah grabbed Sophie''s arm and headed into the forest.


    What they didn''t know was that the woods were already slowly filling with men cloaked in ck capes and wearing white masks.


    It was as if all the demons of the forest had suddenly emerged.


    Sophie felt a chilling gaze from behind.


    The sensation sent shivers down her spine.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    They were likembs in the forest, ready to be hunted at any moment.


    "Stop running! There''s no escape."


    Jonah suddenly halted.


    Sophie quickly realized they were surrounded by members of The Silent Shadows, seemingly appearing from nowhere, slowly encroaching from all directions.


    The pressure was nearly overwhelming. Why?


    Sophie looked at Reece as he approached her through the crowd.


    Reece simply said, "Don''t look at me like that. You said it yourself, I''m the one who betrayed you. Sophie, you can''t expect a betrayer to maintain the affection they once had for you."


    Continuing, Reece took another step towards her, adding, "I also know you didn''t truly trust me. Coming here, you were prepared, weren''t you? Relying on people like Colby, Adler, Jenna, or Harold? Don''t be naive. They can''t prate the web I''ve woven."