âYeah!â replied Lisanne solemnly. âAlthough I really want to find Christopherâs corpse, I donât want you to take any risks. Iâm worried about your safety too. Since youâre still alive, your life and safety are more important!âWinnie felt touched when she heard that. Chuckling gently, she said, âLooks like our years of friendship arenât for nothing! Since youâre worried about me, Iâm sure that you can also understand our worry for you, right? We donât want you to take risks too.ââYeah, Iâve been too rash earlier. I understand that. Actually, Iâve already met Christopherâs parents. They know nothing except that their son has sacrificed his life. They believe that the organization will definitely bring Christopher back and I believe that too. However, it happened outside the borders. The organization would have to think about every step carefully since even the tiniest detail could have a huge impact. Thatâs why I want to do this myself. Often, itâs much more efficient doing things personally than to rely on an organization. Yet, I was too anxious and ignored your feelings. Iâm sorry, Winnie. Iâve been acting too selfishly toward you in the past few days.ââI understand, Lisanne.â Winnie held her hand. âThis is just human nature. You donât have to apologize to me. Weâre good friends, after all.ââNo.â Lisanne was not someone to take advantage of relationships. âI want to apologize to you. I said something quite hurtful at Yartranthe the other day. I donât regret it. Regarding the incident at the research center, I donât regret helping you at all.ââI know.â Winnie smiled. âI know that you said that in a fit of rage.ââYou donât need to look for Lucas.
Just tell him to deploy more men to Manchernius.ââItâs fine. Iâve already decided.â Winnie chose to stick with her decision. âAll of you are telling me to stay hidden but that doesnât solve the root problem. I donât want to keep being hung up on something so uncertain, so I want it to end quickly. Well, it looks like luring Harold out is the best solution. After all, he was the only one left other than us back then. As itâs highly possible that he has taken Christopherâs corpse away, the most direct method is to look for him.ââNo, Winnie. Thatâs too dangerous.ââI admit that itâs quite risky. However, instead of waiting for him to appear one day, Iâd rather take the initiative. At least, I can gain some control.âLisanne had already regained her rationality by then. After mulling over it, she thought that what Winnie said made sense.âI need to discuss with Lucas first.âWinnie nodded. âLetâs go.âJust when both of them were about to leave, the two phones on Winnieâs desk rang at the same time.The phone connected to the internal line would only ring when she was in the office. Furthermore, all the calls would be filtered by the secretaryâs office first.It was quite rare for both of her phones to ring simultaneously.Just when she was about to answer the call, someone pounded on her office door abruptly.As the knocks sounded extremely urgent, Winnie immediately responded, âCome in!âJasmine and a security guard rushed in instantly.âBad news, Ms. Garland!â reported Jasmine anxiously, her brows knitted in a frown.
âSomething happened downstairs.ââWhat happened? Be clear.âJasmine took a tablet from the security guardâs hands and played a video for Winnie. âA man held our receptionist hostage. Look.â âWhy?â
Winnie grabbed the tablet and asked, âHave you called the police?ââNot yet. He said that heâll kill the hostage if we called the police. He has already disconnected the receptionistâs phone.âThe man in the video was in black and wearing a black cap too.The cap was pulled over his face, concealing it when viewed from the surveillance cameras.However, Winnie noticed that he shielded the receptionistâs neck with his thumb even when wielding the knife. Since it seemed like he did not have the intention to harm the receptionist, she guessed that he had other motives.She asked Jasmine, âWhat does he want? Did he ask for anything?ââYeah!â Jasmine stared at Winnie worriedly and replied, âHe said that heâs looking for you. Since his clothes were so disheveled and he did not have an appointment, the receptionist refused to let him come up. He continued to be insistent, so the receptionist summoned the security guards over. In a fit of panic, he whipped out a knife and took her hostage.ââLooking for me? Are you sure?ââYes!ââOkay, Iâll go down.ââWait, Winnie!â Lisanne pulled her back. Taking in a deep breath, she said, âDonât go. What if heâs Harold?ââHeâs definitely not Harold,â affirmed Winnie. âHeâs quite skinny and Haroldâs much bigger.ââAre you sure? Is it possible that you didnât recognize him because of the surveillance footageâs angle?ââNo way. Haroldâs figure is quite similar to Xavierâs. Thereâs no way Iâll be mistaken.âLisanne was still worried. âLetâs observe how things go first. Why donât we call the police first?ââYeah, Ms. Garland,â agreed Jasmine. âLetâs call the police.âThinking that it was necessary to call the police, Winnie nodded. Just when she was about to speak, she caught a glimpse of a circular scar on the manâs hand.It was an injury caused by a cigarette burn. If her memory did not fail her, Mason had a similar scar on his hand too.She immediately changed her mind. âDonât call the police first. I know that man.âThen, she turned her head around and told Lisanne, âWait here for me. Iâll be back soon.âShe instructed Jasmine, âFollow me down with the security guard.ââBut Ms. Garlandâ¦â Jasmine asked anxiously, âAre we really not calling the police?ââNo!âTwo minutes later, Winnie, Jasmine, and the security guard arrived at the lobby on the ground floor.As it was still office hours, there were not a lot of people in the lobby.There were only a few security guards with two receptionists working on their shifts.When Winnie walked closer and took a clearer look, she was sure that the person was Mason.She strode toward him with a frown and declared, âIâm here. Let her go!âMason glanced upward but did not release the hostage immediately. âItâs you, Ms. Garland.ââYes. Since this is a grudge between us, donât harm innocent people.âStaring intently at Winnie, Mason said, âIâm only resorting to this because Iâm out of options. Have you called the police?ââNo. We followed your requests and did not call the police. You have my word.ââOkay, I believe you. Iâll let her go.â After saying that, Mason immediately kept the dagger against the receptionistâs neck. âI have no intention of harming anyone.
Iâm just looking for you regarding something extremely important.â