âIâve opened a special bottle of 20-year-old wine today.
Letâs enjoy a drink.
â
Despite his attempts to change the subject, Ariana persisted, pressing him for the conditions of their release.
âI am the daughter-in-law of the Fredrick family.
State your price for our freedom,â Ariana said.
âOne million? Ten million? I can go up to twenty million if necessary.
â
Mossâs smile widened, obviously impressed by her offer.
âYou folks really are well-off.
Itâs not every day someone offers twenty million so casually.
â
Ariana and Adrian saw a flicker of hope.
However, Moss then c@@ked his head, maintaining his smile but with a cold, mocking glint in his eyes.
âPlease, take a seat and dine quietly.
Otherwise, you might find yourselves part of the menu.
Truly, youâre spoiling my appetite with your words.
â
Mossâ words seemed to present a choice between two options, but in reality, there was only one choice for Ariana and Adrian.
They would definitely choose to live instead of becoming part of the menu.
If they wanted to die, why would they bother to unlock the door? They could have just waited for death in the room Moss had arranged.
Ariana and Adrian exchanged a silent look and sighed.
They knew they must comply in Mossâ territory.
They pulled out the chairs, seated themselves, and began eating in silence, picking up their utensils without a word.
As they did, the iciness in Mossâ gaze faded.
He poured them fine wine and joined them as if the earlier tension had never existed.
Before they took their seats, Moss had devoured two dishes.
Thanks to Arianaâs superb cooking, the sheep had transformed into several dishes-stewed mutton, braised mutton, and roasted mutton chops, all so delicious that Moss couldnât help but indulge.
Yet, for Ariana and Adrian, the food might as well have been tasteless wax.
Ariana, who had cooked the dishes, felt no desire to eat now.
She just wanted to leave as soon as possible and find Holden.
Moss, however, was not inclined to let them go and even threatened them with their Lives.
Thus, the trio ate in silence for over ten minutes.
Having finished his meal first, Moss wiped his mouth with a white handkerchief and said to Ariana and Adrian in a soft tone, âThere are rooms on B4.
You can sleep there tonight.
Have a good rest.
â
As he made to leave, Ariana quickly stopped him.
She said, âEarlier, you mentioned our noise was spoiling your appetite.
Now that youâre done eating, could we possibly resume our discussion about the terms of us leaving?â
Ariana softened her voice, aware that Moss was reluctant to let them go.
âIf twenty million isnât sufficient, Iâm prepared to offer thirty, or even more.
Just name your price, and weâll transfer the money to you once weâre out of here.
â
Despite Arianaâs repeated offers, Moss lacked the patience to keep declining.
He disregarded her proposals outright and said, âI suggest you take a good rest and try to relax.
Donât be scared.
Get ready for the experiment tomorrow.
Iâm really looking forward to it.
Itâs been a long time since I found such a perfect candidate like you.
I have a strong feeling that Iâll succeed soon!â
His voice held a mix of excitement and madness.
Confused by his words, Ariana asked, âWhat do you mean by that?â
His words made the matter sound like organ transplantation or something.