Eloise lowered her head and walked ahead for about ten meters. Lysander, contrary to what he had said, did not wait in the car as promised, but instead waited beneath the branches of a tree, whose limbs had grown a little too far over the green belt.
Seeing him, Eloise lifted the corners of her mouth. "Let's go, time to celebrate Octavius's birthday." She raised her arm and tapped her phone screen, the glow illuminating her not-so-good complexion. "It should still be in time."
"Elly, obviously, Octavius's birthday isn't today. What are the odds of that?" Lysander shrugged. Eloise tilted her head in confusion. In truth, even though she often lost track, she had managed to guess, at least to some extent: "Then why...?"
Lysander looked at her, tilting his head in the same way. "I thought I'd help you find an excuse to get out of Isidore's car." Eloise froze, and then he teasingly added, "Or, maybe you don't really need my help after all?"
Eloise recalled the scene in the private room. At that time, Isidore had asked her to sit beside him, but she had shown great reluctance. No wonder, Lysander must have been influenced by that moment, thinking that she was forced to stay by Isidore's side.
Suddenly, she realized that Lysander's strange behavior wasn't entirely his fault. Who would have thought her feelings would change so quickly? Not even she could have predicted it.
Or, should she thank him?
She didn't know what to say, and Lysander, with great interest, asked, "Isn't Isidore your 'dead' ex-boyfriend?" He clicked his tongue. "That's really unlucky for you."
A faint look of confusion appeared on Eloise's face, unsure of where this judgment had come from. Did he truly understand Isidore so well? Lysander smiled. "I've heard many rumors about him. But today, seeing him in person is a hundred times more telling. At last, I understand why so many people hated him to the core."
When he said the last sentence, his face showed little emotion. Eloise didn't want to hear more, so she turned to leave, but Lysander called her name from behind. "Not wanting to be too close to him is a wise choice."
Eloise couldn't help but turn around. "Lysander, you don't understand him at all." But Lysander replied flatly, "But I'm a person who holds grudges." He quickly caught up with Eloise, grabbing her arm. "Let me give you a ride."
"No need," Eloise lazily shook him off. "I don't want to talk to you right now. I think you all have problems." Lysander chuckled twice. "So, should I still go rescue you from the 'jail' tomorrow morning?"
Eloise didn't look back, just waved her hand behind her.
After returning to her place, Eloise tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At first, she thought the air conditioning was too cold, so she turned it off and opened the window wide. After a while, she felt hot, too hot, making her restless and agitated.
The words of Isidore echoed in her mind—I'll never lower myself to find you again!
"Fine, if he doesn't want to find me, then I'm better off!" Eloise huffed at the ceiling. But still, she wasn't happy. Who did he think he is, acting so proud? Who needed him to come find her?
"You can look for me or not! Don't ever show up in front of me again!"
Eloise pulled out the ever-present teddy bear bag, pounded it a few times in frustration, and then, still unsatisfied, threw it into the air and kicked it with all her might. To her surprise, the teddy bear bag flew in a smooth arc, straight out of the wide-open window.
"My bear!" She rushed to the windowsill, her arm reaching uselessly down, only to see an unexpected person.
Isidore leaned against the trunk of the tall banana tree by the window, his fingers still holding the cigarette that glowed with a red ember. With a look of confusion, he held up the toy bear that had suddenly fallen from the sky, hitting him on the head. Hearing Eloise call his name, he suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing dangerously.
He pointed at her, his lips moving in a clearly angry hiss, "Revenge? You'll pay for this!" Eloise stumbled back in fear, recalling the terrifying tales of murderers on rainy nights. For a moment, she didn't know where to hide, so she hurriedly closed the window and locked it.
After making the gesture, she clasped her hands together in prayer, but fate did not favor her. The leaves outside rustled softly, and to her shock, Isidore, that inhuman being, effortlessly climbed the banana tree, reaching the same height as her windowsill.
He was even wearing the same expensive suit from the banquet, which was completely unsuitable for movement—such physical prowess was wasted; he could easily be a special forces soldier!
The windowsill outside was barely a thin strip, not even half the width of a hand, yet Isidore leapt with ease, landing gracefully and standing firm. Without saying a word, he took off his jacket and placed it on the glass, then coldly raised his fist and struck. The poor window shattered instantly.
The noise attracted Mrs. Brown, who ran over and asked through the door, "What happened inside?" "Don't open the door!" In a panic, Eloise said this first, worried that Mrs. Brown might be shot by Isidore in his anger.
She softened her tone and said, "It's nothing, I accidentally dropped my water cup and it broke." Mrs. Brown, hearing nothing unusual from her, didn't think too much about it. "Oh, just leave it. I'll have maid clean it up tomorrow."
Mrs. Brown walked away, leaving Eloise in the room, her eyes fixed on Isidore. His broad shoulders were draped in a silver edge of moonlight, while his face and body were cloaked in deep shadows. Step by step, he moved steadily toward her.
When Isidore was just thirty centimeters away, Eloise could no longer bear the fear. She crouched down, covering her head. "Don't kill me! Woo, woo!" Isidore tossed the teddy bear at her with a scowl. "The price for me to kill you myself wouldn't be covered by selling ten of you!"
"Get up!" Unable to watch her so terrified, as if he were some kind of mutant monster, Isidore bent down, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up. With his nose almost touching hers, he raised his voice, mocking, "Didn't you go to celebrate that friend's birthday? Got played, didn't you?"
After saying that, he released her and walked over to her bed, spreading his long legs to sit down casually. Eloise lowered her raised arms, pouting slightly and muttered, "Didn't you say you wouldn't come looking for me again? Are you lost?"
Isidore stiffened his shoulder, then turned his head and shot her a fierce glare—trying to use his intimidation to make her forget about it. After all, for someone who was used to being the "leader," disregarding his own words was a new and frustrating experience.
Eloise blinked, slowly turned around, and gazed at the handsome face under the moonlight, still carrying a hint of anger, turned away from her. She parted her lips, a question lingering on her mind that she was eager to ask: "You, um… how long did you stand down there?"
