"Let''s go together, then," Vespera said with a sigh.

    Even if she told Reba and Yasmine to stay behind, these two "shadows" would still stick by her side.

    Maybe her earlier confrontation had led them to believe she was brave enough to face any threat, but it was toote to correct that now.

    Reba nced at the side doors. "Which way should we go?"

    "I don''t think it matters which door we choose," Vespera replied. "No matter where we go, there''s bound to be an ambush waiting for us."

    Yasmine spoke up, "Their target is these twodies and the innocent ones caught in this mess. They won''t attack everyone. If we take the door with more people, the chaos might work to our advantage."

    As the three of them were strategizing, Emily hurried over to them.

    "We need to go. This way."

    Vespera lifted her dress and hurried toward the first door on the right.

    A group ofdies was already heading that way.

    Reba and Yasmine followed, matching her stride.

    Meanwhile, Felicia and Fawn gritted their teeth and trailed behind.

    "Hey don''t run! Wait up!" Emily called from behind.

    It was a mistake to shout; as soon as she did, they surged forward even faster.

    Were they supposed to stand there and wait to be caught?

    Vespera and the others quickly caught up with the women who had already passed through the side door.

    The group ofdies moved at a leisurely pace, turning their heads when they heard the approaching footsteps.

    Emily stopped at the doorway, making no move to pursue them further.

    A sinking feeling settled in Vespera''s chest.

    Was every exit a trap?

    Yasmine stepped forward, addressing the group of women. "We need to pick up the pace."

    Ady wearing a blue mask let out a chuckle. "Mrs. Dawson said the fortune teller requested the signal be blocked to avoid interruptions during the reading.

    "She''s not sure why the main door''s malfunctioning, but the side doors are perfectly fine. She wouldn''t put us in danger on purpose."

    Did she really buy into that nonsense?

    Vespera and the others couldn''t help but curse silently.

    Each side door led to a different corridor, but ultimately, they all circled back to the estate''s main entrance.

    The distance wasn''t long, but if there was an ambush on the way, there would be no escape.

    It didn''t matter if they were in the banquet hall or the corridors—as long as they remained inside the estate, there was no way out.

    Their only hope was to escape the building. Only then could Vespera call Calvert and have hime to their rescue.

    With the six women ahead of them, their group now totaled eleven, walking single-file down the hallway.

    The front group strolled casually, while the back was on the brink of panic.

    A few minutester, the sound of footsteps echoed from both ahead and behind. Vespera''s heart began to race.

    Her eyes locked onto the rooms that appeared every few feet, and a bold idea started to take shape in her mind.

    With no way out now, why not take a risk?

    As the women ahead passed by one of the doors, Vespera swiftly reached out and tried the handle.

    To her surprise, it turned.

    Without a second thought, she yanked Reba inside.

    Yasmine and Felicia quickly followed, slipping inside right after them.

    Fawn, however, hesitated at the threshold.

    Vespera didn''t wait. Seeing her

    hesitation,

    she went to shut the door without a second thought. She had no obligation to save someone who didn''t trust her.

    "Wait-!"

    At thest moment, Fawn rushed in.

    Vespera immediately locked the door behind them.

    Reba and Yasmine quickly hauled a couch across the room, using it to block the door.

    Outside, chaos erupted.

    Knocks came, apanied by voices shouting, asking what was going on and urging them to open up.

    Fawn listened intently, her anxiety mounting with every passing moment.

    Vespera noticed the look on her face and said sharply, "If you don''t trust

    me,

    you shouldn''t have

    followed me."

    "I..." Fawn hesitated, at a loss for words.

    Standing off to the side, Felicia shrugged nonchntly. "She''s not going to hurt

    you."

    Though Vespera was sharp-tongued and quick to hold a grudge, she wasn''t truly cruel at heart.

    Fawn nodded repeatedly.

    It wasn''t that she didn''t trust Vespera—she was simply shaken.

    Everything that had happened tonight felt so out of ce. Nothing in her

    e had ever prepared het

    for

    something like this.

    Vespera didn''t spare her another look. She turned, her eyes scanning the room for a window.

    The room was a guest room-there was a couch, a coffee table, a bed, and a bathroom.

    There was no window in the room itself, but the bathroom had one, leading directly outside.

    Reba moved toward it and opened the window.