Chapter 192: Window
Third-person Perspective
Natalie and the others quickly caught up with the ladies who had already exited through the side door. They walked at a leisurely pace, glancing back when they heard running footsteps.
Mrs. Ashby stopped at the doorway. Natalie's heart sank. Was every door a death trap?
Eva approached them. "We need to hurry!"
At the entrance, a young woman in a blue mask said with a smile, "Mrs. Ashby already explained. That Madame Tarot insisted on blocking the signal to avoid interrupting the reading. The main entrance won't open—she doesn't know why either—but she has no reason to hurt us."
You actually believe her?! Idiot!!
Natalie and her friends bit back the thought.
Each side door led to its own corridor, but all the corridors eventually converged at the manor's main entrance.
The distance was short, but if they were ambushed along the way, there would be nowhere to run.
They had to get out of this manor. Only then could they call Cole to pick them up.
Footsteps echoed faintly, coming from both ahead and behind.
Natalie scanned her surroundings. Every few meters along the wall, there was a room. A reckless idea surged through her mind.
As the group passed one of these rooms, she suddenly reached out and pushed the door.
It opened. She quickly pulled Grant inside, and Eva and Margaret slipped in after them.
Eleanor hesitated. Natalie didn't wait for her and stepped forward decisively to close the door. She had no obligation to save someone who suspected her.
"Wait!"
At the last second, Eleanor rushed in.
Natalie slammed the door shut and locked it. Grant and Eva dragged over a sofa and shoved it against the door.
Outside, chaos erupted—knocking came in waves. Some asked what was happening; others demanded they open the door.
Eleanor listened to it all, growing more and more uneasy.
Natalie noticed her anxiety and said coldly, "If you don't trust me, you shouldn't have followed."
"I..."
"She won't hurt you," Margaret said calmly. Though she found Natalie irritating and vindictive, she wasn't truly cruel.
Eleanor nodded. It wasn't that she didn't trust her—it was just that everything tonight had scrambled her brain.
The bizarre events were so absurd and strange, nothing she'd ever experienced in her life.
Natalie had no time for them. She turned to search for a window.
This was a guest room. The room itself had no window, but the bathroom did—and it opened directly to the outside.
Grant climbed up and opened the window.
"You two go first." Natalie brought Eleanor to the window and helped her climb out. "Run, then call the police. Get lost if you have to—doesn't matter. Just run far away and find somewhere to hide."
"Okay, okay, I—I understand."
Eleanor's hands and feet were numb with fear, but she struggled to climb up. As she was about to go out, she suddenly turned back. "What's your name?"
"Just go. Don't waste time."
Natalie urged her. Every second mattered. They still had so many people to get out.
Eleanor flinched, not daring to delay any longer, and jumped down.
She'd only wanted to know her name so she could thank her later. This girl was both smart and gutsy—calm in a crisis, gentle when needed, fierce when necessary.
Truly remarkable.
And so Eleanor was the first to jump out the window.
On the other side, Cole broke through a window and was searching the ballroom.
One glance at the scene before him and his expression turned grim. He stopped a guest. "Who's the host here?"
The guest nearly jumped out of their skin, then pointed at Mrs. Ashby, who was still seeing people out.
Cole immediately ran toward her.
Just then, a uniformed security guard hurried up to Mrs. Ashby. "That woman suddenly went into a room, and then she... Ah!"
The sentence cut off, ending in a scream.
Cole grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him up. "The one in the green dress?!"
Outside the manor, Erwin arrived with his men.
Behind the main entrance, several masked women stood there, their silhouettes visible through the glass. They seemed to want to leave but were powerless to do so.
"Open the door!"
"Yes, sir."
His men stepped forward to force it open, but before they could act, the door opened on its own.
The women, who had been told this door was also broken, came out in a fury. Seeing several burly men standing at the entrance, they panicked and fled.
Erwin led his men inside. He sent people to find and destroy the signal jammer while he himself headed to the ballroom.
Back in the guest room, the pounding on the door became exceptionally violent.
Margaret had already climbed out unscathed. She acted decisively and left without looking back.
Throughout the entire process, she hadn't said a word to Natalie. Natalie had long since noticed that Margaret recognized her, but she was too lazy to bring it up.
"Eva, hurry!" Natalie urged.
Eva didn't hesitate for a second. She hitched up her skirt and climbed out.
Natalie was the last to leave.
The three of them kicked off their heels and tiptoed toward the flower beds. This was the side of the parking lot. Once they reached the parking lot, Cole could come get them—but first they had to get there.
"Bang!"
The door burst open.
"Sisters, I'm here to rescue you!!" Cole charged in, then froze.
Huh? Where were they?
He took a few steps toward the bathroom, saw the window wide open, and leaped out.
The grounds around the manor were filled with all kinds of flowers—hiding places everywhere.
Natalie and the others hid behind a tall cluster of flowers. Grant called Cole, while Natalie quietly texted Erwin.
At the same time, the instant the jammer failed, Erwin received Natalie's text.
Before he could open it, a call came through. From his mother.
He answered. Crying filled his ears. "Erwin... Erwin!! Come save me... I'm at..."
Crying, screaming, splashing water—it all flooded into Erwin's ears.
Mrs. Ashby tried to explain, but he terrified her so much she could barely breathe.
"Mr. Davis, please let me finish..."
"Shut up!" He cut her off. "Now answer my question. In or around this manor, is there a swimming pool, or a lake, a pond—anything like that?"