Chapter 129

Three minutes later, he received a short security footage clip showing a medical staff member telling Aurora she could go out and have fun the next day. Aurora broke into a surprised smile.

Early the next morning, the group met up and got in a car headed for the amusement park.

Aurora excitedly exchanged names with Sophia, then pressed herself against the car window to look outside.

When she tried to roll the window down, Sophia stopped her. Sophia frowned and said, "Sticking your head or hands out of a moving car is really dangerous. Wait until we get out, then you can explore all you want, okay?"

Aurora nodded and didn't argue.

Frank was sitting in the front seat, and he caught Sophia's expression in the rearview mirror. He couldn't help but smile to himself.

She wasn't that old herself, but the way she looked at Aurora was like she was watching over a little kid.

The car moved quickly, and before long they pulled up outside the amusement park.

There was a decent-sized line at the ticket booth — parents carrying kids, young couples, and a few students in school uniforms.

Frank looked over at Aurora and asked, "Want me to just buy out the whole park?"

Aurora shook her head without hesitation. "No way. If you do that, I won't get the real feel of being here!"

She ran ahead and joined the back of the line. Sophia looked around and said, "Frank, why don't we go line up for tickets and you wait out here?"

Frank agreed and stepped to the side.

Fifteen minutes later, they had their tickets checked and walked into the park.

Aurora tilted her head back, sniffed the air, and smiled. "The air smells so sweet!"

Sophia explained, "That's the popcorn and hot dogs floating around. Want some?"

Aurora's eyes lit up instantly and she nodded like crazy. Sophia patted her on the head, then went to get the popcorn and hot dogs.

On top of those, she also bought a huge stick of cotton candy and handed it to Aurora. "Try this — it's super sweet too."

Aurora took a small bite of the cotton candy, and her smile grew even wider.

Frank stood off to the side, feeling more and more sure that bringing Sophia along had been the right call. The two of them were around the same age — they'd have things to talk about.

"What do you want to go on first?" Sophia asked, looking at Aurora.

Aurora pointed at the carousel not far away. "Let's go on that!"

Sophia agreed, and Aurora grabbed her hand and took off running toward it.

Frank followed along slowly behind, watching the two of them with a smile.

He figured the rest of the day would pass by just as quietly and simply — but that didn't last long.

Sophia and Aurora had barely stepped off the carousel when a group of men surrounded them.

"Hey ladies, you two are way too pretty to just walk around alone — why don't you hang with us for a bit?" A heavyset man blocked their way.

Sophia pulled Aurora behind her and shot the men a sharp glare.

"I'm warning you — walk away right now, or when my brother gets here, you won't be walking away at all."

"Ooh, I'm so scared. You think I don't know who I am? You think you can bluff me with that?"

"Is that right?" Frank came striding over toward Sophia.

He stepped in front of the two of them and looked at the man across from him. "You've got thirty seconds to get out of my sight."

The men burst out laughing. "Thirty seconds? Who do you think you are, buddy?"

Frank skipped the back-and-forth. He pulled out his gun, chambered a round, and aimed it straight at the man in front. "Still think it's funny?" he said coldly.

The men exchanged glances, then quietly pulled their leader back.

The leader recovered fast, suddenly all smiles. "Sir, we were way out of line just now. Please, go right ahead."

Frank put the gun away. And somewhere he couldn't see, Aurora's eyes — which had shifted to red — slowly faded back to their normal color.

She blinked, grabbed Sophia's hand, and started walking toward the haunted house. "Come on, let's check that out next."

They had just reached the entrance when three men in suits stepped in front of them.

Frank moved forward, and one of the suited men handed him a business card printed with the Sarris family crest.

Frank narrowed his eyes. "So the negotiation didn't work, so now you're blocking people?"

The lead bodyguard shook his head. "Sir, my employer would like a word with you. Please."

Frank studied the man in the wheelchair sitting not far off. Something felt off — these didn't seem like the same people from yesterday.

He walked straight over to the man.

"If this is about handing Aurora over, there's nothing to talk about."

The man in the wheelchair smiled at that. "Aurora — you did pick a nice name for her. Though sadly, she's got at most another month with it."

A month.

Frank felt a weight drop in his chest. That was even shorter than the medical team had estimated.

"Could be a week, actually," the man added, his smile spreading with quiet certainty. "But if you hand her over to me, I promise she'll live much longer."

Before Frank could respond, Aurora stepped forward. She looked at the man and said flatly, "Live longer — you mean lying in a cryo chamber again?"

The man looked at her, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. He hadn't expected Subject 17 to look so... perfect.

"Is that really so bad? Your consciousness would still exist. And if you wanted, I could even preserve it — give you true immortality. What do you say?"

A gleam of obsession passed through the man's eyes. Aurora's fists tightened, her expression ice-cold. She was about to say something when Frank gave her a small shake of his head.

She swallowed the words back down. Frank stepped forward, putting himself between her and the man.

"I already made myself clear. I'm not handing her over to you."

"It doesn't matter how many people your family sends to try to convince me — the answer won't change. Don't waste your time."

With that, Frank took Aurora's hand and headed back. Aurora's face was tight.

He said quietly, "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, nobody is taking you anywhere."

At those words, the tension slowly left Aurora's body. She grabbed Sophia and headed into the haunted house, with Frank close behind.

Ten minutes later, the intermittent screams and laughter coming from Aurora and Sophia up ahead went completely silent.

Frank kept walking and stepped out of the haunted house.

Aurora and Sophia were tied back-to-back to two chairs, cloth stuffed in their mouths. Somehow, the entire park had been cleared out without him noticing.

He looked over at the man in the wheelchair. The man's eyes had gone wild. "Mr. Moore, aren't you a little too confident in yourself? After everything I said to you, you still took them into the haunted house?"