Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

After giving it some thought, Pearl decided to drive to Dark Bar. However, finding the woman proved

challenging due to the glittering lights and the crowd inside the bar.

With the help of her phone’s location tracking, Pearl eventually found the woman nearby. To her

surprise, the woman had transformed from her previous studious appearance into a maid costume,

now serving and drinking with the bar’s patrons.

So… this was the same young woman?

Pearl felt very sorry for the woman’s predicament. The woman was forced into this situation, compelled

to serve drinks and cater to the guests.

Moreover, Pearl felt a personal connection to her. She remembered her own father’s demise years ago

when the family couldn’t afford his treatment. She had watched him pass away in a hospital bed,

igniting her determination to earn money and become excellent to protect her loved ones.

Approaching the young woman, Pearl grabbed her arm, prompting her to stand up.

“It’s you…” The woman widened her eyes.

“Renee, is she your friend?” a drunk man, captivated by Pearl’s beauty, inquired.

Renee O’Connor immediately shook her head, fearful that the man might take advantage of Pearl. “No,

I

don’t know her. I think she’s mistaken.”

“Leave this place. You should be preparing for your college entrance exams. Do you understand?”

Pearl’s

tone was stern and commanding.

“Hey, it looks like you guys do know each other. Come on, Renee’s friend is our friend. Let’s have a

drink, babe.” The man reached for Pearl’s waist, but Pearl forcefully pinched his wrist and yanked his

arm down.

“Ah!”

Pearl had actually dislocated his arm.

“Stop screaming, or I’ll dislocate your other arm too!”

Suppressing his pain, the man made a call, and a group of b*dyguards promptly rushed over.

“You’re not going anywhere!” The man instructed his b*dyguards, “Beat her up!”

It was clear that Pearl would have difficulty fighting against those well-trained b*dyguards. Thinking

quickly, she seized a glass from a nearby table and smashed it onto the man before grabbing Renee’s

hand

and making a swift escape.

“Damn it! Go after them!”

Pearl maneuvered through the densely packed crowd and led Renee to the second floor. Once there,

she left Renee in one of the rooms and prepared to leave.

“Where are you going?” Renee grabbed Pearl’s sleeve, anxious.

“I’ll lure them away. If we both stay here, we might get caught. I might as well leave you here.”

“But-”

“No more buts. I’m sure they’re looking for me since I punched so many of them earlier. Try to sneak

away when it’s safe later. Don’t let them find you.”

After instructing Renee, Pearl sl*pped her Waldorf Enterprises business card into her hand, jotting

down her name and contact information. “Here’s my phone number. Call me afterward, and don’t worry

about

medical or surgery fees. I have more than enough.”

She then closed the door and turned to leave but ran into the people pursuing her.

“She’s here! Hurry up! Don’t let her escape!”

Pearl took a step back, turned, and ran in the opposite direction, but a sense of dread overcame her as

the surroundings became more isolated.

However, she couldn’t let her guard down while running. She spotted a room with a door ajar, dashed Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

into it, and quickly shut the door behind her.

But she regretted it the moment she closed the door. It appeared she had trapped herself in a wine

cellar, where bottles were stored at frigid temperatures to preserve their quality.

“She’s in there. Why aren’t we going in?”

“It’s a cold storage room. We can just lock her in and let her freeze to death.”

“Heh, smart thinking.”

Pearl’s heart skipped a beat as she overheard their conversation. She tried to send her location to

Wayne but realized that she had given the ring to Renee.

“Sh*t,” Pearl muttered under her breath. She then retrieved her phone only to find that there was no

signal in the cold storage room.

“Am I going to die here today?” Pearl whispered while anxiously watching the door.

The icy temperature made her curl up and hug herself, desperately trying to keep warm.

However, the intense cold made her drowsy. Whenever she felt her eyelids drooping, she resorted to

pinching herself to stay awake, using the pain as a countermeasure against sleepiness.

As time dragged on, Pearl gave up hope of rescue and began to accept her grim fate. In her fading

consciousness, her thoughts turned to Richard.

Yet, even in her dying moments, the pain she felt when thinking of Richard’s actions was excruciating.

“Richard…”

Richard was having dinner with Abby when his phone rang suddenly.

Unconcerned, he ignored the call, assuming it was a prank. However, the caller persisted, and the

phone continued to ring.

Reluctantly, Richard finally answered the call. The voice on the other end was that of a distraught

woman, begging for help through her sobs.

Startled, Richard abruptly left the table to rush to the bar.

“What’s the matter, Rick? We’re in the middle of dinner,” Abby said, bewildered and concerned.

“I’ve got something urgent. Continue eating without me.”

“But it’s been a while since we last had dinner together. Can’t you stay a little longer?” Abby insisted,

trying

to keep him there.

“I need to save someone,” he said firmly.

Abby was taken aback. “Who…?”

“Pearl.” With that, Richard ignored her and drove to Dark Bar.

Upon arriving, he discovered the locked door of the cold storage room. Richard kicked it forcefully, and

inside, he found Pearl lying on the ground, barely conscious and shivering.

Seeing her in that state caused Richard unbearable pain.

“Wake up, Pearl.”

Pearl heard someone calling her and slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Richard, she let out a

weak chuckle. “What’s going on… Why do I see you when I’m dead?”

Richard frowned. “What nonsense are you saying, Pearl?”

“No, really…it’s strange. You seem to be everywhere,” Pearl mumbled, “Am I really in love with you?”

“Don’t talk, or you’ll tire yourself out.” Richard carried her and rushed her to the hospital.

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