Before anyone could fully react, a man dressed entirely in black, wearing a hat, emerged from the crowd of photographers behind Alicia. Using the chaos to his advantage, he positioned himself right behind her.
“It’s one of Alicia’s obsessed stalker fans! I exclaimed inwardly.
At this moment, Harvey and Jeremy, who had been wrestling with each other, ended up near Alicia in their scuffle.
Panic flickered across her face, Her instincts screamed to run toward me, but in her frantic state, she grabbed Harvey’s armi,
pulling him in front of her as a human shield,
The man in black suddenly unleashed a flurry of concealed weapons.
The chaos escalated. Apples on the guest table, a photographer’s camera, a producer’s notebook, even a makeup artist’s bottle of
foundation—all became improvised projectiles.
The killer, caught completely off guard by the barrage, was struck repeatedly, leaving him disoriented. He stumbled forward, the knife stabbed forward with all his strength. Harvey, tangled up by Alicia’s desperate grip, took a direct hit to his calf. He let out a muffled grunt, and his body collapsed to the floor along with Allela.
and
Their fall dragged down Jeremy, who had been standing behind them. As he hit the ground, he instinctively grabbed onto Henry’s
waistband, who had been leaning in for a closer look
What followed was a scene straight out of a slapstick comedy. Like a row of toppled dominoes, one person after another tumbled
down.
At the farthest edge of the chaos, Donald quickly grabbed my hand and took two steps back, keeping both of us firmly on our feet. Amidst the sea of fallen bodies, the two of us stood as the lone gap in an otherwise complete chain of destruction.
The silence was so heavy.
Outside the hospital.
Although the guests had only participated in the program for a single day and night, they looked as though they had experienced the hardships of three long years as they said their goodbyes at the entrance.
The murderer had been handed over to the police by the production team. Word had it that he had been a die–hard fan of Alicia for
years.
A few days ago, he had stumbled upon her checking into a hotel with a young male idol. Enraged, he believed she had shattered the pure, goddess–like image he had held of her and decided that if she couldn’t stay “pure,” they might as well die together.
way out of it, but
Jeremy and Alicia had also been taken in by the authorities thanks to that cup of apple juice. She tried to talk her way the law would teach her a lesson.
It all felt surreal to me. The two people responsible for ruining the Stone Family were just gone. Where had it all gone so wrong?
+15 BONUS
Angela lingered by my side, reluctant to leave, until we finally made plans to meet again next time. Only then did she depart, leaving me standing there with my family and one very present Donald, whose aura was impossible to ignore.
I blinked, staring at the man in front of me with confusion.
“Uh-” He cleared his throat, his cool and handsome face as composed as ever, but the faint blush creeping up his ears betrayed him. “Aside from spicy chicken, beer–braised duck, braised lamb, and pickled fish, what other dishes do you like?”
“What?” I blurted, completely taken aback.
“What’s he getting at? Does he plan to cook for me?‘ I thought.
“I can learn to make whatever you like,” he added, looking at me earnestly.
I instinctively took a few steps back.
‘No way! Could he actually be into me? Ugh, but as much as I joke about stuff like this, I’m not actually looking to date anyone- especially not someone like him, who attracts way too much attention.”
In the next moment, Donald’s eyes, which had been filled with anticipation, turned cold. His face returned to its usual aloof, unreadable expression, and he spat out a word through his thin lips. “Heartbreaker.”
I stared at him, completely baffled, as he stormed off, clearly embarrassed and angry. “What’s his problem?‘ I thought.
Jimmy, who had been watching the whole scene with barely concealed laughter, patted me on the head and said, “You should go home with Mom, Dad, and William to rest. I’ll stay here and look after Harvey.”
I glanced at Harvey, who was still lying in the hospital bed. Feeling awkward, I mumbled, “Hey, make sure you head home carly.” His face lit up with a delighted smile, but before he could say anything, I added, “Oh, and the kitchen’s all yours when you come back.”
The smile froze halfway on his face.
I thought the day’s drama had finally wrapped up. After all, I was completely drained! But as I was about to leave the hospital room after bickering with Harvey, a notification popped up from my gossip–tracking system.
‘Holy crap! William’s going to lose his innocence tonight!‘
The family was shocked.
