Chapter 161
The disappointment in the boy’s eyes was obvious, but he still answered in a gentle, obedient tone, “Sure, no problem.”
Marina maintained her polite, distant smile and just stood there quietly, waiting for Daron.
As the boy walked away, he kept looking back at Marina every few steps, probably hoping she’d call him back.
Marina could read him like a book, but she kept silent.
After walking a few steps, he turned back to Marina and said earnestly, “Miss, how about we exchange contact info?”
Marina felt a bit weird about it and refused without hesitation. “Sorry, I don’t have my phone with me.”
He gave a wry smile. “If you don’t want to get my number, just say it. No need to make up stuff about not having your phone.”
Marina stayed calm and said flatly, “Oh, sorry then. I just don’t want your number.”
His face went pale for a second, then he turned and walked deeper into the hallway.
Marina raised an eyebrow, watching his dejected back fade away. ‘Guess hanging around Daron so much has rubbed off on me. I’m starting to get a bit savage too, she thought.
After finishing up with the person in charge, Daron walked over to her. Seeing her lost in thought, staring down the hallway, he asked, “What are you looking at?”
Marina replied, “Just an eye candy.”
Daron’s eyes darkened. “Your eye problem acting up again?”
Marina tsk’d, pulled her gaze back to Daron, and said seriously, “There really was a cute guy. He tried to hit on me and wanted to join our team, but I said no because of you.”
Daron gazed down at her, his eyes dark and unreadable.
Marina said, “I’m being serious.”
Daron replied, “Should I be grateful you had me in mind?”
Marina smiled. “No need to be so polite between us.”
“Let’s go,” Daron said, clearly amused by her answer. His lips curved into a faint smile as he headed deeper down the hallway.
Marina followed after him.
As they finished walking down the hallway, all the lights suddenly went out, leaving only the dim oil lamps
mounted on the walls.
:
The flames on the lamp wicks danced and swayed, and even before they’d entered the game, an unsettling fear of the unknown was already creeping into their minds.
27
Escape rooms have only started trending in the past few years. But Marina was always swamped with work, so she’d never had the chance to try one.
Marina did not think that her first time would be with Daron of all people.
Marina looked up at Daron, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes.
Right at that moment, Daron turned around, and their gazes met in the air. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he reached out and took her hand.
“I picked the most thrilling version,” he said, “If you get scared, stay right by my side.”
Marina’s hand was enveloped in Daron’s grip, and his warmth seemed to seep right into her skin.
She couldn’t help it. Her heart was suddenly pounding for no reason at all.
The music inside started to shift, matching the changing atmosphere with fitting sound effects, while a creepy, suspenseful soundtrack played in the background.
After they walked through the corridor and stepped inside, the scene before them changed completely.
Everything around them looked so real that Marina’s mind was struggling to keep up with what her eyes were seeing.
She couldn’t help but grip Daron’s hand a little tighter.
“Daron, which scenario did you pick?” she asked.
Daron replied, “Tomb raiding.”
Marina asked, “So, are we gonna run into zombies or something?”
Daron shrugged, “I didn’t check the storyline.”
Marina stayed silent.
The environment was so convincing, Marina felt as if she’d actually stepped into a tomb.
Out of nowhere, a spider dropped down in front of her, hanging by a long strand of silk, its eyes glowing red and swinging right in her face.
Marina gasped and gripped Daron’s hand tightly. No matter how much she tried to convince herself it was just an illusion, that split second of eye contact with the spider still sent a chill down her spine.
Daron turned around and saw Marina too scared to move, frozen in place by the spider. He was just about to pull her over to his side when the spider’s silk snapped and it dropped right onto her shoe.
Chapter 161
Marina quickly kicked it off, but to make things worse, the spider hit the floor and started scuttling right toward her.
Freaked out, she instinctively clung to Daron for safety.
Daron threw his arm around her and pulled her back a few steps.
They watched as the spider disappeared into a hole right next to where Marina had just been standing.
Daron looked down at Marina, noticing how pale she was from fright, and gently reassured her, “Don’t worry, it’s just part of the programming. When it drops, it looks for a hole to crawl into. You were standing in its way, so it headed straight for you.”
Marina took a deep breath, feeling kind of silly about how she’d totally freaked out and screamed just now.
Daron watched her pull herself together and said, “We’re just getting started. Do you want to keep going? If you’re scared, we can head out right now.”
Marina replied without hesitation, “Let’s keep going.”
She just hadn’t been mentally prepared, so when everything hit her out of nowhere, it totally spooked her.
Daron nodded and reached out for her hand.
Marina slipped her hand into his, her heart still racing.
This time, she stayed right behind Daron, practically glued to his back.
But they hadn’t even taken a few steps when Marina suddenly felt something grab her ankle.
She looked down, and just as she did, an emerald green hand quickly pulled back out of sight.
Daron noticed something was off with her and stopped.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Marina asked, “Did you feel anything grab your ankle when you walked by just now?”
Daron replied, “No.”
Curiosity sparked in Marina’s eyes as she got down on the floor to check it out.
Sure enough, right where that hand had pulled back, she found a little panel that could move.
Daron knelt down next to her.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Marina answered seriously, “It’s some kind of little mechanism. It probably just picks a random player.”
Daron raised an eyebrow.
୦
Marina’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Let’s keep going. I suddenly really want to see what kind of contraptions are waiting for us up ahead.”
Daron remained silent.
There wasn’t a hint of fear in Marina’s eyes, just pure curiosity about all the mechanisms. She even let go of Daron’s hand.
Daron glanced down at his now–empty hand, then kept walking.
Marina walked steadily beside him, her mind already working on how to make use of those old Finley Group buildings that were just sitting empty in other cities.
‘Maybe this is actually a pretty solid idea,‘ she thought.
With the real economy taking a nosedive over the years, a bunch of the commercial buildings the Finley Group had built were now just sitting there, empty and forgotten.
Business was so bad that nobody wanted to buy them, and not a single tenant was interested in renting.
But if they could turn those places into entertainment complexes, with more of these immersive adventure attractions, maybe they could finally breathe new life into them.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
