The hotel lobby was now crowded with guests who had just been rescued. Relief mixed with exhaustion across every face, yet the tension hadn't completely faded. Amid the murmur of confused voices, Kaivan stood tall. He scanned the room before calling out, "Is the hotel manager here?"
A middle-aged man raised his hand. His face was pale, his eyes tired but sincere. "I am."
Kaivan met his gaze. "Before everything happened, who rented this place?"
"A woman. Her name was Rapi," the manager replied quietly. "She booked the entire hotel for twenty-four hours."
Kaivan nodded, the scattered pieces in his mind beginning to align. At that moment, Felicia emerged from the corridor with several hostages she had managed to free. Her red dress was torn and dusty, revealing small cuts along her legs. She looked exhausted, yet her eyes still burned with resolve.
Darius walked beside her, staring at Felicia, part awe, part nervous admiration. When he noticed Kaivan, confusion crossed his face. "Why is that kid here?" he muttered in disbelief.
Heavy footsteps approached. Ethan appeared at the doorway, steady and composed. Darius froze, eyes wide. "Ethan…?" The whisper escaped him, filled with disbelief as he stared at his former partner now standing with the opposing side.
Felicia stepped closer to Kaivan. Her voice was calm, though her breath remained uneven. "All hostages have been secured."
Kaivan nodded, his eyes lingering briefly on her injuries. Then, without a word, he took off his tuxedo and gently draped it over her shoulders. The gesture was soft, as though he were protecting something fragile yet precious.
Felicia held the tuxedo with a small, grateful smile. Warmth. Their eyes met for a brief second, quiet, yet full of meaning.
Kaivan turned back toward the waiting crowd.
"All of this was orchestrated by a cruel woman," he announced, his voice echoing through the lobby. "If we stand together, we can report Vella for the murder, kidnapping, and hostage-taking she committed today."
A middle-aged woman stepped forward, her eyes brimming. "Yes! I saw it with my own eyes. She killed someone in the ballroom. Vella is a murderer!"
Voices of agreement rose, replacing fear with determination. Exhausted faces rekindled with hope, ignited by Kaivan's unwavering tone.
From behind, Zinnia spoke softly, "So… what should we do now?"
Kaivan reached his hand to the side. Isabel approached, placing a tome into his grasp. He smiled at Zinnia, then glanced at Livia. "We're going home first. What matters most right now is her parents."
Kaivan, Livia, Felicia, Zinnia, Isabel, Radit, Raphael, and Ethan walked out of the hotel. The night air welcomed them with a coolness that slipped gently between their fatigue.
In the midst of their steps, Darius suddenly ran toward them. His breath was ragged, his eyes desperate. "Felicia! I'm sorry. I'll keep looking for you, I won't stop!"
Felicia let out a long sigh, turning away. "Good grief… seriously?" she muttered, biting her lip in discomfort.
Ethan glanced at Darius and smirked. "This is the first time I've seen him grovel. Normally he acts tough. You're something, Felicia, making him like this. Maybe… you two are a good match?"
Felicia rolled her eyes. "He was drooling while staring at my arm. And when I fixed my hair, his eyes went straight to my armpit. Disgusting."
Radit, who had been listening, chimed in, "Well, maybe he just likes armpi, I mean, it's not like he'd be interested in your flat ch, "
THWACK!
Felicia's nunchaku struck Radit's head with perfect precision.
She leaned in, eyes sharp, her face only inches from his. "Say 'flat' one more time… and you're going home in an ambulance."
Zinnia couldn't hold her laughter at Radit's predictable self-destruction. "Radit, seriously… how can you say something like that about a girl's chest right to her face?" she giggled, covering her mouth.
Radit winced, turning to Zinnia to defend himself. "I'm just being honest. Besides, you wouldn't get it, Zinnia, because your hips and butt are also ki, "
THWACK!
Before he could finish, the nunchaku had changed hands. Zinnia whacked him square on the head, leaving him staggering. Her expression remained sweet, but unmistakably unmerciful.
Radit held his throbbing head, crouching with a pitiful expression while the rest of the group watched him with a mixture of amusement and resignation.