Who would have thought Leonard would suddenly snap and just kidnap her?


    She had already been burned by Leonard once during her own kidnapping. Now, Leonard had kidnapped Ste and managed to frame her for it again. With Ste missing, she was the prime suspect.


    "Joshua, I had nothing to do with Star''s kidnapping. I didn''t know anything about it," Aurora said.


    Joshua''s lips curled into a cold, sarcastic smile, his dark eyes like chips of ice. "I''m running out of patience. Tell me where she is now. If she''s unharmed, I''ll spare you, for Star''s sake."


    The look in Joshua''s eyes was so cold and sinister that even Aurora, who had survived the Delta region, felt a chill creep into her heart. "I don''t know... ah!"


    Joshua''s hand was a blur as it locked around her throat. He hoisted her off the floor as if she weighed nothing, his eyes burning with a primal, bloodthirsty rage.


    "Where is Star?"


    Before this, although Joshua had yed games with Aurora, he had neverid a hand on her. This had led her to underestimate just how dangerous he was. Now, his grip was like iron around her throat.


    Aurora felt a terrifying wave of panic, the kind that signaled imminent death. It was the same feeling she''d had when she was nearly devoured by wild beasts.


    She could no longer maintain her calmposure; raw fear was visible on her face. "I... I don''t know... I really don''t know..."


    It all happened so fast that Jonathan didn''t have time to stop it. When he finally reacted, he roared, "Joshua, what do you think the Williams estate is? How dare you attack Aurora in our home?!"


    Joshuapletely ignored him. He stared unblinkingly at Aurora, his eyes dark and his entire being radiating a dangerous aura, as if he would snap her neck in the next second.


    "I''ll ask you onest time. Where is Star?"


    Aurora''s face was turning purple from theck of oxygen. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she began to suffocate.


    Fearing that Joshua might actually kill her, Abby rushed forward. "Joshua, we need to find Star!"


    If Joshua killed Aurora, the Williams family would never let it go. If he got tied up with them, who would rescue Ste?


    Fortunately, Joshua hadn''t lost all reason. He flung Aurora to the floor like a piece of trash. His cold gaze swept over her beforending on Jonathan.


    "Don''t let me find out that you had anything to do with Star''s disappearance."


    With that parting shot, Joshua turned and left. Auroray crumpled on the floor, gasping for air like a dying fish.


    ***


    "Show me around first."


    After weighing her options, Ste decided to y along with Leonard for now and figure out her next move. She needed to know where she was and assess her surroundings. She had to determine if escape was possible or if there was any way to contact the outside world. Waiting for someone to rescue her was far too passive.


    As for the three-month agreement... Ste didn''t trust Leonard at all. If he went back


    on his word, their deal had no binding power.


    Leonard gave her a long, deep look but didn''t refuse. "Let''s go."


    It was a stunningly beautiful ind. The water was so clear you could see


    everything on the seabed, and the golden sand glittered under the sun.


    Ste scanned the horizon. All she


    could see was the ocean; there wasn''t even a mountain in sight. Her heart slowly sank. This ce waspletely cut off from the world. Escaping would be next to


    impossible.


    "How do you like the view?" Leonard''s voice came from behind her. "I wanted to take you to Meadowrest since you like it there, but those ces are too easy, to find. It wouldn''t have been safe."