It was the harsh reality that Anastasia was sure Eve knew about, but here she was, worrying about Anastasia when she should be worrying about herself.


    However, Anastasia felt touched by the woman’s concern.


    "I’ve been well actually. This ce is not as bad as I thought it would be," she responded.


    "I know right?"


    Eve stared at the beautifully hung chandeliers as a wide smile graced her lips.


    "This ce is great."


    Both of them decided to watch some movies. Anastasia noticed that the news channels were prohibited from essing, making it impossible to know what was going on in the outside world.


    The only channels they could ess were fashion shows, cooking shows, drama series, and most sis.


    The women didn’t seem to have a problem with it, and even if they did, there was nothing they could do.


    Anastasia bid Eve and the others goodnight before heading to her room upstairs. She climbed the stairs when she suddenly felt a noticeable gaze behind her back.


    She turned slightly to steal a glimpse of that person, and her heart sank when she saw it was Avery.


    The girl stood frozen on the first staircase, her head slightly tilted, her downturned smile exuding an eerie aura that sent a cold shiver down Anastasia’s spine.


    Anastasia snapped her head forward, choosing to ignore Avery. The girl couldn’t harm her here, right in front of everyone.


    Heavily armed security men were stationed in every corner of the mansion, which would be difficult for Avery to bypass if she intended to hurt Anastasia.


    Anastasia’s gaze darted to Avery’s hands, scanning for any hint of a weapon. The surrogate’s chilling story reyed in her mind, making her heart hammer wildly in her chest. She instinctively ced a hand over it, as if trying to calm the frantic rhythm.


    Avery wasn’t moving, and something told Anastasia the girl was only going to move when she moved.


    She decided to calm herself and continue heading back to her room.


    As soon as her hands were ced on her doorknob, she felt Avery’s gaze from the corners of her eyes.


    "You greeted Eve earlier, but you didn’t even bother to look for me. Is something the matter Anastasia?" She heard Avery ask, and her stomach churned for an unknown reason.


    She had no idea why her limbs were trembling in fear as if Avery wasn’t just a girl like herself. Or she probably wasn’t.


    Avery was a psychopathic maniac driven by jealousy, deriving twisted pleasure from taking the lives of girls destined to be sold before her.


    Anastasia decided to ignore Avery as she attempted to push the door open and step inside, but the girl continued.


    "It’s been five whole days since Ist saw you." Then Avery spread her arms wide open. "You’re not even going to spare me a hug?"


    "Stop talking like we’re long-time friends who are just seeing each other after a huge separation," Anastasia snapped.


    Avery tilted her head, a faint smirk of amusement ying on her lips.


    Avery decided to take a few steps toward Anastasia, her arms still wide open for a hug. "Why not? Aren’t we best of friends?"


    "You’d better stay away from me!" Anastasia warned, her voice trembling but firm. Avery froze mid-step, her hands slowly falling to her sides, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face.


    "You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing?" Anastasia’s re was sharp enough to pierce steel, her tone brimming with barely contained rage. "You’ve been here for five whole years, and you’ve been killing the girls who are supposed to be sold only because they would be sold before you."


    Avery’s lips curled upward, her smile a haunting contrast to the void in her eyes. "And?" she asked softly, tilting her head like she didn’t have a care in the world.


    Her voice dropped into a mocking drawl, her hand theatrically resting on her chin as if deep in thought. "Why are you acting like what I did was the worst crime known to humanity? Ahh..." She paused, her tone turning yful. "You didn’t know I was a wanted criminal before Xander captured me? Tsk, tsk, tsk... And here I thought you’d figure that out after piecing together the deaths of those girls. I must say, I’m impressed. You’re a smart girl, I like that."


    Anastasia’s stomach churned, her fists clenching as Avery’s words hung heavy in the air.