Chapter 456

A staff member hurriedly guided them toward the stairwell, but Freya grabbed Francis.

"What's going on?" Stellan asked, confused, stopping instinctively. Selah, walking briskly behind, bumped into him, grunting softly. She looked up to see Freya had stopped.

"Why aren't we moving? Are you all crazy? The fire's spreading! It's reached upstairs! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late!" The staff member panicked.

He grabbed Francis's wrist roughly. Francis, his left hand caught in Freya's grip and his right held by the staff member, raised an eyebrow. His usual grace was replaced by icy coldness.

"Why are you the only one telling us to leave? Everyone else is gone. And I'm curious, are you sure this is the stairwell? Or are you Cuthua in disguise?" Francis sneered, yanking his arm free.

Freya gave him a thumbs-up. "Looks like you're not that dumb after all."

"He's been rushing us, and something felt off. Odalys always said, 'Keep one eye open.' We've been on edge tonight—don't trust anyone," Freya said coldly, pulling Francis away from the staff member. The man stared at them, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Seems you're not completely stupid. But since you've figured it out, it's too late to run," the staff member chuckled darkly.

Stellan's senses heightened. His highly trained bodyguards were nowhere to be seen.

"Don't bother looking. They're probably dead," the man said smugly. "You think this room was an accident? No, it's isolated. You're trapped."

Selah's eyes widened as she realized they were in the last room at the end of the hall, a windowless hallway with no other exits. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. Biting her lip, she scanned for an escape route.

"Call your bodyguards. I don't trust him," Selah whispered to Stellan.

Stellan checked his phone. His face fell. "No signal."

"Looks like Odalys was right. Our fates are connected. If one of us is in danger, we're all in danger," Selah said grimly. "They've placed us here on purpose. They've planted eyes everywhere."

Stellan grimly nodded, trying to dial 911 to no avail.

"What do you want?" Francis stepped forward, shielding Freya.

"Come with me." The staff member's tone was calm, as if he knew they had no choice.

Chapter 156 This chapter seems out of chronological order and should be reviewed in the context of the entire story to ensure proper placement.)

"but let them go," Francis said, his tone measured, though his eyes were sharp. "If this gets out of hand, people will come running. You don't want that."

"If you're after me, let them leave unharmed," he continued.

Freya instinctively grabbed his clothes. Francis pressed her hand down; she felt a strange sense of calm.

Exchanging a look with Stellan, they lunged at the staff member before he could react. Francis kicked him in the ribs while Stellan and Freya pinned his arm. Francis struck a pressure point, causing the man to cry out and collapse. Selah smashed a nearby bottle over his head.

The staff member clutched his groin, blood seeping from his head wound. He looked up at them, his expression showing shock and pain. Freya, horrified, pointed to the emergency exit.

"We need to get out now," she said urgently.

They ran down the hall, pushing open the stairwell door and rushing down the steps, gasping for breath. Freya stopped, her eyes wide with dread.

"Freya, why'd you stop?" Selah asked, breathless against the wall.

Freya took a few steps back, her fear escalating. "We didn't run that far we should've reached the first floor by now. We're still so high up!"

Her voice cracked. Selah's heart sank.

"No it can't be," she whispered. "This is the Devil's Triangle."

"What?" Stellan asked, a chill in his voice.

"It traps you in a loop. No matter how far you run, you can't escape," Selah said, growing panicked.

"No way," Stellan murmured. He ran down the stairs, shouting, "I'll check it out. Stay here!"

"I'll go with you," Selah said quickly. "It's too dangerous."

They rushed down, leaving Freya and Francis behind. They could hear their footsteps fading.

"Are you guys there yet?" Freya called out.

Francis shouted, "Stellan, can you hear us?" There was no response.

2/4 7:34 AM

Chapter 456 (Continued)

Freya murmured, trembling. Francis, feeling the growing dread, suggested, "Maybe we should go find them?"

Before Freya could answer, they heard heavy footsteps above, getting closer. Someone was coming… and it wasn't Selah or Stellan.

The text has been significantly improved in terms of grammar, punctuation, and flow. However, there are still some minor inconsistencies, particularly in Chapter 156, which appears to be a flashback or a scene occurring at a different time. Clarifying the timeline will improve the overall narrative coherence.