Chapter 9:

It seemed like centuries had passed, and the long and mournful ringtone echoed in the phone, almost suffocating...

"Huh?"

A gentle male voice came from the phone.

He answered.

Lalisa sat there; her soul seemed to have been sucked away, her body empty, with only her heart beating chaotically, the phone almost slipping from her hand. "Who is it?" After a long silence without a response, the person on the other end of the line showed impatience.

"It's... me."

Lalisa replied, her voice trembling.

An extended period passed, and silence enveloped the surroundings.

Thinking the other person couldn't hear her voice, Lalisa paused momentarily and said, "It's me; I'm Lalisa."

"I know it's you." Jayce Sherwood's initially gentle voice turned cold in an instant. "Didn't I say not to call me on my own? I don't want any unnecessary misunderstandings."

These refusal words were spoken with indifference.

Lalisa listened in confusion, suddenly not understanding why she longed for his help. "Jayce..."

"