âOf course! This place is off-limits. My Dad and Levant have repeatedly warned me not to come here. Otherwise, theyâll lock me up with you.â
After sizing up Stephen, the girl sighed, âI wouldnât complain about being stuck here with you if youâre ten years younger. Too bad⦠â
âAre you saying that Iâm old?â asked Stephen after checking himself out.
âCome on. Youâre as old as my Dad.â
Stephen lowered his head and chuckled, âThatâs true, I guess. Youâre not much older than my daughter. Iâd consider myself blessed if I were to have a daughter like you.â
âExcuse me? Youâre treating me like Iâm your daughter now? Please donât. Besides, I think weâre a pretty good match, and I donât mind that youâre a little older.â
Meanwhile, Evan who was hiding in the room was as shocked as Stephen to hear those words.
He had initially thought that his father-in-law was getting tortured in the Wicked Palace, but he never expected the man to have such luck there. I wonder how Nicole is going to feel about this if she ever finds out.
âI know that youâre an open-minded and cheerful person, but you shouldnât joke about that.â
âIâm not joking, I mean what I said. Letâs just forget about our age and run away together. What do you say?â
Stephen gazed at the spontaneous girl with the bold but terrifying idea. âYou didnât come here just to talk about this, did you?â
âNo. I want to know why my Dad hates you so much. He wants nothing more than to send you to hell, and I need to know why.â
Stephen would rather not bring up the past as there were more important things to do at hand.
âYou really want to know?â
âYes.â Avril nodded vigorously.
âDo me a favor then, and Iâll tell you when itâs done.â
âName it.â
Stephen brought Avril into the room, and her jaw dropped when she saw Evan.
After staring at Evanâs handsome face for a while, Avril turned to Stephen. âWhoâs he?â
âA friend who sneaked in to see me. Can you get him out of here safely?â
âIâm not leaving here without you!â Evan was determined.
âWhat does a man like you want him for? Besides, Iâll be lonely if he leaves.â Avril looked at Evan in puzzlement.
Narrowing his eyes at Avril, Evan found it hard to believe that the girl before him was Murphyâs daughter. âYou could run away with us. Then, you wonât have to sneak in here ever again. Didnât you just say that you wanted to elope with him?â
With her brow knitted, Avril thought about it and decided that it was a good idea. Not only will I be able to get Stephen out of here, but Iâll also be making my dream come true. But how am I going to get these two out, though? Itâs going to be hard sneaking two men out under the guardsâ nose.
Stephen looked at Evan with mixed feelings. What is this punk planning in that head of his? If we get tangled up with Murphyâs daughter, there will be no more peace at the estate. On top of that, taking Avril with us will only make it harder for us to leave unnoticed.
Looking as calm as ever, Evan thought it was more important for them to get out and deal with the girl later.
After some thought, Avril sighed because they seemed to be out of options. âWe have to be careful. If my Dad and Levant find out about this, weâll be dead before we know it.â
âYour father would kill you?â
Avril nodded. âItâs possible.â
Wow. That bad, huh? Then we better be extra careful.
âIâm going to go now. Iâll be back again once I think of something.â