Chapter 4 C4

Cherry decided that, no matter how bad the situation turned out to be, she would not give up.

There was no guarantee that it was going to be easy for Larry to catch her! It was too early to tell who would win and who would lose!

Cherry walked out of elevator No. 1 quickly and noticed all elevators had stopped on the first floor. Evidently, there were people waiting for her to appear on the first floor.

She smiled and pressed on the "Up" button. Soon, an elevator stopped on the second floor.

She got into the elevator and pressed on the button to the highest floor, the 48th floor. However, when the elevator doors were about to close, she pressed on another button to open the doors and stepped out of the elevator swiftly.

The elevator doors slid shut again and rose up to the 48th floor, but she headed for the stairs.

Cherry recalled a costume party happening on the third floor today. She heard that it was organized by a third-generation red1 and it would last throughout the night.

This might be her only chance of escape.

As Cherry approached the stairs, she pulled out a slim phone from the pocket of her jacket. There was only one contact saved on her phone. She quickly typed a few words and sent a message.

On the first floor, the doors of the private elevator opened and Larry stepped out. His icy aura spread across every inch of the hallway and the temperature of the entire floor seemed to have dropped by a few degrees in the blink of an eye.

"President, there's no one in the elevators. However, elevator No. 1 stopped on the second floor earlier. Then, elevator No. 2 ascended from the second floor. Perhaps the person you are looking for has gone up..." Manager Leo, who was on duty, mustered up his courage to report to his superior.

Larry did not seem to be surprised by this outcome. He glanced at elevator No. 2's rapidly increasing number and those deep, enigmatic eyes of his exuded a hint of suspicion. "Check the CCTV's footage."

CCTVs were installed at every corner of the hotel. He wanted to see how far the woman could run.

Manager Leo made a phone call immediately, but a sour expression soon appeared on his face.

"President, the hotel's CCTV system has been hacked. Every footage that was recorded since last night has been deleted. Now, all of the computer screens have gone black and every CCTV in the hotel can't be used."

"When did this happen?" Larry was momentarily stunned. His threatening gaze swept across the area. There was a dangerous aura about him and everybody around him was shocked speechless.

"Just now. Manager Zack said it happened five seconds before I called him..." Manager Leo badly wished that a hole would appear on the ground and swallow him. Right now, the President was terrifying.

Larry displayed a rollercoaster of emotions. His eyes narrowed with rage, as though a storm was approaching. He seemed hell-bent on punishing everyone that stood in his path. Yet, a wry smile crossed his face.

Apparently, he had underestimated her abilities. Things were getting interesting.

Manager Leo looked up and saw the current expression on the President's face. For one moment, he thought that his own heart had stopped beating. The President, whom he had known all along, had always been pleasant and approachable. This time around, however, the President was terrifying and everybody feared him.

In the meantime, elevator No. 2 stopped on the 48th floor.

"Is Mr. Lebron's costume party over?" Larry asked nonchalantly as he stole a glance at the elevator's display.

"Not yet." Manager Leo was unsure what the point behind the question was, but answered anyway.

"Mm." Larry smiled and his deep, dark eyes exuded a glint of sadistic pleasure, giving him a mysterious yet fearsome vibe.

"Secure all exits of the hotel and don't let anyone leave. Give me your handphone. Tell Steve to call me once he's here." Now, Larry had regained his usual calm demeanor.

Manager Leo was full of doubt but he dared not ask any further questions. He handed his phone over with a quaking hand.

Larry went straight for the third floor. If he was not mistaken, that woman must have gone to the costume party.

Indeed, Cherry had gone to the costume party on the third floor. She had changed her clothes and put on a fox mask. Currently, she was unable to leave the hotel on her own. Thus, she needed assistance.

She swept her gaze around the sea of people, searching for somebody. The hall was dimly-lit and everyone had put on a costume. Identifying someone under such conditions was no simple task.

Still, Cherry managed to recognize the person she was looking for -- Henry Max.

It was said that Henry was a dangerous man. He was hedonistic, cunning, sinister and as sly as a fox. Also, he happened to be Hardy Max's younger brother, and today was the day of her engagement with Hardy.

Assuming Cherry had the choice, she would not want to look for him. Then again, she did not have a better alternative at the moment.

Henry was the only person whom she recognized among this crowd. Coincidentally, she was aware of some secrets of his family.

"Henry!" She approached the man and called him out.

He stopped for a while before turning around. He glanced at her emotionlessly.

She was not surprised by his reaction.

She greeted him and smiled wanly. "Seeing how he is able to party here all night, does this mean that his family's recent problems have been settled?" She uttered each word carefully while stepping closer to him. Then, she added, "Like the time your cousin purposefully killed two people with his car; the time your father's mistress got pregnant but died suddenly a few days ago; the time..."

She understood his character. Despite his hedonistic personality, he still cared about matters concerning his family.

There was a subtle change in his expression. He grabbed her wrist without warning. "Who are you?"

Cherry merely looked at him in a friendly manner but did not say a word.

"Tell me what you want." He looked at her closely. He was a smart man and naturally, he knew she was up to something.

"I need to leave this hotel as soon as possible." Cherry maintained her smile in spite of her anxiety. She spoke calmly without showing her uneasiness.

"Is it difficult to leave the hotel?" Henry frowned. He was surprised by her request.

"Right now, it's difficult for me. That's why I need your help." Cherry nodded slowly.

"Sir, this is a costume party. Please wear a mask." Larry was stopped outside the hall.

To avoid wasting precious seconds, Larry took a mask and wore it instead of arguing. After that, he quickly headed inside the hall.

"Alright, I'll help you." Among the crowd, Henry regarded her with fascination. He desired to find out who this woman was.

"Let's go." Without releasing his grip on her wrist, he tugged her along and walked outside.

Quietly, Cherry heaved a sigh of relief. As she was about to follow Henry, someone caught hold of her waist. Before she had time to scream, her whole body was dragged into another man's arms.