Sylvia kept squirming, her bound wrists now showing red marks.
"Ouch! It hurts, okay? Come on, untie me! I can’t even feel my fingers anymore!"

Toni stood behind the couch, keeping watch. But his face was starting to show doubt.
Meanwhile, I was organizing the documents we had just found in Sylvia’s safe deposit box.

"I’m serious. Can’t you see I’ve given up? My arms are killing me, I swear. How can you be so heartless?" Sylvia tried to charm Toni.

I narrowed my eyes. "Don’t listen to her. She’s just putting on a show."

Sylvia rolled her eyes, then quickly changed her expression into one of sorrow as she looked at Toni, eyes pleading.

"If you take me back to Wonderland, I’m scared I won’t make it out alive. You know how cruel that old man is! Do you think he’ll forgive me? He’ll probably cut my tongue out—or worse—"

"Enough!" I snapped.
But Toni looked hesitant. I recognized that look—guilt and hesitation—exactly what Sylvia was best at exploiting.

And sure enough, the moment Toni took a step closer, probably just to check her restraints, Sylvia suddenly kicked the coffee table with all her strength.

CRASH!

Coffee spilled, glass shattered, shards scattered across the floor.

In the chaos, Sylvia rolled off the sofa and tried to stand, even with her hands still tied. Her bare feet bolted toward the door.

"Hey! Stop!" Toni shouted.

But I moved faster. With one long stride, I caught her by the arm—accidentally yanking her long hair back—pulling her down hard to the floor.

"Ow! You bitch! That hurt!" Sylvia shrieked, thrashing.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my rage in check.

"Drama, manipulation, and now trying to escape? Do you think I was born yesterday?"

Sylvia winced, eyes brimming with tears.
"You don’t understand… they’ll torture me if you take me back…"

"Good," I said coldly. "Now you’ll get a taste of what you’ve done to others."

Toni stood behind me, silent. Then he sighed and said quietly,
"Sorry, Miss. But your game’s over."

I glanced at Toni.
"We're getting her out of here now. Don’t give her another chance."

After making sure everything we needed was packed, I told Toni to bring the car to the front of the house—or more precisely, the villa Sylvia had rented to hide out.

“We’re heading back to the city after this. Make sure you’ve brought everything you want,” I said, glancing at Sylvia, who was still sitting with her hands tied to one of the living room chairs.

She shook her head. “No, that’s all. The stuff I listed earlier is enough.”

I almost scoffed. *‘Enough,’ she says…* The amount of stuff she asked to bring nearly exceeded the car’s trunk capacity.

Toni honked the horn outside, signaling that he was ready and waiting.

“Come on, you should get in the car first.” I gestured for Sylvia to follow me. She walked slowly behind me.

We stepped out toward the car, neatly parked in front of the villa gate. But then I noticed Toni standing with someone else. I frowned and tilted my head slightly, trying to get a better look at the man next to him.

Moving quickly, I motioned for Sylvia to get in the car before anyone could see her tied up.

“Oh, this is Eddi,” Toni explained. “He said he’s the caretaker of this place. Wants to help load the luggage into the car.”

“You two handle it. I’ll wait inside,” I said, climbing into the car. “Let’s not waste time before it gets dark.”

“Yes, sir.” Toni turned back toward the villa with Eddi following him.

\*\*

Sylvia stayed quiet for the most part. Every now and then, I glanced at the rearview mirror, just to make sure she wasn’t up to something shady.

“Sir, I think we need to stop at a gas station,” Toni said, pointing to the fuel gauge. “Better safe than stranded.”

“Yeah, good idea.” I pulled out my card and handed it to him.

Suddenly, I heard Sylvia chuckling softly from the backseat, making me turn around, curious.

“Well, well… You’re not just some random guy, are you?” she said, eyeing me sharply.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I frowned.

She nodded toward Toni, who had just gotten out to pay at the pump.

“I’m talking about the card you gave your ‘assistant’—that was a black card, wasn’t it? Please. I’m not an idiot.” She scoffed and smirked a little. “You’re definitely not just some hired help. Either you’re from a powerful family or involved with some big boss. No way this is just about taking me back to Wonderland.”

I gave her a slight smile. “You’re not entirely wrong. But explaining my current situation to you wouldn’t really help anything.”

“No worries. No need to get into the details. You already said you’re the husband of one of my coworkers, right?” Sylvia took a breath. “Well then, once we get back to Wonderland, get ready. I’m going to tell you everything.”

“Not necessary. You and your Madam can handle that. My job, the one your Madam gave me, is simple—find you and bring you home. That’s it.”

“Oh please. As if that’s really *not* your business. You’re obviously some rich guy’s kid.” Her voice was low, but sharp. Right then, Toni got back in the car, silencing us both.

“Here you go, sir,” Toni said, handing the card back to me. “Tank’s full. We’re good to go now.”

“Ah, yeah. Let’s hit the road,” I replied quickly, suddenly distracted.

*How the hell does she know I’m the son of a big shot?* Had she known all along?

My phone buzzed gently. Probably El—her earlier message still hadn’t been answered.

“Hello?” I answered, and sure enough, it was her.

“Hey, honey! Why haven’t I heard from you? Where are you now?” Her voice instantly lifted my mood. Just hearing her made everything feel better.

“Still on the road. What’s up? Missing me already?” I teased. “Don’t worry. I’ll be home before lunch tomorrow.”

“Okay... I’ll be patient. Just drive safe, okay? Don’t rush.”

“Relax, I’m not speeding.” I smiled as she ended the call.

“Thats your wife isnt it, huh?” Sylvia chimed in from the back. “She must really love her husband. Now I’m curious who the lucky lady is…” she added with a chuckle.

**"