As Audrey Sutton and Shane Warner were walking towards the RV, Audrey turned her head to look around. Flora Lane and Lucian Quinn were nowhere to be seen, perhaps still on their stroll.
Laura Yates and Vanessa Sterling, on the other hand, were sitting on the picnic mat, chatting as the wind blew, while Clary played nearby with toys on the mat.
Audrey let go of Shane Warner’s arm and walked over to Laura, asking, "Do you want to co with us?"
Laura looked down at Clary and smiled, saying, "This little guy napped too much in the afternoon. He doesn’t seem sleepy yet. We’ll play a bit more. You can go ahead."
Audrey asked, "Have you seen my brother Scott?"
Laura turned her head to look around and replied, "He was just sitting here, not sure where he went."
Vanessa said, "He probably went back to the car. I saw him take a glass of wine and head towards the road."
Audrey was aware that Scott Sutton was on this trip just to quietly enjoy it. For him, sitting alone with a glass of fine red wine was the best travel experience.
"Anna fell asleep, so I’m heading back to the RV. If you get cold, feel free to play in the tent."
Laura nodded, "Alright, you guys rest up."
Returning to the roadside, Audrey was worried Scott would feel neglected, so she got so snacks from the food truck and headed to Scott’s RV, knocking on the door.
Caught up watching a live stream on the sofa, Scott was taken aback, muted his phone, and opened the door to find Audrey standing there. "What’s up?" he asked.
Audrey chuckled, "I noticed you didn’t eat much tonight, so I brought you so food."
Scott took the tray from Audrey’s hands, saying, "I already ate at the food truck."
Bringing food was just an excuse for Audrey, as she glanced around the room, trying to gauge the situation. Noticing Scott in pajamas, she asked, "Are you already asleep? Aren’t you the ’Prince of the Night’?"
Hearing this ridiculous nickna, Scott frowned and answered plainly, "I’m about to sleep."
Audrey sensed sothing was off but couldn’t pinpoint it. She awkwardly laughed, "Alright then, I’m going to rest too. I thought if you were bored, you’d join them for so gas."
Scott replied, "I know myself; your brother isn’t shy. You don’t need to arrange my schedule. Go do your thing."
With that, Scott closed the door, leaving Audrey standing outside, stunned for a few seconds.
Suddenly, it dawned on her. Her brother was brushing her off, eager to send her away.
Could there be a woman hidden in his room?
That couldn’t be. Her brother wasn’t like Faye Xavier, and he hadn’t flirted with any girls all day. Could it be that he simply wanted the trip to adjust his previous unhealthy habits and has started sleeping early?
Scott returned to the room, locked the door, and leaned back on the sofa to continue watching Evelyn Linton’s live stream.
It’s been two days; Evelyn must have noticed he hadn’t been ho, yet no word from her.
On the screen, she remained livelier and more talkative than ever, as if she didn’t care about Scott’s absence.
Though Scott made no efforts or hints to remind her, deep down, he hoped for a notification dot to appear in the chat window with Evelyn’s ssages.
At half-past ten, Clary started to fuss. Laura and Vanessa began to pack up, preparing to return to the RV.
Laura, holding the child, pointed at a nearby tent and said to Vanessa, "The bottle Clary used during the day is in that tent. Could you grab it for , Vanessa?"
"Sure, I’ll tidy up the toys here. You both head back to the RV, I’ll be there soon," Vanessa replied.
Laura, busy comforting Clary, headed towards the roadside with him in her arms.
Vanessa collected the toys into a small basket, feeling a strange unease under the night sky.
Standing with the toy basket, she looked around. The area was filled with camping tents, groups were chatting and entertaining themselves. Nothing seed suspicious.
Was it just the darkness creating this unease?
It felt like eyes were watching her from the shadows, sending shivers of fear down her spine.
Hastily placing the basket inside an empty tent, Vanessa wrapped her jacket tighter and quickly headed back to the road.
Once inside the warm cabin of the vehicle, with the door closed, the uneasy feeling slowly faded away.
...
At midnight, people still circled the large table playing Truth or Dare. The barbecue stand was operational, while nearby, young folks played guitars and sang unknown folk songs.
After hours of gaming, everyone had drunk quite a bit.
Especially Seraphina Vaughn, who’d lost the most since Julian Bishop joined.
Julian didn’t intend to target her, since the card draws were purely random, but she kept losing.
Noticing Seraphina was getting tipsy, Julian checked his watch, then suggested, "It’s getting late; maybe we should call it a night?"
Seraphina was the first to object, standing up, "No way! Keep going. I won’t stop until you’re defeated!"
Julian: "..."
He couldn’t understand why Seraphina was antagonizing him, as he had no mory of offending her.
With Seraphina having drunk so much, Barry Barrett looked concerned and said, "Alright, one more hour, then we’ll all go to rest. We shouldn’t bother others here."
Seraphina agreed, "One hour it is. Let’s continue!"
As Faye Xavier finished drawing a card, she pretended to fetch another drink while whispering to the brunette beside her, "You’d better hurry, there isn’t much ti left."
The brunette glanced at Julian Bishop, chuckled, and said, "Seems like he’s more interested in that girl."
Looking at Seraphina Vaughn, Faye imdiately replied, "No way, they’re not even close."
Moreover, since Seraphina is Audrey Sutton’s friend, he wouldn’t ddle. If things went wrong, she’d tell Master Shane, and with just her word, Master Shane would be unforgiving. He wouldn’t dare risk causing trouble for Julian Bishop, a man in his thirties who’s never been kissed, just to seek so favor.
No point in doing sothing troubleso without any gain.
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