Chapter 61: Escape Until Death
By the ti breakfast service ended and the morning rush to lectures began, a surprising number of students had already abandoned their schedules and converged on the hotel. They ca in waves, drawn by the irresistible pull of fresh scandal, treating the building like so sacred site on a pilgrimage route.
A large crowd surged toward the entrance, their excited chatter loud enough to make the front-desk clerk flinch behind the counter. Blackmail collection? No—more like a public shaming. But there were far too many of them. Whoever had been cuckolded clearly wanted the other guy dead on the spot.
The clerk worried a real cri might break out and he’d be the one left holding the liability. After a tense mont he gathered his courage, flagged down one of the girls near the front, and asked, "Excuse ... what exactly is everyone here for?"
The girl’s eyes lit up instantly. Gossip wasn’t just thrilling to hear—it felt even better to be the one spreading it.
She leaned in, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You haven’t heard? The Frost family—you know them, right? Their heiress booked a room here with so guy. Right in your hotel."
"Seriously?" The clerk’s mouth fell open, disbelief plain on his face. Anyone local knew the Frost na. Even if he couldn’t picture the exact daughter, the fact that a Frost was checking into a place like this with a boy was nuclear-level gossip.
The girl shot him a knowing look. "Little bro, don’t you keep registration records? Just peek and confirm it’s real."
The clerk almost nodded on instinct, then caught himself. "No, we can’t release guest information. Privacy policy."
If word got out that they leaked details, the hotel’s reputation would be finished. And this involved a Frost heiress—he couldn’t afford that kind of trouble.
Maybe he’d sneak a look later... just for himself.
The girl clicked her tongue, ready to press harder, when a ripple of uneven gasps swept through the crowd behind her.
Both she and the clerk turned at the sa ti. A sleek, top-tier luxury sedan had pulled up to the curb without anyone noticing. The driver’s door opened, and a striking figure stepped out—silver hair catching the light like polished moonlight, every movent radiating untouchable elegance no matter the ti or place.
It was Giselle Frost.
The scene ignited like the opening of a sold-out concert. Excitent crackled through the group as every eye locked onto her. Any lingering doubt about the photo vanished the instant she appeared. This was undeniable.
Rich kids dating wasn’t rare. Even if the girl was their classmate, even if she was the Frost heiress, it would normally cause a splash but not this kind of frenzy. But Giselle Frost was different. She was the campus ice queen—cold, untouchable, aristocratic. Countless guys who styled themselves as dream boys had crashed against her glacial walls and walked away bruised. For soone like her to be plucked like a snow lotus from the mountaintop... the shock was visceral.
Under the weight of all those stares Giselle moved forward, expression not blank but serenely indifferent, as though the crowd and their opinions simply didn’t register. She walked straight into the hotel without breaking stride.
The mont she disappeared up the stairs the lobby exploded. Phones flew out. ssages flew faster. "Skip lecture—this one’s worth it. Get over here and watch the show!"
Soone who had been recording the entire ti fired the clip into their class group chat: "The post was real. Giselle Frost actually checked into a hotel with a guy!!!"
In seconds the story consud everyone—those present and those still rushing over—like they were all starring in the drama themselves.
Upstairs, Giselle’s brows drew together in a faint frown. Her outward calm hid the unrest beneath.
She didn’t understand why this was anyone’s business. Even if the photo told the full story—which it didn’t—it was still her private matter. What did it have to do with any of these strangers?
She reached the door and knocked firmly. On the way over she had already tried calling Elias; his phone had gone straight to voicemail.
He was clearly overwheld and had chosen to hide.
Even she, with almost no close friends on campus, had fielded calls from her mother and a handful of childhood acquaintances. For Elias the pressure had to be crushing.
For once, Giselle could almost sympathize.
She knocked again—louder.
No answer from inside.
Was he not here?
Giselle shook her head. Impossible. She understood his patterns well enough by now. Faced with sothing like this he wouldn’t stay on campus; he would run. And this hotel was the only place he could realistically disappear into.
Maybe the scandal had broken while he was still on campus and he simply hadn’t made it back yet?
The possibility tightened her frown, but she stayed put.
She knocked harder. "Elias!"
Her voice cut through the hallway like icy river water—cold, sharp, carrying.
Still nothing.
Giselle turned to leave when the lock clicked.
She paused, glancing back.
The door opened to reveal a pair of reddened eyes, long lashes glistening with unshed tears, two clear tracks of moisture down pale cheeks.
He had been crying.
Elias stared at her through the haze of tears, saying nothing. The helplessness was written all over him—like a fledgling bird abandoned in a high nest, seemingly safe yet utterly trapped.
Giselle’s lips parted. "Let’s go."
Elias recoiled as if she had offered him a cliff edge. He shook his head, voice trembling. "Downstairs... there are so many people..."
Giselle gave a small nod. "Exactly why we need to leave."
"Before the crowd gets any bigger. Now."
His only reply was a slow, unsteady step backward.
Her eyes chilled. Was running all he knew how to do?
"What else can you do besides run away?"
It was the first ti Giselle had ever spoken to him with real sharpness.
"I—I..." Elias faltered, shaking his head again. Golden strands clung damply to his tear-streaked face, hiding his expression.
Watching him like this, sothing buried deep inside Giselle’s mory flickered—sothing she had never wanted to face. A trace of ruthlessness flashed through her gaze. "If you’re so desperate to escape, why not just jump from here and end it?!"
Elias’s tears stopped instantly.
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