Eighteen Again: The CEO's Wife was a Delinquent
Chapter 228 - Playing In The Fire

Dylan curls the side of his lips up into a smirk and quips, "I think the dead have all the time in the world. Don't you?"

"If you're referring to yourself, good for you..." Cassidy spat out.

"But right now, we'd like you to step out of the way."

"What a feisty little niece. As expected of an Eleanor~"

Dylan gestures with his hand, ordering Evelyn and Keith, who are flanked by his side, to lower their weapons. Their actions only serve to put Cassidy and Adrian on their guard. Ray stands off to the side, still trying to make sense of the entire situation.

"Fine, then. I will grant your wish, my dear niece. I will step aside," Dylan continued. 

"What's the catch?" Cassidy intrepidly asked, tightening her hold on Aira's hand.

"I want to propose a game."

"A game...?" Adrian echoed, feeling as though he was on the edge of a cliff, one push away from falling into tumultuous waters.

"What kind of game?"

"You'll understand. Do you know what time it is?"

There's a long pause for a moment, with them wondering at the motive behind his question. The plaster on the walls crack, curling in to the whim of the fire. Cassidy grits her teeth while Adrian clenches his fists. They're wasting time.

Cautiously, he lifts his wristwatch and answers, "Four minutes before six."

"Right you are..." Dylan said and grinned, an unhinged sort of look brimming in his eyes.

"In fifteen minutes, you will all die."

Everyone in the room tenses. Aira and Ray let out a frightened squeak. Adrian scowls while Cassidy questions, "Why don't you just do it now? You have the advantage."

"Ah, but that is no way to treat an adversary, Cassidy..." Dylan chided like he was scolding a child.

"In order for the hunt to be fair, both sides have to pose an advantage."

"'The hunt...?" Adrian repeated, his eyes narrowing in revulsion.

"What are we to you? Some sort of cattle?"

"Perhaps."

He laughed, loving his expression. It makes him want to play with them more - his niece who joined forces with their family's archenemies, and her husband who's yet to experience the consequences of his sins. 

"Now, we're all on the top floor of this building..." Dylan went on to say.

"The fire is spreading fast, but it won't burn this floor down just yet. All four of you have ten minutes to yourselves. My soldiers, all of whom are surrounding the building, will not actively try to kill you. You can use this time to plan an escape from your imminent deaths."

"What are you playing at, Dylan?" Adrian demanded, uncertainty in his voice.

"Nothing, really. Just playing a game."

Dylan still had his lips curled up, his teeth showing through like fangs. He looks like a demon that has broken out of the ninth circle of hell, free to do whatever he pleases.

"Your fifteen minutes start now."

With that, Dylan pivots on his heel histrionically, his cape billowing behind him. He disappears along with Keith and Evelyn - all three of them masked by fire and smoke.

"Who the hell was that...?!" Ray screeched once they were gone. 

"I don't want to die in fifteen minutes! I haven't even written my will yet!"

"We are not going to die..." Cassidy muttered sharply before glancing at Adrian. 

"Do you reckon the emergency exit is still safe?"

"Better than going down the stairs at this point."

He steps out the door and pauses for a moment, waiting for a sign that someone had drawn their gun. Deeming the coast is clear, he motions for them to come forward, and they head down the hallway in the direction Ray has pointed at.

The building quakes. Smoke obscures their path.

"Big sis, I'm scared," Aira intoned, trembling.

"Yeah..." Cassidy breathed, covering her nose with her palm when the floorboards groaned beneath them, long, thin flames reaching through the cracks like claws.

"Me too."

She catches Adrian's reaction to her words, his irises turning harshly to the corner of his eyes. His lips are then set into a pensive frown. She tries to smile at him – a half-hearted attempt at cheering him up and assuring him somehow. But he's not convinced. 

The building shudders again as they all hurry to the exit while flames gobble up their surroundings. 

"I don't understand..." Cassidy chimed in again, her voice hushed, as she helped Aira out onto the metal bars of the emergency stairwell.

"Why would he give us fifteen minutes? Is this a trap?"

"He said we should use this time to plan an escape," Adrian replied, furrowing his brows in thought. 

"How the hell are we supposed to do that in this state?" Ray whined in despair.

"I don't know yet. Our first priority is getting out of the building. We'll deal with them once we're on the ground."

"Even if we do reach the ground, he said so himself – he's got the place surrounded! What are we going to do when they decide to open fire?"

"You're going to do nothing,"

Adrian said that to him curtly. He then ushered them down the steps just as the ceiling inside the establishment collapsed. They all flinch at the sound of the falling debris.

"Cassidy, you have to take Aira somewhere safe. You have the car keys," Adrian ordered. 

"And what are you going to do...?" Cassidy inquired, panic welling up in her system.

"I swear, if you're going to leave us behind to act as bait or something-"

"Nothing of the sort."

He interrupts her, but his lie is obvious. She glares at him.

"Alright. Fine. But your safety and Aira's safety are important..." he eventually admitted before she could protest further.

"Besides, we have allies, remember?"

Cassidy frowns, not at all liking what he's implying. She opens her mouth to voice her thoughts aloud. But then, gunshots erupt from below them all of the sudden. She cries out as stray bullets graze her shoulder and her right leg.

"Cassidy!" 

Horrified, Adrian immediately catches her as she falls forward, the wound on her leg impeding her from walking properly. Aira hastily rushes to her aid, shakily pulling a hanky from her pocket and handing it to her so she can wrap it around the bleeding hole in her calf.

There's a loud cackle from down below.

"What the hell...?!" Ray yelled, shaking his fist in the air angrily.

"You said we had fifteen minutes!"

"Didn't say we couldn't have our fun meanwhile..." Keith taunted, cocking his head. 

"We're a little trigger-happy down here. Don't mind us.. It's been a while since we could shoot like this."