Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

No matter how hard they pushed, the stone wouldn't budge. Not even a little.

Eventually, they had to give up trying to break through the surface at least fornoveldrama

now.

Connor let out a frustrated sigh. “This isn't working. There has to be a way out. Maybe there's some kind of mechanism we're missing."

So they tried everything else they could think of. They pressed every stone at the bottom of the pool, hoping to trigger a hidden switch or lever-anything. But nothing happened.

Two exhausting hours slipped by. They'd been diving up and down so many times their arms and legs felt like lead.

But what worried them more was the thought of Grant catching on to what they were doing. Chloe knew Grant well enough to guess they had, at most, until morning before he noticed something was off.

Chloe flopped onto the platform, gasping for breath. "Twenty-three has to be a clue from my mentor. That's where we need to start."

That was when she spotted something at the very edge of the pool—a thin, almost invisible measuring line. It was there to show the water level.

Right now, the water was at the two-meter mark. The pool itself was three meters deep.

Suddenly, it hit her.

"It's not twenty-three," Chloe said, sitting up straight. "It's two point three. When the water level hits exactly two point three meters, the pressure should trigger the mechanism above. That's the only time the stone will move."

Connor stared at her, clearly impressed. "How do you even know this stuff?"

Chloe didn't answer. Her mentor had once been obsessed with all kinds of hidden traps and ancient escape routes. Chloe had picked up a thing or two just by being around him. Of course, it was only a theory-she couldn't be sure.

But there was another problem: the water level was only at two meters. Unless Grant filled the pool again, it would never reach two point three.

And even if he did, Chloe was worried about something else. Once the water hit two point three meters, the pressure would only be perfect for a second or two. They'd have to be right at the exit, ready to act. If they missed that window, if the water went any higher, they'd lose their only shot.

Meanwhile, Grant checked the surveillance cameras. What he saw made his blood boil: Chloe and Connor, talking quietly, sometimes smiling at each other, sometimes leaning in close, completely O oblivious to the danger they were in. Even now, trapped together, they acted like nothing else mattered.

Why, even after losing all her memories, did Chloe still look at Connor like that?

His voice crackled through the speakers, cold and sharp. "Chloe, if you come with me, maybe I'll let Connor die quickly."

A holographic screen flickered to life above them, showing Grant's shadowy figure.

Chloe's voice was icy. "Keep dreaming, Grant. You can't kill us and you'll never tear us apart."

"Why?" Grant demanded, his face twisted with jealousy. "Why do you still choose him, even after forgetting everything?"

Chloe glared at him. "I lost my memories, not my common sense. Or do you really think I can't see what you are? You're a snake, Grant. Treacherous and cruel."

Grant's jaw clenched. "I'm your friend, Chloe. I did what I had to do. If you'd lived my life, maybe you would've made the same choices."

She shook her head. "You're no friend of mine. You betrayed your own master, turned your back on everyone. In my eyes, you're nothing but a rat, hiding in the dark because you're too scared to face the dight. No one will ever love you, Grant. You're destined to die alone, rotting in the shadows, eaten up by your own bitterness."

Grant's face turned to stone. "Be careful, Chloe. You're in my hands now. Do you

really want to push me?"