Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon novel Chapter 449

“Nita? Nita, are you still there?” Effie called into her phone several times, but Nita’s voice never came back.

Her grandmother looked over, concern creasing her face. “Effie, what’s wrong?”

“Nita dropped her phone—I’m going to look for her, see what happened,” Effie replied, grabbing her jacket.

Her grandmother cautioned, “Be careful. If anything feels off, get out of there right away.”

Effie chuckled as she pulled on her shoes. “So you’re telling me to act like a scared little turtle and hide if there’s trouble?”

Her grandmother shot her a look, lips twitching at the corners. “Better to be called a coward than to end up hurt. Nothing is more important than your life.”

“Fair point. After all these years under your influence, I must’ve inherited your survivor’s instincts. I’m all about self-preservation,” Effie teased.

Her grandmother couldn’t help but laugh, giving Effie a playful nudge. “You and that smart mouth of yours.”

Effie grinned and called back, “I’ll be back before you know it, Grandma.”

“Alright, take care.”

As soon as the door clicked shut, her grandmother’s smile faded. She fumbled for her glasses, quickly dialing Lyman’s number.

…

Effie hadn’t been on the road long when Vinson Elliott and Randell showed up.

Effie, who had just started her car, caught a glimpse of movement in the mirror and tensed—until Vinson rolled down his window, flashing a wide, reassuring grin. Effie exhaled, relief flooding her.

“Effie!” Vinson called, waving. From the passenger seat, Randell leaned over and greeted her, “Hey Effie, fancy running into you out here! Where are you off to?”

Randell smirked. “Shouldn’t you be happy to have someone so driven on your team? What’s there to be annoyed about?”

Vinson frowned, caught off guard by the question. Why was he so irritated?

“I’m not some heartless boss. I didn’t force anyone into this. If Effie gets mad at me over this, then what?”

There it was—the real worry. Vinson wasn’t afraid of Effie; he was afraid of the man behind her.

Soon, they pulled up in front of the old building where the escape room game was supposed to be—a long-abandoned private school.

The place had a grim reputation. Years ago, a student had died on the grounds, and since then, ghost stories had flourished. Eventually, fear drove students and parents away, and the place fell into ruin.

Vinson shivered, skin prickling with goosebumps. “Jeez, the grass is taller than I am. Even in broad daylight, this place is creepy as hell. What kind of idiot would come here for fun?” he muttered.