In the end, Sheryl decided to believe Coral. Her explanation was convincing because this was just the way she was. Coral wasn't offering to help Sheryl because she was kind-hearted. She knew how to use other people for her own benefit. She always put herself first.
After some hesitation, Sheryl said, "I can't call Charles from here. They have taken my phone. You have to call him for me."
Coral nodded. She got Charles' phone number from Sheryl and turned to leave. "I have to go now. I can't let Holley know that I was here. And rest assured, I will make the call," Coral told her.
"Thank you," Sheryl said in a low voice.
Susan breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally! A way out of here!" she said. "Sher, we should get some rest now."
"You go ahead," Sheryl said absent-mindedly. Though Coral had promised to help, she was still wary of the situation. Her instinct told her that it wouldn't go as smoothly as they expected. It was just too good to be true.
No, she couldn't put all her eggs in one basket. She needed to figure out other solutions besides Coral's help.
"Sher, what's wrong?" Susan looked at her in confusion. "Coral has promised that she will pass on your message to Charles. Why do you still look so tensed? Is something wrong?"
"I'm fine, Susan. Don't worry." Sheryl smiled at her and tried to make her feel at ease. "You go to bed first. I need to take a shower."
After leaving Sheryl's room, Coral didn't return to her own room. Since the phones in their rooms were only available for internal calls, and their cell phones had been taken by Holley, she had to make the call to Charles from outside.
Luckily, she was allowed to walk outside unlike Sheryl. So she decided to go to the lobby to borrow a phone from the hotel staff. However, the moment the lift door opened on the first floor, she saw Holley standing there, her face sullen.
"Miss... Miss Ye!" Coral stammered nervously. She lowered her head like a kid who had misbehaved and gulped nervously. She picked up the courage to look into her sharp eyes and asked, "It's really late, Miss Ye. You didn't go to bed yet?"
"How could I possibly sleep when you haven't gotten into bed yet?" Holley asked enigmatically. Holley had told her guards to keep a careful eye on Sheryl at all times and report to her whenever someone came for a visit.
As soon as Coral had walked into Sheryl's room, Holley had received the information. She had been waiting to see what Coral would do next.
"You should be in your room now. Why are you out here at such late hours? Are you going somewhere?" Holley questioned her coldly.
Coral started to tremble. She managed to manifest a weak smile and said, "Um...The room was really stuffy and I had difficulties falling asleep. So I thought I'll take a walk and clear my head. Miss Ye, would you like to join me?"
"No, thanks." Holley eyed her carefully.
Coral was relieved when she refused her offer. Having Holley with her was the last thing she wanted, because then, she wouldn't be able to call Charles.
A relaxed smile appeared on her face. "That's too bad. Good night, Miss Ye. I'll take a stroll and return to my room soon."
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