Twenty-Six receipts of betrayal Novel novel Chapter 73

Chapter 4

A surge of desperation pushed me to speak–to cry for help, to expose everything.

But all that came out of my throat were raspy, broken gasps.

That’s when Cassian quickly walked over, positioning himself between me and the climber.

“Hey, no worries, thanks for asking. This is my fiancée–we’re part of a photography crew.”

“She’s just dealing with some altitude sickness, plus we had a little spat earlier. She’s throwing a tantrum right now. Sorry about that.”

His explanation sounded completely reasonable.

Lyra immediately rushed over too, putting on her best concerned and helpless expression:

“Yeah, exactly! Sir, my… uh, my sister’s not feeling great and she’s in a mood, insisting on resting here. We can’t talk

sense into her.”

“It’s fine though, we’ll sort it out in a bit. You guys go ahead.”

The climber looked suspiciously at my ghostly pale face, then back at Cassian and Lyra, clearly hesitating.

“You sure she doesn’t need help? Look like she’s in serious trouble.”

He pressed again, his sharp gaze sweeping over Cassian.

“Really, we’re good! Seriously!” Cassian waved, his smile becoming even more convincing.

“We’re all professional photographers–we work in high altitudes all the time. We know what we’re doing.”

“She’s just tired and throwing a fit like a little kid. She’ll be fine after she rests up. Right, Isolde?”

As he spoke, he actually bent down and–under the guise of being gentle–dug his fingers hard into my arm, hissing under his breath:

“Don’t embarrass me. Tell him you’re fine!”

The sharp pain from his grip shot through me, but my throat couldn’t make a sound.

I used every last bit of strength to reach out, trying to signal for help, my eyes filled with desperate pleading.

But to the outsider, my struggling probably just looked like more evidence of me having a meltdown.

Twenty–Six Receipts of Betrayal: My Silence Was the Countdown to His Eternal Regret

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Chapter 4

The climber watched our weird interaction, glanced at the photography equipment in the distance, and finally nodded:

“Alright then, just be careful out there.”

“We got a weather advisory for this area–there’s potential avalanche risk this afternoon. You guys should get to lower ground soon.”

He threw one last uneasy look my way before turning to rejoin his team.

Hope vanished like a spark stamped out in the snow.

Watching those orange figures disappear into the swirling snow, Cassian’s fake smile vanished immediately.

He spun around and coldly addressed Lyra and the other assistants:

“Pack it up. We’re moving out!”

“What about her?”

A young assistant asked softly, a trace of reluctance in her tone.

Cassian shot me a look like I was trash left behind.

“She loves putting on shows. Let her sit here and cool off by herself!”

“We’ll pick her up on the way down–after we get the shots.”

Lyra couldn’t suppress the smirk spreading across her face as she put on her fake concerned act:

“Cassian, this doesn’t feel right… what if there’s an avalanche…”

“What if, what if?” Cassian cut her off.

“She ripped her own clothes off in some psychotic breakdown. You tried to help her, and she twists it around to make you the villain!”

“Someone this ungrateful? If she dies, she brought it on herself!”

His words were ice–cold, even carrying a hint of venom.

Apparently that still wasn’t enough to satisfy him, he looked up and gestured to Lyra:

“Go through her pack. Take the spare fleece and the sleeping bag.”

“And check if she’s got any food or water on her–take all of it. She’s not gonna use it anyway, no point wasting them!”

Twenty–Six Receipts of Betrayal: My Silence Was the Countdown to His Eternal Regret

Chapter 4

Lyra’s eyes lit up and she nodded:

“You’re absolutely right, Cassian. The shoot comes first.”

She eyed the down jacket I was still wearing.

“Actually, Cassian. I’m getting pretty cold. Maybe I could borrow Isolde’s jacket?”

“She’s not moving around anyway. I can give it back when we come down to get her.”

“Alright, bundle up a bit more–don’t catch a cold.”

Cassian agreed without a second thought, clearly not giving a damn if I froze to death.

Lyra got all excited and started trying to strip my jacket off.

I don’t know where the strength came from, but I clutched the jacket with everything I had.

Seeing me resist, Cassian actually helped Lyra pin me down.

Within moments, they’d worked together to wrestle my down jacket off.

Lyra apparently wasn’t satisfied yet–she started going for my thermal underlayer.

No…NO! This was my LAST line of defense against the cold.

WITHOUT IT, I’M DEAD.

I gripped the neckline, staring at Cassian with blood–red eyes.

But he showed zero guilt, reaching out to help Lyra tear it away from me.

“Let go! You’re tough as nails–you can handle it!”

“Lyra’s delicate. She can’t afford to catch cold!”

Hearing those words, I fell into complete despair and let my hands go limp, ready to accept death.

Just as Cassian was about to rip off my last piece of thermal clothing, the thunderous roar of helicopter rotors suddenly echoed from the distance.

Just as he ripped off my last piece of thermal clothing, a deep, rhythmic sound cut through the wind-

Whump–whump–whump.

A helicopter!

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