?Chapter 1309:


    Niks’s expression darkened, his voice icy. “Get out!”


    Damon protested, “Can’t this wait until we’re upstairs? You just said Father’s expecting us. What could be more urgent than that? Plus, don’t you need to report work to him? Let’s not waste time.”


    Niks’s brow furrowed in frustration.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dani’s gaze flicker toward him. Fearing Dani might grow suspicious, he stepped out of the elevator, muttering, “Fine, you go upstairs.”


    Without giving anyone a chance to respond, he pressed the button to close the elevator doors. The doors slid shut.


    Niks’s face darkened. He muttered to himself, “Damon, I told you to step out, but you refused. Don’t me me for being harsh.”


    The elevator, now holding five people, began its slow rise.


    Niks’s secretary, a man who had worked with him for years, immediately sensed something was off.


    A jolt of panic shot through him as the elevator trembled violently, his heart leaping into his throat. Without thinking, his hand shot out to press the button, desperately trying to stop the elevator at the nearest floor.


    Before he could act, a chorus of metallic screeches sliced through the air, followed by violent jolts that shook the elevator.


    The lights above flickered unpredictably before plunging the elevator into imprable darkness.


    The darkness was suffocating, absolute.


    The silence was overwhelming, so profound that every breath echoed loudly in the stillness.


    “Ah!” Niks’s secretary let out a terrified scream, his legs giving way as he crumpled to the floor in fear.


    gα?ησν????s offers tales worth telling


    Gravity took hold, sending the elevator plummeting down, the dull sounds within the cramped space amplifying with each passing moment.


    “Help!” The secretary’s voice was filled with desperation. “Help! I’m not ready to die! Is there anyone out there?”


    His hands banged desperately against the elevator doors in a frantic attempt to make someone hear him.


    The elevator trembled once more, as if responding to the panic that filled the air.


    “If you’re looking for a way out, banging on the doors won’t help,” Cedric frowned, grabbing the secretary and pulling him away.


    Dani’s fingers danced over the buttons, pressing each floor in turn.


    She pulled out her phone, only to find that there was no signal in the elevator’s ustrophobic confines.


    With a sigh, she switched on her phone’s shlight and attempted to call for help. However, the call failed to connect.


    Dani understood instantly—it was part of Niks’s scheme.


    She stopped trying to call and turned to Carol. “Hand me the knife.”


    Damon was shaken; he had never encountered anything like this. A mix of excitement and concern filled his eyes as he stared at Dani. “Why do you need a knife? We don’t know if the elevator is stuck on a floor or against a wall. It’s too dangerous to try forcing it open.”


    Dani nced at Damon, her expression unreadable. She hadn’t anticipated that he would share some of the same thoughts.


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