?<strong>Chapter 1563:</strong>


    As she and Jayden wandered through the whispering woods, her phone buzzed with an unexpected friend request.


    Elyse’s eyes widened at the name glowing on her phone screen, her mind refusing to ept what she saw. She thrust the phone toward Jayden, her voice barely a whisper. “Is that Reba befriending me? Am I losing my mind? Can it really be her?”


    “Profile picture and name match,” Jayden remarked, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Seems someone’s eager to give you a piece of their mind.”


    While Jayden found humor in the situation, Elyse felt her stomach twist into knots.


    With trembling fingers, she epted the friend request and typed out, “Is there something I can help you with?”


    Reba’s response shot back like an arrow, “Why are you backing out of the performance? I can’t fathom your refusal. Don’t tell me you’re worried about payment.”


    Elyse released a weary breath. “This isn’t a decision I’ve made lightly. I simply don’t wish to participate. Money has nothing to do with it.”


    “Funny, I don’t recall discussing payment during ourst conversation,” Reba countered. “Let me make you an offer that will change your mind. Sleep on it and get back to me.”


    Then came the deafening silence. Reba vanished into the digital void, leaving Elyse’s messages floating unanswered.


    Elyse turned to Jayden, frustration etched across her face. “What’s her angle? She’s practically begging me to join this performance, yet we’re practically strangers. I could count our meetings on one hand.”


    “Your guess is as good as mine,” Jayden mused, shaking his head. “But this level of pushiness? That’s setting off all kinds of rm bells.”


    Elyse’s brow furrowed. Despite her clear rejection, Reba was like a dog with a bone, refusing to let go.


    “She wears a mask of sweetness, but underneath? Pure control freak.”


    “Took the words right out of my mouth,” Jayden agreed. “These kinds of invitations? They’re usually strings attached to puppet masters. Better to cut them before they can pull.”


    With each passing second, Elyse’s resolve to avoid the performance crystallized like ice.


    g???????ν??????.??????, – ???????? ???????????????? ????


    Two hours melted away as they wandered the woods, finally leading them back to Cody’s doorstep.


    They found Cody in the kitchen, arranging freshly cut fruit in a bowl. His face brightened at their arrival. “Help yourselves. The neighbors’ orchards were generous this season.”


    As Elyse settled into her seat, sampling the fruit, she recounted her digital encounter with Reba.


    Cody’s face transformed, darkness seeping into his features as he let out a sharp, bitterugh. “Some snakes never shed their skin.”


    Elyse’s eyes widened, curiosity sparking in their depths. Did he know Reba? But the math didn’t add up—Reba couldn’t be a day over thirty, while Cody was well into his fifties.


    .


    .


    .