: 2

Young Master Zane's eyes darted around as he fabricated an excuse.

​　　"Oh, Ian's in the kitchen! He said he wanted to personally taste-test the dishes for you today. He's especially concerned about the Australian lobster—he's insisting on watching the chef prepare it, worried it won't be to your liking."

​　　[Nice excuse! Props to Young Master Zane!]

​　　[As long as they can placate the villainess, they can just have someone secretly restart the cable car later.]

​　　[That scared the hell out of me. I thought the villainess was going to ask to see the security footage.]

I nodded, putting on a touched expression.

​　　"So he's in the kitchen. How thoughtful of him."

​　　Young Master Zane sighed in relief and reached out to push my wheelchair.

​　　"Yes, exactly! Thea, you should come with me to the Banquet Hall. It's cold here; we can't have your legs getting chilled."

​　　I slapped the brake lock with the back of my hand. The wheelchair didn't budge.

​　　"Well, if he's in the kitchen, then I can relax."

​　　I picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the call button again, right in front of Young Master Zane.

​　　"Engineering Department, since there are no passengers on the line, there's no need to rush the repairs. The wind and snow are too strong today; it would be dangerous for the crew to go up. Let's wait until the storm dies down. Safety first."

​　　The smile on Young Master Zane's face froze.

​　　"Th-Thea, I don't think that's a good idea. What if there are staff members still on the line?"

​　　"The system just completed a scan. The entire line is empty, except for the VIP car Ian Valerius prepared for me. It might have some gifts inside, but gifts aren't afraid of the cold, are they?"

I watched him with a placid smile.

​　　"Young Master Zane, didn't you just say he was in the kitchen? Since the line is empty, stopping it for three, maybe five, hours won't be a problem, right?"

​　　Cold sweat beaded on Young Master Zane's forehead.

​　　[Holy shit! Is this villainess a demon? Three to five hours? They'll be human popsicles when they get out!]

​　　[Young Master Zane, do something! Can't you just tell her the truth?]

​　　[Tell the truth? My ass! What are you going to say? That Ian Valerius is getting busy with his secretary in his fiancée's private cable car? You want to blow up the marriage alliance between the Valerius and Linwood families?]

I watched the frantic messages on the Live Commentary System, a cold, vicious glee blooming in my heart.

​　　'As long as they don't tell the truth, this just looks like a necessary shutdown for safety.'

​　　'Ian Valerius, your own best friend just personally sealed off your only way out.'

​

​　　Young Master Zane was still trying to squirm, his phone vibrating frantically in his pocket. It must have been a distress call from Ian Valerius's phone—the one I'd locked in a cabinet.

​　　"Um, Thea, it is our engagement party, after all. Having the cable car shut down is a bad omen, don't you think? Why don't we just..."

​　　"A bad omen?"

I cut him off, my eyes turning cold.

​　　"If we run it while it's malfunctioning and someone gets killed, that's not just a bad omen, it's a genuine tragedy. For you to insist so strongly on restarting it, Young Master Zane... Do you have something up there that can't see the light of day?"

​　　My retort left Young Master Zane speechless.

​　　Just then, the door to the Control Room was pushed open again.

​　　This time, it was Rory Shaw's best friend, Quinn Lynch, who was also the bridesmaid for today.

​　　She was dressed to the nines and shouted dramatically the moment she walked in.

​　　"Oh my gosh, Thea! What are you still doing here? Everyone's looking for you and Young Master Valerius!"

​　　I glanced at Young Master Zane, who was frantically trying to signal Quinn Lynch with his eyes.

​　　Unfortunately, Quinn Lynch didn't get the message and just kept talking.

​　　"I just saw Young Master Valerius sleeping in the Second-floor VIP Lounge. He must be exhausted from all the wedding prep last night. Don't be mad, Thea. You know how men are—so thoughtless."

​　　The room fell silent for a few seconds.

​　　I couldn't help but let out a laugh.

​　　"A moment ago, Young Master Zane said he was in the kitchen taste-testing the food. Now you're telling me he's sleeping in the lounge."

My gaze shifted between the two of them.

​　　"Did Ian Valerius learn how to be in two places at once?"

​　　Quinn Lynch froze. She looked at Young Master Zane, who buried his face in his hands.

​　　[Hahahaha! What a useless teammate! How are they gonna talk their way out of this one?]

​　　[It's over, it's so over. That lie was pathetic. The villainess is definitely suspicious now.]

​　　[Her being suspicious is better than her knowing the truth! Whatever happens, don't let the villainess find out Rory Shaw is in that car!]

​　　I took out my phone and unlocked it.

​　　"Since you two can't get your stories straight, I'll just video call him and clear this up. If he's sleeping, I'll wake him. If he's taste-testing, I'll have him bring a plate up for me."

​　　"Don't!"

​　　They both shouted in unison.

​　　Young Master Zane rushed over to grab my hand, but I coolly evaded his reach.

​　　"What's the matter? I'm calling my own fiancé. Why are you two so tense?"

​　　"Uh... Young Master Valerius is really grumpy when he's woken up! And... and I'm not totally sure it was him, anyway. I probably just saw someone else!"

​　　Quinn Lynch stammered, her explanation a jumbled mess.

​　　I watched the wall of despairing comments flood the Live Commentary System.

​　　[Don't call! Stop! The phone is in his clothes, and his clothes are on the floor! It's ten degrees below zero in there. His hand will be useless if he tries to grab it!]

​　　[Our poor heroine's lips are already turning purple from the cold! She's burrowing into the male lead's arms!]

​　　[The male lead is miserable, too. He was all hot and sweaty a minute ago, but now that sweat has frozen. It must feel like knives against his skin!]

​　　'So this is what they call a world of ice and fire.'

: Suspended Coffin

I put my phone away without actually making the call.

​　　'After all, I had no intention of letting them be rescued just yet.'

​　　"Since none of you are sure, that means they still haven't found him."

​　　I turned and gave an order to the Engineering Department.

​　　"Extend the shutdown time for a full maintenance check. Pay special attention to that VIP gondola. I have a feeling its steel cable is swaying precariously. You must inspect it thoroughly."

​　　"The power comes back on when it's fixed."

​　　Quinn Lynch grew anxious and stomped her foot.

​　　"Thea! You can't do this! What if... what if..."

​　　"What if what?"

​　　I stared her down.

​　　"What if someone having an affair up there freezes to death?"

​　　Quinn Lynch's face went deathly pale, like a strangled chicken.

​　　"N-no..."

​　　"Then shut up."

​　　I wheeled my chair around, turning my back to them to look out the window.

​　　"At this resort, my rules are the weather forecast. If I say there's a safety hazard, this cable car isn't moving an inch, even if God himself showed up."

​

​　　Time ticked by, second by second. The blizzard outside raged, growing stronger until visibility dropped to less than 30 feet.

​　　The VIP-01 Gondola hung desolate in the wind and snow, like a coffin suspended in mid-air.

​　　The messages on The Live Commentary System grew more and more horrifying—and more and more interesting.

​　　[This is bad! Rory Shaw is getting hypothermia, and she's trying to snatch the male lead's shirt!]

​　　[The male lead pushed her away! Holy shit, the male lead is cursing at her!]

​　　[What kind of fake love is this? A minute ago they were saying they'd die for each other, and now he won't even give her a shirt?]

​　　[Rory Shaw is crying. She says she's pregnant and is begging the male lead to give her his coat for the baby's sake.]

​　　[The male lead said: "Don't threaten me with that bastard! I'm freezing to death, and who the hell knows if it's even mine!"]

​　　Reading these words, I could almost picture the ugly scene unfolding inside the gondola.

​　　Ian Valerius once swore to me that he and Rory Shaw were just colleagues. He said she was pure and kind, unlike me, who reeked of money.

​　　It seemed that in the face of temperatures twenty-five degrees below zero, kindness and purity were no match for a down jacket.

​　　"Thea, your parents are looking for you."

​　　Young Master Zane hung up his phone and walked over, his expression grim.

​　　"Mr. and Mrs. Valerius are here too. They're asking why Ian hasn't made his appearance yet. We can't keep this under wraps any longer."

​　　Just as he said that, a clamor of footsteps echoed from outside the Control Room.

​　　My parents, along with Ian Valerius's, walked in with an entourage.

​　　Mrs. Valerius, Sophia Lang, was dressed in a mink coat. She frowned the moment she entered, her gaze sweeping disdainfully over my legs.

​　　"What is going on? The auspicious time for the ceremony is almost here, the groom is nowhere to be found, and the bride is hiding in the Control Room. Is this how you, The Linwood Family, handle things?"

​　　My mother was about to explain, but I spoke up first.

​　　"Mrs. Valerius, I'm not hiding. Ian Valerius said he wanted to give me a surprise."

​　　I pointed to the pitch-black gondola on the monitor screen.

​　　"He said he was going to ride in my exclusive gondola and descend from the heavens, appearing before me like a prince. I'm just here waiting to receive His Highness."

​　　Mr. Valerius paused for a moment, then laughed.

​　　"That boy, always such a romantic. Insisting on descending from the heavens in this weather."

​　　Sophia Lang snorted coldly.

​　　"What's the point of all these theatrics? He should consider who he's doing it for. Someone in a wheelchair... can she even receive him?"

​　　I didn't get angry. I just said coolly,

​　　"Yes, I'm worried about that too. After all, the wind is so strong. The cable car malfunctioned a little while ago. It's stuck in mid-air."

​　　"What?!"

​　　Mr. Valerius's expression changed.

​　　"Stuck? Then isn't our Ian still up there?"

​　　Young Master Zane and Quinn Lynch were frantically wiping away sweat at the side, wanting to speak but not daring to.

​　　I put on an innocent expression.

​　　"Young Master Zane just said Ian Valerius was in the back kitchen, and Quinn Lynch said he was in the lounge. I'm not sure where he is either. But since you, Mr. Valerius, think he's up there, then he probably is."

​　　"It's just..."

​　　I paused, my tone becoming heavy with meaning.