It was nighttime at Quakersville, and Avery was sitting in front of the window wall after coming out of her bath.
Her head tilted to the side as she observed the scenery outside. The street lights outside glowed dimly, and she
could only see shadows and silhouettes in the dark.
She didn't turn on the heater in her room.
With only thin cotton pajamas on her, she felt a bit chilly. Despite the chill, it was the only way she could force
herself to keep a clear mind.
The furnishing in the room was the same as usual, yet she still felt emptiness and desolation.
Without the kids around, warmth has vanished, leaving only loneliness. Even the air in this room tastes bitter.
Avery buried her face into her knees at the thought of Nina, who had gone off the radar, the two kids, and Cayden's
change in attitude.
Outside the residential area, Cayden called Avery's number again and again, but her phone was turned off.
He knew Avery had returned because he had searched the Rumpley residence, and Alina was the only one there.
There was no sign of Avery.
Moreover, he couldn't find her at her new place and the place she used to stay with Blake.
She doesn't have many friends and only has two colleagues she's close to. I know there's no way she'll bother
anyone at their home when she's in a bad mood, and she won't spend money on a hotel room. She rented this
condominium unit previously but didn't continue staying here due to the bad blood between her and Deborah.
However, she still has time on her lease, and it's the only place she can go to.
This old residential area had two entrances for each block. The first entrance required an access card. As Cayden
didn't come here much, he didn't get the chance to apply for one, resulting in him getting locked out of the building.
The weather had already turned cold by then. Residents of the residential area would rather coop up at home if
they had no errands, so there weren't many roaming the streets at night in the cold.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, the trash can on the side had gained a few cigarette butts, yet Cayden still
didn't catch sight of any entry or exit at Block 12, where Avery was staying.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtCayden's patience had frayed, and he began to study the building's entire structure.
His genius architect's mind soon drafted up a rough sketch of the structure.
The design for this kind of old condominium isn't complicated. The balcony designs are run-of-the-mill with a narrow
space. Despite the tiny area, it's enough to accommodate an adult man.
Sucking in the last drag of smoke, Cayden stubbed the cigarette against the trash can.
He stretched his right hand toward the moldy drainpipe attached to the wall and gripped it firmly. Hmm. The pipe is
sturdy.
After determining the sturdiness of the pipe, he lifted his foot and stepped onto a groove in the wall. He further
tested the pipe's durability by pulling himself up. He concluded that despite the feeble appearance of the pipe, it
could still bear the weight of an adult man and more.
Cayden then clasped onto the pipe with both hands. With the exertion of his arm muscles' strength, he started
pulling himself up. His black coat rustled in the darkness at an odd yet elegant angle.
Cayden was strong indeed. With his strength, he quickly and agilely scaled the wall. Soon, his hand was within range
to grab onto the railing on the second floor's balcony.
He gripped the railing and leaped, landing on the balcony like it was a cakewalk.
With the first success, he effortlessly scaled to the third and fourth floors.
Avery's unit is 509, which is on the fifth floor. The fourth unit from the east should be her unit.
After he had gotten a gist of where Avery's unit was, Cayden soon arrived at 509 on the fifth floor. Climbing across
the wall, he managed to arrive beneath the window.
There were no safety bars fitted on the window on the fifth floor, and it even seemed that a crack was left open
slightly.
Cayden should be glad about the finding, but he didn't feel elated.
D*mn! The safety features here are too terrible. There's no safety bar on the windows, and I can easily scale up
here. What if a thief or anyone with bad intentions decides to use the same method I did? Won't Avery be in
danger?
Cayden's expression darkened at the thought.
He pushed the window wide enough to allow him entry and entered the unit.
I recall this window facing the living room.
He immediately noticed that something was wrong the minute he jumped in.
Avery usually keeps her living room clean and tidy, but this living room is filthy beyond what any imagination can
conjure.
All kinds of sundries piled into a tiny mountain. Clothes, beddings, shoes, and socks emitting a repulsive smell were
part of the mountain. There were even items like cooking pans, bowls, buckets, et cetera.
There are even a few empty cup noodles left on the coffee table. Everything is so dirty! The sight had the
mysophobic Cayden scrunching his brows in disapproval.
I think I got the wrong house.
Right when he was about to retreat, the bathroom door suddenly opened.
A woman, who looked to be around a hundred and twenty kilograms, walked out of the bathroom. The sagging
flesh on her body shook as she walked.
When she saw Cayden, who appeared like a phantom, in her living room, she let out a piercing scream and quickly
reached for her pajamas to cover her body. “Ah! Pervert! Thief! Someone help me!”
Cayden gauged the unit's position.
This should be Avery's unit. Did something go wrong somewhere?
Cayden frowned. “I'm sorry for disturbing you. I want to ask if this is unit 509?”
“Ah! Help me!” The woman didn't even dare to open her eyes to look at the trespasser and continued to yell for her
life.
“Shut up! I'll kill you if you continue to scream!” Cayden's threat was like a command from the underworld.
My ear drums are about to rupture from the woman's shouting. Cayden's bad temper reared its ugly head at the
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmtriggering stimuli, and his tone was laced with coldness.
The woman obediently stopped her screaming, perhaps frightened by the ruthless tone of his threat.
When she saw Cayden's handsome face, admiration filled her eyes, and they almost budged out of her sockets.
Oh my goodness! This man is so handsome! He's a hundred times more good-looking than the guys from Koandria!
I thought I could only see guys like this in dramas or fashion magazines. I can't believe I got to see one in real life.
I'm so lucky! Is this a surprise from the heavens?
“What is the number of this unit?” Cayden didn't have any more patience. His expression was stony when he asked
her.
By then, the woman's fear had gone up in smoke. “This is 506. I just moved here a few days ago. I haven't even
unpacked my things. Please don't mind the mess. I'll tidy it up later. Could you let me treat you to a meal? I'm good
at cooking—” she answered with blushing cheeks.
“Where is 509?” Cayden cut her off coldly.
“509 is the third unit on my right. Could you give me your number?” the woman pleaded.
However, Cayden leaped out of the window amid her plea and scaled to the third room on the right.
“Don't go! I'm still a virgin. Come on!” the woman shouted, with her head poking out of the window and staring at
Cayden lovingly.
The fervent passion in her eyes nearly caused Cayden to lose his grip.
Cayden noticed a big cactus plant on the balcony of unit 507. Seeing that woman's gaze pinned on him and hearing
the vulgar words from her mouth, Cayden ignored the prickling pain from the cactus' thorns and ripped a piece of
the cactus before he flung it toward the woman's forehead.
A scream pierced the sky, then a loud thud sounded as though something heavy hit the floor. The world fell into an
eerie silence after that.
Cayden finally released a relieved breath when he reached unit 509's window.
This is my first time scaling a window and receiving such a fright. What a crazy woman!
Cayden wanted to enter unit 509 the same way he did with unit 506, but when he tried to open the window... Avery
likes to have her windows open, but now they are sealed shut. His face twitched involuntarily at the discovery.