Charlet suddenly realized that her situation had turned against her, as she found herself cornered at the staircase.

She tensed up, her expression becoming grim. "This woman is of no use to me. If you release me and Jacey, I won't take her with me. Barrett, stop beating around the bush and wasting time."

Before she could finish her sentence, Barrett abruptly closed in, grabbing Charlet's wrist with one hand and roughly pushing Zoe aside with the other.

Caught off guard, Charlet panicked. Her hand holding the knife moved to stab Zoe, while her other hand desperately tried to hold onto her, preventing Barrett from throwing her away.

However, in...