Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1936

The cart rolled in, its silver tiers laden with comfort food, with Evelyn trailing behind. Her eyes sparkled with concern as she spotted Estelle.

"Estelle, are you alright?" Evelyn asked, a mix of surprise and relief in her tone.

Estelle propped herself up, shaking her head slightly, only to be greeted by a wave of dizziness that forced her to close her eyes and wait for it to pass.

"Feeling rough?" Evelyn asked, eyeing her sympathetically. "You were injected with some experimental serum. It'll take time to recover. Have something to eat first!" "Mm-hmm," Estelle murmured in agreement, taking a seat beside the cart. The aroma of the food seemed to alleviate some of her discomfort.

Evelyn ladled out a bowl of creamy mushroom soup for her, sliced the roast beef into bite-sized pieces, and served up a generous portion of steamed vegetables. "Estelle, did you have a falling out with Lambert? But he did save you this time!" Evelyn explained, attempting to bridge the gap between the two.

Estelle just lowered her head and focused on her food, choosing not to say anything.

Seeing that Estelle didn't want to talk, Evelyn let the subject drop and encouraged her to eat instead.

After the meal, Evelyn tidied up and said with a cheerful smile, "Rest up. I'm off to work, but I'll come by when I can!"

"You don't have to trouble yourself; I can take care of myself," Estelle replied, her independence shining through.

"It's no trouble at all. Compared to saving my life, this is nothing. Just forgive my clumsiness!" Evelyn chuckled, waving goodbye to Estelle as she left.

"Sure," Estelle said, the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly.

Evelyn pushed the cart out, gently closing the door behind her.

With some food in her, Estelle felt a bit better and sat on the balcony sofa, gazing out at the picturesque daytime view of Zion.

Collecting her thoughts, Estelle replayed everything from Lambert's betrayal to her experiences in Zion. Clarity slowly returned to her mind. Raiden must know her!

She had always felt something was off, and now it clicked. In Zion, people were wary of outsiders, and even as Lambert's guest during negotiations, she wasn't allowed by his side. Yet she had easily entered

the auxiliary building, met with researchers, and had even ventured to the secretive Level Eleven more than once, witnessing Zion's darkest secrets.

It all pointed to someone deliberately allowing her access.

If Raiden knew her, he might have assumed she was there to find Gab and allowed her to wander the building, hoping to use her to locate Gab.

Perhaps her brother was hidden somewhere in Zion, and Raiden, suspecting as much but unable to find him, hoped to draw him out by using Estelle. But what Raiden didn't anticipate was Lambert's unpredictable nature. He betrayed her only to change his mind, resorting to force to rescue her. Raiden, not one to confront the Brennan family head-on, had no choice but to release her for now.

This theory made sense of the chaos.

It also suggested that Raiden knew not only her but also Gab. Could Raiden have been close to Gab in the past?

Was her brother really in Zion? Was his presence there connected to Raiden?

Since Raiden knew her, everything she did was essentially under his watchful eye, complicating her search for her brother and the S-level researcher. Estelle watched the blinding sunlight outside, her mind buzzing with questions.

Who was Raiden?

The people around Gab were all on their own missions, and many of them didn't know, or even hadn't seen, each other. She had no leads.

She was exposed while her adversary was concealed, and to make matters worse, she was tied to the unreliable Lambert.

Estelle sighed softly, her headache intensifying.

On the bright side, this ordeal had forced Raiden to reveal some information. At least she now knew he was aware of her and understood her current predicament.

She shaded her eyes from the glare and closed them, pretending to doze. Her priority was to rest and regain her strength.

Then she heard a few knocks on the door. Estelle cracked open an eye and called out, "Come in!"

Lambert entered, a mischievous glint in his brown eyes that twinkled in the sunlight, lending him an irresistible charm.

Estelle turned away, her expression cool and detached.

Lambert approached, cradling a bowl of homemade soup. "I made this myself. Give it a try," he offered, extending the steaming bowl towards her.