Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

"Ethan, are you okay?" Mabel walked over from the group of men in black, her voice filled with concern.

"Thanks for coming all the way out here," Ethan replied.

"No need to thank me. It's what I'm supposed to do," Mabel shook her head.

She glanced at the trembling thugs nearby. She knew full well that these guys couldn't possibly pose any real threat to Ethan. The fact that he even bothered to call her to handle the situation was a sign of respect.

Considering how important Ethan had become, even her own status within the Langston Group had skyrocketed.

"Just put the costs on Weston's tab. No need for you to come out here for nothing."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Mabel nodded.

With that, Ethan didn't linger any longer. He waved to Sophia and Vanessa, and the three of them left the circle of men in black.

The two girls were still a bit dazed by the whole ordeal, not quite sure what had just happened.

"What was that all about?" Sophia asked, looking at Ethan in surprise.

"I was cleaning up the mess you made," Ethan said bluntly.

Now that the situation was resolved, Ethan didn't bother hiding his disdain. Sophia had promised not to act recklessly, but the moment she saw Nessa, her brain shut down and she acted purely on instinct. If he hadn't been there, who knows how things would've turned out.

"…" Sophia realized this too, but as for feeling regret? Not really.

Vanessa, on the other hand, turned to Ethan. "Why was she here?"

Now that things had settled down, Vanessa was ready to start asking questions.

"Just a coincidence," Ethan said with a casual laugh.

Sophia, however, was more straightforward: "I asked her to bring me here."

"I told you to stop bothering him, didn't I?" Vanessa frowned, her tone cold.

Just moments ago, they had been on the same side, but now the tension between them was palpable.

"I'm not bothering him. We're friends," Sophia said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Vanessa looked at Ethan.

"Not really," Ethan said flatly.

Even though Sophia was pinching him hard on the side, he still denied it, which made her even more frustrated.

But this little back-and-forth actually made their "friends" claim seem more believable.

Vanessa then turned back to Sophia. "So, what's your reason for tagging along with him to find me?"

"I was just worried and wanted to check on things. No other reason," Sophia replied with a grin.

Since she had already seen the videos at Ethan's place that involved both her and Vanessa, Sophia wasn't in a rush to beg for reconciliation. Instead, she planned to take things slow, hoping to gradually win Vanessa over.

And this approach was actually starting to work, at least a little.

However, her wish to visit Nessa's place wasn't going to happen.

Vanessa told her, "We've got some important business to take care of. You should sit this one out, Sophia."

But the more Vanessa tried to keep her out, the more Sophia wanted to be involved.

Sophia shot a desperate look at Ethan, silently pleading for him to come up with something.

She saw Ethan subtly rubbing his fingers behind his back, signaling a "what's in it for me?" gesture.

Sophia was instantly annoyed by his opportunistic behavior.

But with no other options, she had to give in for now. She could always back out later if she wanted to.

So, Ethan spoke up for her: "It's fine, let her come along. It's no big deal."

"Hm?" Vanessa looked at Ethan, surprised.

Today, they were supposed to deal with some strange issue that might be affecting Vanessa, so she didn't want to drag anyone else into it.

"She already knows some of the details," Ethan shrugged. "And she won't be a bother."

If Vanessa thought of Sophia as just a friend of a friend, she could tolerate it.

Plus, since Ethan was vouching for her, Vanessa decided to give him some face and agreed to let Sophia tag along.

Sophia was over the moon.

Even though Vanessa didn't talk to her much on the way, Sophia stuck close to her, feeling like she was reliving old times.

She couldn't help but reflect that maybe knowing Ethan wasn't such a bad thing after all.

But as they walked, a thick fog suddenly began to roll in.

Sophia hadn't even fully processed what was happening when Vanessa sensed something was off. This was the same thing that had happened a couple of days ago—this fog seemed to mark the boundary between the ordinary world and something far stranger. Whenever the fog appeared, it meant they were crossing into the realm of the supernatural.

"This is so weird," Sophia muttered. "Why did it suddenly get foggy?"

As she took a step forward, Vanessa suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her back. Sophia was a little taken aback by the gesture, but when she saw the look of intense caution on Vanessa's face, she realized something was wrong. She wanted to say something to comfort her, but then she noticed a figure emerging from the mist not far ahead.

It looked like a tall woman.

Sophia's first thought was that it might be some kind of monster.

But even though she thought it, she didn't really believe it—until the woman got closer. When Sophia saw her eerie, distorted face, a chill ran down her spine. There was no way this was a normal person.

Instinctively, she moved closer to Vanessa, seeking the only warmth she could find. Vanessa, in turn, leaned into her as well, though she was hoping Ethan would handle this. After all, he had dealt with strange things before.

But since she hadn't actually witnessed him in action, Vanessa wasn't entirely confident this time.

"Do you need something? Are you lost?" Ethan asked, looking up at the strange figure.

The sound of his voice seemed to startle the creature. As soon as she noticed Ethan, her pale face twisted into an expression of indescribable terror. She let out a shriek, turned around, and bolted, leaving one of her shoes behind in her haste.

Vanessa was completely dumbfounded by the sight. Watching the creature flee in such a panic, she couldn't help but wonder—who was the real monster here?

"Why hasn't the fog cleared yet?" Vanessa asked, still puzzled.

"That fog wasn't caused by that woman," Ethan explained.

Whatever the real cause was, it was rare for anything supernatural to show up in front of Ethan, who was essentially the local representative of the interdimensional management bureau. For something strange to appear right in front of him? That was almost unheard of.

But before anyone could say more, the scene around them suddenly shifted. They were no longer standing in the foggy street. Instead, they found themselves in what looked like a hotel room.

All three of them were stunned.

"Is this… a hotel room?" Sophia asked, her voice full of disbelief.

"Why are we suddenly here?" Vanessa turned to Ethan, hoping for an explanation.

"I have no idea," Ethan admitted, just as confused as they were.

Then, out of nowhere, words began to appear on the wall: "This is a room you can't leave unless you have sex."

What the hell?

Ethan's eyes widened in shock. What kind of twisted supernatural force was this? And why was it so… absurd?