Initially uncertain whether Holden and Adrian were alive or not, he had maintained vigilance. Now, settled in this location, his instincts suggested they were possibly dead, allowing him to relax.

Here, on his familiar terrain, and assuming they kept to shallow areas, guiding Ariana along seemed harmless.

This thought brought a smile to Bennett's face. He reached out and playfully pinched Ariana's cheek, savoring the sensation. He repeated the action a few times, clearly entertained.

It was clear why Holden had taken a liking to her.

Ariana, deeply engrossed in sleep, felt none of this. Exhausted from the previous activities, she was in a deep slumber. As dawn broke, she woke up and quickly checked on Bennett. Seeing the rope still secure him and that he appeared to be sleeping reassured her.

Ariana stretched, took a swig of water, prepared herself, and then approached Bennett. She delivered a few kicks to his uninjured right leg to rouse him.

“Hey, take it easy," Bennett mumbled irritably. "Just because it's my good leg doesn't mean you can kick that hard. I'm not as oblivious to the world as you are when you sleep."

Ignoring his grumbles, Ariana untied the rope, turned to repack the remaining water, and resumed the search for Holden and Adrian.

Bennett glanced at the water bottle, noticing the water level had significantly diminished, likely due to Ariana's drinking.

Bennett couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. If Holden had any inkling that he had indirectly kissed Ariana through the water bottle, Holden would surely be seething with jealousy.

“Come on; get up and help me search," Ariana commanded, spotting Bennett's self-satisfied grin.

Unexpectedly, Bennett didn't protest. He got up and joined her in the search.

As daylight strengthened, it became easier to navigate the terrain, yet their extensive search yielded no results.

A sense of discouragement began to seep into Ariana as she recognized the inefficiency of their blind search; it was clear they needed to establish communication with the outside world.

After mulling it over, she pulled a dagger from her backpack and crept up to Bennett. With a swift, unnoticed motion, she pressed the blade against his throat.

"Don't move, or you'll be dead," she stated firmly, her voice cold with threat. "Tell me where the exit is and which areas have unblocked signals. Don't lie to me, or I really will kill you."

Bennett remained unflappable, his demeanor calm. “Why the rush? My manor is just ahead."

"I'm not convinced," Ariana snapped back, pressing the blade slightly deeper and drawing a bead of blood. “We've been on the move for ages, and still, we're trapped in these woods. Are you trying to trick me again?"

"No, honestly, that's not my intention. Your focus has been on finding others, not escaping." Bennett sighed. "And as for the lack of a signal, I'm at a loss myself. It's not like I've sabotaged the communications here. We're simply too deep in the mountains; the reception here is notoriously bad."

Ariana fell silent.