Before Ariana could delve deeper, Moss casually took a sip of his drink and added in a friendlier tone, "The Fredrick family is powerful. It would indeed be unwise for me to hurt you."

Hearing this, Adrian quickly said, “Exactly, if you hurt us, especially Ariana, it will bring the Fredrick family's wrath to you!"

He stressed his point, hoping to intimidate Moss into releasing them swiftly.

"Really?" Moss replied with a smile. "But in here, who would even notice if one or two people went missing?"

His voice was soft, yet his words sent shivers through Ariana and Adrian.

"What do we need to do for you to let us go?" Ariana, her patience waning, demanded sharply.

But Moss refused to continue this topic.

“You both must be tired and hungry after all this discussion. Please, have a seat," he suggested casually, gesturing with his wine glass.

“I've opened a special bottle of 20-year-old wine today. Let's enjoy a drink."

Despite his attempts to change the subject, Ariana persisted, pressing him for the conditions of their release.

"I am the daughter-in-law of the Fredrick family. State your price for our freedom," Ariana said. "One million? Ten million? I can go up to twenty million if necessary."

Moss's smile widened, obviously impressed by her offer. "You folks really are well-off. It's not every day someone offers twenty million so casually."

Ariana and Adrian saw a flicker of hope. However, Moss then cocked his head, maintaining his smile but with a cold, mocking glint in his eyes. "Please, take a seat and dine quietly. Otherwise, you might find yourselves part of the menu. Truly, you're spoiling my appetite with your words."

Moss' words seemed to present a choice between two options, but in reality, there was only one choice for Ariana and Adrian.

They would definitely choose to live instead of becoming part of the menu. If they wanted to die, why would they bother to unlock the door? They could have just waited for death in the room Moss had arranged.

Ariana and Adrian exchanged a silent look and sighed.

They knew they must comply in Moss' territory.

They pulled out the chairs, seated themselves, and began eating in silence, picking up their utensils without a word.

As they did, the iciness in Moss' gaze faded. He poured them fine wine and joined them as if the earlier tension had never existed.

Before they took their seats, Moss had devoured two dishes. Thanks to Ariana's superb cooking, the sheep had transformed into several dishes-stewed mutton, braised mutton, and roasted mutton chops, all so delicious that Moss couldn't help but indulge.