Nicole realized he was right. Her clothes were indeed shredded. "Then please, find me something I can wear."

"Why should I find you something to wear?" Jarrod scoffed. “If you want to leave, go ahead just as you are."

Nicole bristled at his words. She threw off the covers, prepared to leave in the nightgown.

But before she reached the door, Jarrod kicked it shut. She glared at him. "What do you mean by this?"

“Do you really plan to go out like this?" Jarrod's eyes were cold and sharp. “What are you so eager to do?"

Nicole's heart sank, sensing his suspicion in his words. She straightened her back and declared, "There's nothing I need to do, Mr. Schultz. This is your home, and since you and Miss Hampton are about to get married, it's inappropriate for me to stay here."

"Inappropriate?" Jarrod swirled the whiskey in his glass and sneered, "When you kissed me last night, you didn't seem to think it was inappropriate. Now you find staying here for a while is inappropriate, Miss Lawrence?"

He stressed "Miss Lawrence" with a slow, mocking tone, mirroring her earlier formality when she had referred to him as "Mr. Schultz." If she wanted to play the part of strangers, he was willing to play along.

Nicole's cheeks flushed slightly. She didn't recall much from the night before, but Jarrod's words stirred faint memories. At that moment, she fully grasped getting drunk wasn't the scary part but the aftermath. Despite having been forced to consume the doctored drink, she couldn't deny her actions.

Nicole's voice softened. “I apologize for my behavior while I was not somber."

"No need for apologies," Jarrod replied coldly. "I don't accept them because I don't offer second chances." His tone was unyielding.

Realizing he was intentionally complicating matters, Nicole looked up.

"Then what do you want?"

Jarrod responded not with words, but by pulling out a small camcorder and tossing it onto the bed.

Nicole's expression shifted dramatically. It was her camera set up in the chamber. How did Jarrod get it? Had Jemma handed it over to him?

Nicole quickly dismissed the thought. She refused to suspect Jemma, despite their brief acquaintance. For some reason, she just didn't think Jemma would betray her. If Jemma had wanted to harm her, she had plenty of earlier opportunities. There was no reason to wait until now. So it must have been something that Jarrod had come up with himself.

Nicole was surprised at Jarrod's perceptiveness. He had accurately predicted that she would use the mini camera to record Doreen's and Vicki's bullies against her.

Nicole reached for the camera, but before her fingers could touch it, she was stopped by his taunting voice. "It's already useless."

Looking over, Nicole noticed the storage card was missing. Clearly, Jarrod had no intention of returning it after viewing its contents.

After all, the evil-doers captured by the camera were his cousin, his fiancée, and his future brother-in-law, people deeply connected to him. He wouldn't let them face any repercussions.