Chapter 824: Causing Trouble

Chloe Reed had been trailing Preston Vance as they ducked from one hiding spot to another, but she realized that simply evading the enemy wasn’t a sustainable plan. Moreover, if they could think of finding a vehicle to escape, wouldn’t those mysterious attackers anticipate that too?

Perhaps the garage was already guarded, or the vehicles had been deliberately sabotaged. If they charged in recklessly without a solid plan, they would inevitably stumble right into a trap. Therefore, making a run for the vehicles could only be treated as an absolute last resort.

Right now, they had to come up with another way to distract the attackers—something that would also alert the people outside the villa. She believed that Walker Grant must have sent plenty of men to protect her. When she entered the estate, some of them would have stayed outside while others followed her in.

Once they ducked into a secluded corner, Chloe shared her plan with Preston.

Preston looked at the text she had typed out on her phone. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes before he nodded. "I think you’re absolutely right."

Chloe continued typing and then showed him the screen: "I plan to set the villa on fire. If there’s one thing this place doesn’t lack, it’s alcohol. As long as the fire is fierce enough, it will definitely attract the attention of the people outside. The flames will also block the attackers from searching any further. As long as we find a good hiding place beforehand and wait for rescue to arrive, we have a sixty percent chance of survival."

Her eyes were exceptionally bright. Even in such a dangerous and tense environment, her mind remained remarkably calm and clear. This resilience had been forged through surviving one dangerous encounter after another.

She supposed she ought to thank Vera Holloway for forcing her to grow up!

Preston nodded in agreement. "I’m in."

Chloe took a deep breath and typed, "Next, we need to find the wine cellar or the prep kitchen’s mixing room."

This would not be an easy task. They didn’t have a map of the villa, and wandering blindly in the dark had already caused them to lose their bearings. Fortunately, Chloe had visited the estate with Walker in the past, so she had a rough understanding of its layout. She took a moment to figure out their current orientation, chose a route, and led the way forward.

That was when they bumped into Fiona Linton and one of the bodyguards.

As Fiona listened to Preston explain the plan, her eyes widened in disbelief. Then, she gave Chloe an emphatic thumbs-up. "Great idea!"

"Ma’am, I have a digital map of the estate here," the bodyguard chimed in. "I’ll send it to you right now."

Chloe nodded gratefully. She studied the map on her phone to pinpoint their exact location. Just a hundred meters past the mixing room was a wine cellar—the perfect place to cause some chaos.

Now that the location for the fire was settled, they needed to secure a hiding spot.

Preston pointed to the hot springs area on the map. "What about here?"

Chloe shook her head and typed her reply: "If we can think of it, so can they. Once they see the fire, they’ll definitely search for us near a water source. It’s not safe."

Fiona stared at the map for a moment before suggesting, "What about the cold storage in the back?"

The villa had multiple cold storage units, each used to store the daily ingredients and beverages. More importantly, these units were connected to an independent generator system, ensuring that even in the event of a sudden blackout, the food inside wouldn’t spoil.

Chloe pondered this for a moment and nodded. It was a viable option.

However, they were currently a long way from the cold storage. They would have to traverse more than half the villa to get back to the residential area.