Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3428

Marina played along, wrapping her arms around his waist and giving him a vicious pinch. *Haven't you held me long enough? Let go of me!* she communicated silently.

"Hold still. If we're going to put on a show, we have to make it convincing," Carson murmured, his breath ghosting over her ear.

Goosebumps erupted across Marina's skin.

To the rest of the family, of course, it looked as though Carson was tenderly comforting his fiancée. They appeared hopelessly in love.

Rhiannon felt a secret wave of relief. Marina had resisted this marriage so fiercely in the beginning, always bringing up Carson's name with disdain. Rhiannon had no idea their relationship had deepened this much behind her back.

It was wonderful. They looked absolutely perfect together.

The rest of the family had wildly different reactions. Phoebe, in particular, stared at Carson's strikingly handsome face and the deep devotion in his eyes, her fingernails digging into her palms.

She didn't necessarily have feelings for Carson Foster, but this elite, top-tier man was supposed to be hers. Watching him fawn over Marina made her blood boil with a bitter sense of injustice.

Finally, Carson released Marina. He turned to the room, his tone polite but unmistakably cold.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Mr. and Mrs. Evert. I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but after hearing the panic in Marina's voice, I couldn't stop myself from worrying. I came over to see exactly what is going on."

Listening to his flawless performance, Marina had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. But right now, her job was to play the victim. She had to leave the heavy lifting to him.

Grandpa Evert offered an awkward smile. "It's just a trivial family matter. I'm sorry you had to make the trip out here, Carson."

Carson laced his fingers through Marina's, his gaze dark and unyielding. "In my eyes, nothing concerning Marina is trivial."

Marina twitched her lips, trying to offer him a grateful smile, but her face felt entirely too stiff to pull it off.

Rhiannon stepped in and explained the entire situation to Carson in detail.

"Exactly!" Aunt Charlotte scoffed. "Someone tries to ruin you, and you're still trying to protect their dignity. You are far too kind for your own good."

Phoebe bit her lip and stayed quiet.

The family waited in the tense silence of the living room. Carson's tech team arrived in record time—two senior technicians and four staff members hauling specialized equipment.

Carson tossed them the black button. "Find out what this is."

The team immediately set up their gear right in front of the Evert family.

It took less than ten minutes to crack the device. The lead technician turned to Carson to explain how it operated.

It was a proximity radar programmed to detect Marina's car. The moment her vehicle entered the perimeter, a three-minute countdown would trigger, after which the device emitted high-frequency electromagnetic waves designed to severely agitate the dogs' nervous systems, causing them to wake up in a terrified frenzy and bark uncontrollably.