Trevor immediately found himself back on his bed.

He was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his entire body and soaking through his clothes.

"How was that so real? I can’t even believe that it was actually that real," Trevor thought, trying to calm himself, though his mind was still swirling uncontrollably.

That bear had attacked them even before they could begin the ascent, and even Elena had been shocked by the sudden ambush.

Trevor remained slightly tense. He had nearly died in that so-called game.

Even at that moment, he still didn’t have his full energy. He only had around 50 out of 100 HP points, and that bear had looked absolutely massive. He genuinely believed he was completely finished.

Finally, he removed the headset from his head and discovered that something was indeed wrong with the device.

Access had been denied.

Trevor couldn’t understand what exactly was going on. Had Caroline intentionally banned him from accessing the game?

He immediately took out his phone, intending to call her and at least understand the situation.

Because not only had she been enjoying the game, he himself had been sensing improvements. Not only was he enjoying the experience, but he was also beginning to notice actual changes.

Although not receiving any improvement whatsoever from the system was a bit discouraging for him, it still didn’t outweigh the excitement.

Trevor immediately placed the call as he casually glanced at his screen to check the time.

Indeed, time had passed. It was about three minutes past eight, which meant it had been roughly two hours since he started playing.

Maybe she didn’t want him playing for such long hours. It felt like there was genuinely a problem somewhere.

But he couldn’t afford to jump to baseless conclusions. He needed to at least call and hear what Caroline had to say, at the very least.

******

"I repeat, who on earth took the game console that I have kept in Caroline’s room for over six months now?"

Roseman stood in front of all the employees who lived within the large estate.

Caroline stood beside him, trembling slightly, because only she knew exactly where the console had gone.

She hadn’t expected her dad to return so soon.

Normally, her father would be away from home for months on special government assignments.

But his sudden and coincidental appearance was more than shocking.

What was even more shocking was the fact that he had returned specifically for the game console.

It was as if fate itself had decided to turn against her.

She couldn’t afford to tell her father where the game console actually was. Not because Trevor was a bad person, but mostly because Trevor was a man.

Her father had always been extremely protective of her, especially when it came to boys. If he found out, he would become furious, and Trevor might genuinely end up in serious trouble.

Even if it had been a girl, she was sure her father still wouldn’t have been pleased that she lent out the game. But a man was an entirely different matter.

"I said answer me before I genuinely lose my patience! Do you even know how much that game costs? Even your salaries for ten years wouldn’t come close!"

As Mr. Roseman spoke, the worse Caroline felt.

She genuinely hadn’t expected things to escalate to this level. She had only wanted to help Trevor, nothing more.

Now the truth was clear. She might have overstepped her boundaries, allowing her emotions to cloud her judgment.

As she was lost in her thoughts, Trevor’s call suddenly flashed across her phone screen.

Without hesitation, she instinctively cut the call without saying a word.

Her father, noticing what had just happened, paused and turned toward her.

"Who is that?" he asked, stepping slightly closer.

"Well... it’s one of my friends from school," Caroline replied, trying desperately not to sound suspicious.

"Well, that’s actually nice. You’ve finally started making friends. So, did she ever come visiting you? And what’s her name?" Mr. Roseman said calmly as he came to stand directly in front of her.

The last thing he remembered was that Caroline didn’t have any friends, and the last thing he would ever want was someone taking advantage of his daughter.

"Look, I’m not blaming your new friend, but we have to be very careful. You know how much this particular game costs, and I wouldn’t want it destroyed just like that," Roseman added, trying to sound composed while still asserting control.

But the one thing he didn’t know was that this "friend" was not a girl... but a boy.

Caroline was almost one hundred percent sure that if he found out, his suspicions would skyrocket immediately.

---

Trevor dropped his phone back onto the bed.

He wasn’t really sure what to think. Maybe she truly didn’t want him playing the game for more than the allowed hours.

Or maybe she simply didn’t answer phone calls. After all, this was actually the first time he had ever tried calling her.

Either way, Trevor decided to let everything go for now and just rest.

The game had really taken a toll on him, and he was exhausted.

He lay on the bed, slowly drifting off.

When suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Trevor instantly tensed up.

This had never happened before. No one had ever come visiting them.

In fact, only the bodyguards of Caroline and Chloe knew where Trevor lived within the entire school, and it was highly unlikely that they would come visiting at such a time.

Still, Trevor didn’t panic. He stood up, left his room, and walked downstairs toward the door to find out who it was. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

As he moved along the corridor, approaching the entrance, he could already see his mother, Mia, standing close to the door, trying to peek through the small gaps at the edges to see who it might be.

Trevor immediately signaled for her to stop, gesturing for her to step back and let him handle it.

Mia nodded and slowly moved away from the door.

Trevor finally stepped forward. With a steady voice, he asked who it was.

The answer from the other side stunned him.