It wasn't her or Guinevere, which meant there was only one person it could be. Her stomach dropped as she remembered how infatuated Anthony had been with the innkeeper's wife. She stopped in her tracks and turned to him. "Do you still like the innkeeper's wife?" Guinevere, who hadn't expected her to stop, ran right into her back. "Ow! Selina, now's not the time to get jealous. It's freezing! Can't this wait?" Selina ignored her. Her eyes stayed locked on Anthony, waiting for an answer. Anthony didn't respond. He couldn't even bring himself to lie. That silence was enough. Her chest tightened as realization hit her. "Anthony! You're working with that woman, aren't you?" Before he could respond, Guinevere gasped. "Selina, what are you saying?!" Anthony suddenly lunged forward and shoved both of them into the alley. From the shadows of the nearby buildings, a group of large men burst out, rushing straight toward them. Even Guinevere, who was usually the last to catch on, finally understood what was happening. "Anthony! Are you out of your mind? You're turning on us?!" Selina's heart shattered. She could hardly believe the man she had fought beside for years, the man she loved, would betray her for a woman he had just met. Both women fought with everything they had. But they were outnumbered, and once Anthony joined the fight, matching their strength with ease, it was over. Within moments, they were pinned down and dragged away.They were thrown into a cold basement and locked inside. Only then did Anthony, like someone toying with a trapped animal, reveal the truth without a hint of remorse. The innkeeper's wife was named Fiorella Hunt, one of the leaders of the Greendale Gang's Cloudshade Hall. The truth about Anthony's disappearance hit like a slap. He hadn't been kidnapped. He had joined the gang, killed Fiorella's deputy leader after the man disrespected her, and taken his place as her new second-in-command. The stew from before? That had been the previous deputy leader. The ring inside the meat had fallen off Anthony's hand during their fight and later ended up in the pot by accident. Maybe he was in high spirits after carrying out Fiorella's orders, or maybe he just enjoyed watching them crumble. Whatever the reason, he smirked while explaining the heart-binding cursebug and the beauty cursebug as if he were proud of it. What stunned Selina most was that Anthony knew he only loved Fiorella because of the cursebug. Yet even knowing that, he still worshiped her and betrayed the very people who had once fought by his side. Guinevere's fury boiled over. "Anthony! You can fall for whoever you want, but how could you betray us like this?! Fix this damn beauty cursebug right now!" Anthony stared at her like a man who'd already lost his soul to a pyramid scheme. His voice was hollow. "Giving your youth and beauty to Fiorella is an honor." With that, he walked away without looking back. Leaning against the wall, Selene had heard every word. Her eyes went wide. "Ma'am, you..." Before she could finish, Guinevere burst out crying again. "I told you! We're not old ladies!" Tears streaked her face as she ran her hands over her skin.That morning, she'd only had white hair and a few wrinkles. Now her cheeks felt soft and sagging, like really aged flesh. Selene jumped at her outburst and raised a finger to her lips. "Keep it down," she hissed. She turned toward the locked door. The moment their story had taken a strange turn, she had shut it fast, terrified someone outside might overhear. She didn't want to know her boss's secrets, and she definitely didn't want her boss to know she knew them. But now it was too late. As wild as it sounded, the proof was right in front of her. The two "old women" had the voices of young girls, and the new deputy leader really was named Anthony. Everything they said fit perfectly. For the first time, Selene understood why Greendale had so few beautiful women and why old ones kept being locked away here. The leader drained the pretty ones. Selene touched her own face, silently grateful she wasn't beautiful. After a long, tense pause, she looked at the broken women across from her. "Why are you telling me this? What do you want me to do?" Guinevere dragged herself closer, reaching for the hem of Selene's coat. "Please, I'm begging you. Let us go!" Selene let out a slow sigh. "That's not possible." She had her own life to worry about. There was no way she would risk crossing her leader for two strangers.Selina didn't look surprised. She placed a trembling hand over Guinevere's and gave it a light pat before meeting Selene's gaze. "Thank you for at least listening to us." Tears streamed down her lined face. "At least now someone knows what really happened to us."