Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3577

Her raised arms naturally fell to loop around his shoulders.

They lingered in the study for another ten minutes before finally opening the door and stepping out. Right on cue, Summer and the other two were coming downstairs after their movie.

Trixie gave Marina a teasing look. "That has to be the longest ten-minute penalty I've ever seen."

Marina chuckled. "Sorry, I fell asleep."

"Fell asleep doing what?" Trixie's smile turned downright wicked. "Details, please!"

Carson draped an arm over Marina's shoulders, smiling smoothly. "Jokes aside, the chef has set up a bonfire and barbecue for tonight. We can head out now."

Summer's eyes lit up. "This setup is incredible! Can I man the grill?"

Marina laughed. "Of course, if you want to."

Summer practically sprinted toward the courtyard, beaming at the group. "I'm telling you guys, if my mom hadn't forced me to go to college, my biggest dream was to run my own barbecue food truck."

Trixie grinned. "Did your mom cry tears of joy when she heard about this grand ambition?"

Summer nodded emphatically. "Oh, she did. She was sobbing while looking for something to beat my ass with!"

"Hahaha!" Trixie clung to Colby's arm, laughing so hard she doubled over.

The courtyard was fully prepped. A massive canopy tent stood over a long dining table, flanked by a top-tier grill on one side and a roaring fire pit on the other, keeping the chilly evening air at bay.

Summer marched right up to the grill and started taking lessons from the private chef. The cook explained heat control for different meats and the secret to basting, and Summer listened like she was taking notes for a master class.

Seeing Summer don an authentic chef's apron and actually pull off the look, Marina smiled, pulled out her phone, and snapped a photo of her.

As dusk settled, strings of dazzling lights flickered to life one by one, adding a touch of opulent glamour to the elegant, rustic courtyard.

Her phone buzzed on the table. Seeing the caller ID, her chest tightened. She stood and walked off to the side to take it.

Carson caught a glimpse of the name too: Wyndham Moss.

Her editor at the comic platform.

He leaned back lazily in his chair, taking a slow sip of his wine, his expression turning unreadable.

Wyndham was calling to ask if she had changed her mind. He was out of time and needed to give the exhibition organizers a final answer.

But Marina's stance remained unyielding. "I'm sorry, Wyndham. My mind is made up. The moment I walked away, I cut all ties with that work."

"You only cut financial ties," Wyndham said grimly. "But you co-created half of that comic. It's your blood, sweat, and tears. The name Ashen is still listed as an author. How can you say you have no connection to it?"

He pressed on, "If you don't attend, our work might be disqualified from the exhibition entirely. Can you really live with that?"