?<strong>Chapter 794:</strong>


    The sunlight streaming through the window cast a glow on her stern expression as she spun around. “Get everyone ready, Can. We’re going to Mount Everest.”


    Anita rose to her feet, surprise and confusion clouding her features.


    “That’s not what’s agreed upon!”


    “And so?”


    With a single nce from Joelle, the bodyguards outside surged in, pairing off the members of the Dury family. Michael walked in and offered, “Leave this to me, Joelle.”


    Joelle nodded. “Thank you, Michael. I’ll leave Molly to my brother and Kathy.”


    “Alright.”


    As Joelle turned to leave, Katy struggled to her feet and snarled at Joelle. “You’re not keeping your word! I’ll call my brother and tell him to kill your husband and daughter for betraying the deal!”


    But her phone was snatched away by one of the bodyguards just as she pulled it out.


    Michael threw the device on the floor and crushed it with his foot, snarling, “Give it up. No one can save you. Instead of making a fuss, you should pray that Lucian doesn’ty a finger on Adrian and Aurora, or none of you will be set free.”


    Joelle was relieved that Michael handled Katy.


    That night, they arrived at the foot of Mount Everest.


    But they couldn’t climb yet, as they needed to adjust to the conditions for a few days. Each day of dy felt like an eternity to Joelle.


    The weather on the snowy mountain was a crucible, testing not just endurance but the very will to persevere. Joelle faced it with a grit forged by years of determination.


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    Just a few days into their trek, half of her team had already turned back, their spirits buckling under the weight of the merciless conditions.


    The remaining climbers soldiered on, swathed inyers of mountaineering gear. Joelle and Can led the charge, their trekking poles biting into the snow with every step.


    The wind screamed through the crags, flinging snow against their faces. Each step Joelle took sank into the snow, which hungrily swallowed her ankles.


    As they ascended further into the thin, brittle air, everyone resorted to oxygen to stay alive.


    Joelle made it a point to nce back often. The moment she saw someone faltering, she would signal for a break to rest. Despite the grueling climb, she couldn’t ignore the raw, untouched beauty surrounding her.


    The mountain, cloaked in a pristine nket of white, stood timeless and majestic, as though it existed outside the reach of human history. For a fleeting moment, Joelle felt the tension in her body dissolve.


    It was then that she began to grasp the essence of what Raelyn sought—freedom.


    Freedom to breathe in this unspoiled world, to revel in its beauty without chains.


    “Mrs. Miller, there’s a rest stop ahead,” Can said as he pointed to a wooden cabin. Lucian’s location was further up the mountain. Joelle,pletely drained, nodded and gulped down a few deep breaths of air.


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