Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 161

Andy pointed ahead. "Last time I came here, I found it around this spot.

"Pretty sure there's more of those crystals higher up. If you guys spot one, you can use it right away—no need to worry about mixing colors."

Everyone got excited, voices overlapping as they thanked him.

Dawn stayed quiet, scanning the place carefully.

Janice leaned closer and whispered, "What's wrong? Something feels off?"

Dawn shook her head. "No, it's fine."

But deep down, something felt staged, like everything had been arranged before they even arrived.

Andy started organizing people into small teams, three per group, and told them to look around for clues.

Everyone paired off quickly, except Dawn.

"Ms. Porter, you don't mind teaming with me, right?"

Since he was the one helping, she couldn't exactly say no.

He led her up a narrow trail, brush scraping their legs. The higher they climbed, the quieter it got.

Dawn frowned. "Mr. Kelsinger, are we going much farther?"

"Not too far."

He didn't glance back, voice calm as ever. "That crystal probably slid down during a storm. I noticed a cave here before, but I never checked it out."

Then, he smiled over his shoulder. "Why? Are you scared?"

" ... Of course not."

Dawn forced a grin. "I just don't want the group to split up too much."

"They won't." He kept clearing branches with his pole. "This mountain is pretty open. It feels like we've gone far, but if anyone shouts, we'll hear them."

Listening closely, she could indeed catch faint voices in the distance.

Relieved, she followed him at a safe distance.

Before long, the trail opened up. To her shock, halfway up the cliff stood a small house.

"Is this what you do all the time, Mr. Kelsinger? Just wandering around like this?"

"Pretty much. Sounds dull, right?"

"Not really. Everyone has their specialty. You get to be outside, learn survival skills, and live freer than most. Plenty of people would envy that."

"That's true." Andy chuckled, clearing a spider web with his pole. "Still, sometimes I wonder what I'm even hanging on to."

As they talked, the tension eased.

Dawn had been wary at first, but the longer they chatted, the more she realized that maybe she had misread him.

Andy was truly a good guy.

"I found it!"

He suddenly shouted, holding up a stone with a grin. "I knew it'd be here. Check it out—doesn't this match the color you wanted?"

Dawn took it, inspecting it closely. Then, she smashed it against the rock wall.

The dirt shell cracked, revealing a shimmering pale pink core inside.