The sun was high, and Ms. Evelyn’s patience was running thin. Mary was not joining the breakfast as she had done two days before. She approached the room and knocked, but there was no reply. She pressed her ear to the door and listened for any sound. When nothing but silence met her, worry began to twist in her gut. She pushed open the door and stepped in, and a quick survey of the room confirmed her fears – Mary’s suitcase was nowhere to be found.
Upon reaching the table, a hastily scribbled note caught her eye. As she held it up to read, her hands began to tremble. A weighty sorrow dragged down her gaze, heavy thoughts consuming her – she had failed to help the young woman.
“Dear Ms. Evelyn!
Thank you for your kindness and for sheltering me these past few days. I realize my departure without a proper goodbye is quite impolite. However, I have many tasks I must attend to, which I cannot discuss. I’m deeply grateful for your warmth and care, treating me like family even though we share no blood ties. I’m fortunate to have met you.
The world hosts many people, and I am sure someone with a heart as kind as yours will be blessed with happiness and peace.
Farewell for now,
Mary.”
In the dead of night, Mary had quietly left, dragging her suitcase behind her. She knew that explanations would be complicated if Ms. Evelyn saw her go. The world was round, and those she wished to avoid seemed to reappear incessantly.
The streets were desolate, inhabited only by occasional motorcycle taxi drivers or a curious taxi pulling over to inquire where she was going. Mary chose not to answer, ignoring the curious or suspicious glances thrown her way.
She reminisced about her prosperous past when she had never needed to worry about where to go, where to return, or what the next day would bring. Now, these questions seemed to encompass her entire existence.
Suddenly, a vehicle screeched to a halt next to her. Startled by the abrupt sound of the brakes, Mary stepped back, stumbling slightly. Several towering men approached, grabbing her. They muffled her screams with a cloth and tightly bound her hands behind her. Despite her struggles and cries for help, she is futile. Moments later, Mary slipped unconscious, and the car sped off, leaving the abandoned suitcase by the roadside, its owner unable to protect it any longer.
The vehicle whizzed down the road, eventually stopping at an abandoned factory. The eerie desolation of the place was chilling.
The ringleader carried the unconscious Mary into a room. He instructed his henchmen to keep a careful watch before departing. He entered a large room where several of his subordinates were standing guard and reported,
“Boss, I’ve brought her back. She’s in the room, waiting for your orders.”
The towering figure of the boss, sturdy and tall, stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He did not turn around, but one could recognize the icy smirk on his face.
The man beside him piped up, his voice laced with amusement.
“How should we handle this, my brother? I have done everything as you wished, and the rest is entirely up to you.”
Upon saying this, he took his leave, but the boss immediately spun around, coolly retorting,
“Aren’t you curious to see the result? Come along, and you’ll find out.”
The two exchanged triumphant glances before departing together.
Surprisingly, the room was neither spacious nor cramped, housing a living space full of amenities within an abandoned factory. As Mary opened her eyes, she found herself in a place she had never known. Her head was still throbbing, presumably due to the lingering effects of some medication. She squinted in search of an exit, then carefully descended from the bed, only managing three steps before she stumbled. Nevertheless, she trudged step by step towards the door.
When her hand grazed the doorknob, she was suddenly jolted backward as someone forcefully burst in. Mary’s eyes widened in shock; standing before her was the man she had long despised. Struck by overwhelming surprise, she was unable to suppress her shriek.
“Why are you here?”
Andrew nudged her aside and settled into the seat, crossing his legs with a satisfied air.
“She pondered, What could be the reason?”
Mary, dazed, recalled the events of last night. Her hands shook with rage as she yelled,
“You kidnapped me? Why are you stalking me? What do I owe you?”
Andrew responded calmly, arrogantly,
“I’m not stalking you. You owe me and failed to pay, so you were taken.”
His cryptic words left Mary confused. She furrowed her brows, questioning him again,
“What do I owe you?”
Andrew leaned close to Mary, whispering in her ear,
“Love debts, money debts.”
Regaining composure, Mary turned her gaze toward the man beside her. This man was none other than Rryan Leonard, the very individual who had loaned her a staggering sum at usurious rates and had sent his underlings to vandalize her home.
Mary now understood it all; they were in cahoots, scheming to ensnare her in their trap. She raised her face to the sky and let out a boisterous laugh.
“Well, I figure. A man like you could only ever associate with this person.”
Andrew’s eyes turned a furious red as he grasped her throat, squeezing as if to shred her into pieces, his voice seething.
“Your father is not a saint himself. There is so much about me that you have yet to comprehend. In time, you will get a taste of it all. I will make your life a living hell.”
The man beside them watched the heated exchange, his face as a cold mask. His eyes held a touch of melancholy, but whether it was real or fake was hard to discern, his emotions enigmatic.
Unfazed, Mary forcefully pushed his hand away, letting out a choked gasp from the lack of breath before raising her head to stare defiantly into his eyes.
“I have no family, no money now. Nothing is left to take, even if you want to collect a debt.”
He cast a chilly, contemptuous glance over her body, an icy, sinister gaze that made her shudder in fear.
Andrew turned to face Ryan, raising his voice.
“The money I lent you. You don’t need it back. And as for this girl, I gift her to you as a birthday present this year, my younger brother.”
Bryan was taken aback; he had come expecting a show, but this had surpassed his wildest expectations.
Bryan laughed knowingly at Andrew’s words, responding accordingly.
“You know me too well. I never turn down a woman, especially a beautiful one.”
With a disdainful look, Andrew walked away, his heart swelling triumphantly. He remembered to instruct his subordinates to keep a watchful eye on her, cautioning them not to let her escape.
Once they left, Mary collapsed onto the floor, the cruel words from the man she had once shared her life with echoing in her ears. Each day, she remembered the truth in Agnes’s words. She was just a puppet in his game, a foolish one.