Hattie was always one to act quickly. Three days passed, and she went to the bank to reapply for her card with her temporary ID. When she checked her account, the large sums of money were all gone, leaving only 8000 dollars.
What could she do now? She couldn’t even repay Micah’s favor.
Her money disappeared without a trace. It was obvious that Harry had transferred it away. Over the years, she had earned and spent money, but she had saved over a million dollars, all of which was now gone.
She used to have a house, but she had mortgaged it to Harry because of their dispute.
She thought a house would be enough, but now even the money in her account was gone.
With the money gone, there was no way to get it back. She couldn’t just go to Harry to ask for it back, could she?
After leaving the bank, Hattie felt gloomy. She had run around to different places to get these cards, with Micah by her side the whole time.
“What’s wrong…” Micah noticed her tightly holding the card, causing red marks to appear on her palm.
Seeing the bank card in her hand, Micah understood. Earlier that morning, Hattie had talked about using the money she had saved over the years to buy a small house in another city and treat Micah to a meal.
She had just gotten her card, yet there was no happiness in her expression. It could only mean that the money was gone.
“If you need money urgently, I have some. How much do you need?”
“No, I have some money left. I just can’t treat you to a lavish meal.” Hattie forced a faint smile, her eyes slightly red.
“Are you still planning to go to another city?”
With no money on her, how could she go to an unfamiliar place? That idea had to be put on hold for now.
“I’ll go once I save up some money.” At least thirty to fifty thousand. It was difficult for her to find a job now, as employers were particular about qualifications. Hattie had a high education background, but now, as a former convict, her qualifications were useless.
Micah never tried to stop Hattie from doing anything. Whatever she wanted to do, he supported her. Most of the time, Micah carefully observed and silently helped Hattie, never placing any pressure on her.
In a way, he had given Hattie freedom, dignity, and a sense of security. They were closer than friends, having known each other for a long time and been through a lot together. Micah understood Hattie very well.
Hattie found a job through an acquaintance, working as a waitress at the back entrance of a hotel. The job only required a decent appearance, regardless of personal background.
Hattie was a perfect fit. With light makeup and neat hair, her features appeared cute and approachable, without any sense of alienation, drawing people towards her.
She was assigned to greet guests at the back entrance, a simple job that involved only standing and saying, “Welcome” when guests arrived and “Thank you, come again” when they left.
Compared to the main entrance, the back entrance was much easier, with fewer than twenty people passing through in a day.
One day, as Hattie was about to take a break and eat, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach, followed by a rush of warmth between her legs.
It was that feeling… She had started her period.
Due to the two years in prison, her body was in a bad condition, with irregular periods causing severe pain, leading to vomiting, diarrhea, chills, and backaches. Every time her period arrived, all she wanted was to squat down, but doing so for too long would make her dizzy, unable to stand up, and forced to remain on the ground.
If only she could find a place to lie down. But she was still at work, with her co-worker on break, leaving her alone without the option to leave.
The pain was unbearable, her body covered in cold sweat, her upper body slightly bent forward. With her eyes open, her vision was blurred, and something seemed to be swaying before her.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching. Seeing a pair of black, high-end men’s leather shoes slowly coming closer, she immediately raised her head slightly and greeted, “Welcome.”
The shoes abruptly stopped in front of her. The person didn’t speak or move, but Hattie, feeling the intense gaze burning on her head, lifted her head a little more to meet his gaze.
It was Harry.
Hattie never expected to meet Harry here. She knew this encounter was inevitable. After all, the world wasn’t that big, and perhaps paths would cross at some point. But she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
Locking eyes with Harry’s deep and dark gaze, she shivered under the chilling look in his eyes, momentarily forgetting the pain in her stomach.