After Harry finished his shower and came out, the room was empty, with no sign of Hattie anywhere.
He smirked coldly, thinking about how the fish he had already caught was now foolishly trying to escape back into the sea, it was simply wishful thinking.
He picked up his coat from the floor and shook it off, pulling out his phone from the pocket to make a call.
While Hattie thought she was living peacefully, Harry had been keeping an eye on her. He knew when she was released from prison, who she met first after her release, when she got her ID, checked her bank cards, and eventually ended up working at this hotel.
He watched her fall into his clutches step by step, like a lamb to the slaughter, how could he let her go?
He wanted to see how far this fish on the line could swim.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Harry lit a cigarette and suddenly started laughing.
Hattie held her stomach, feeling a sharp pain as she ran, the heat below becoming unbearable. She ran so fast that she hadn’t even had time to fix her clothes.
As she headed downstairs, she ran into Mr. Anderson, who saw her ragged appearance and smirked ambiguously, “Hattie, what did Mr. Song say to you? Why are you coming down so soon?”
“Nothing,” Hattie’s face was pale, making her misty black eyes look dull, like thick ink that wouldn’t dissolve.
“Where are you rushing off to like this?”
“My stomach hurts, I’m going to get medicine.” Hattie had rushed to leave but was stopped by Mr. Anderson.
“If your stomach hurts, you can tell me, I’ll arrange for a doctor for you, get you some medicine. Hattie, I see you’ve latched on to Mr. Song now, don’t forget me when the time comes.”
“Latched on?” Hattie pondered the two words and gave a meaningfully smile, “Mr. Anderson, I also want to latch on to Mr. Song. You see, I took off all my clothes but he wasn’t interested. Let me tell you a secret, Mr. Song doesn’t like women.”
“Doesn’t like women? What do you mean?” Mr. Anderson’s instinct told him not to listen to the following words, but his curiosity got the better of him, so he couldn’t help asking Hattie more.
“That’s right…” Hattie whispered, “Mr. Song likes men. Mr. Anderson, instead of having me latch on to a rich man, why don’t you try it yourself? Being a male prostitute is an easy job, you can make money lying down.”
Mr. Anderson was startled, then became angry and embarrassed, “Who are you calling a prostitute?”
“Whoever shouts gets called out.” Hattie smirked, she didn’t believe for a moment that Mr. Anderson wasn’t involved in this matter. She was always one to retaliate on the spot against those who wronged her, so she found the right opportunity to kick Mr. Anderson below the belt.
Mr. Anderson screamed, “Hattie, you wait!”
“Wait for you to call me dad, you despicable beast.”
Hattie turned and ran, not knowing where she could go.
After giving it some thought, she decided to call the police, just in case. What if? What if there is justice in this world?
Hattie explained to the police the reasons before and after she called the police, saying she was harassed by Harry, and then went to the police station for tea.
The young police officer in front of her was filled with indignation after listening, immediately grabbing handcuffs and a baton to go and make an arrest.
But before he could leave, he was stopped by someone.
“What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you hear? She was harassed by a man and even nearly assaulted? Shouldn’t we, as police officers, go and catch the criminal?”
“Just because she said it’s a criminal? At most, it’s a suspect, have you heard who she said it was? Harry. ”
The young policeman scratched his head, “Who’s that?”
“King of Heise.”
“But this is Chiwood.”
“That doesn’t prevent him from controlling everything. Anyway, you stay here and keep an eye on that woman. I’ll make a call to the Chief.”
The young police officer was held back, he had not been on the job for long and didn’t understand these complex situations, he just knew about justice.
Now, he sat in front of Hattie, unsure of how to face her. She looked too fragile, her clothes in disarray, with a red mark around her delicate white neck, she looked pitiful.
He poured her a cup of hot water, “I’m Max Brown.”
Hattie looked up at the young police officer, just like his name, sunny and lively, as bright as the summer sun.
“Thank you, Mr. Brown.” Hattie felt nervous and anxious, occasionally taking out her phone to see if anyone had messaged or called her.
The only person she could trust here was Micah, but she didn’t dare to call him, fearing she might drag him into trouble.
She thought things over, realizing that she could never find peace anywhere. Even if she went to the police station and accused Harry of assaulting her, it wouldn’t matter.
So, she thought about the second option, to confess. She couldn’t afford to pay for the flowers she had broken, and with all the money she owed Harry, she might as well stay in the police station.
Feeling weary, Hattie heard a commotion outside.
“The Chief is here.”
Max followed, and standing beside Chief William was Harry, looking at Hattie huddled in a corner, “Hattie, I’m here to take you home.”
Hattie was immediately alert, standing up and staring back with a cold gaze.
Seeing Chief William nodding beside Harry, she knew it was all over.
Just as she had thought before, fearing authority, who would believe the words of a just-released female prisoner?
She was repulsed by her own appearance, and saying that Harry had assaulted her, who would believe her?
It wasn’t a matter of belief, these people were simply unable to do anything to Harry, so they could only suppress the weak.
In this world of survival of the fittest, Hattie had long since gotten used to it. Talk of fairness was something the weak like her were not entitled to.
Hattie sat still, calling out, “Mr. Brown.”
Max turned to look at her.
Harry sensed the silent conversation between the two, and his hand resting on his thigh clenched involuntarily.
From the moment she entered until now, Hattie had not looked at him directly, but had been staring at the man named Mr. Brown that she had called.
Sensing Harry’s coldness, Hattie glanced over.
Harry was a master of disguise, even when he was enraged, his smiling face concealed his true emotions. It was only his eyes, sharp as an eagle’s, that revealed too much aggression. Hattie was no longer as afraid of him as she had been before, having endured so much pain and despair in prison. Perhaps once a person gave up a lot, fears would diminish one by one.
Hattie stood up, “I confess. I smashed his million-dollar-worth flowers, I can’t afford to pay for them. You can arrest me, sit in prison for a few years, you lot would be happy then, and I wouldn’t mind going back.”
Chief William said, “Miss Mason, Mr. Stewart has already said, he doesn’t mind that you broke his flowers.”
Hattie showed no expression, blinking her dark eyes a couple of times, “Then I confess to kicking my manager. Shouldn’t I be detained for intentional harm?”
Having seen various ways people avoid responsibility, this was the first time he had seen someone who wanted to be detained.
“We have looked into the matter of causing harm, and the other party has decided to resolve it privately. Miss Mason, Mr. Stewart is here to bail you out, you can go back.” Harry’s intimidating presence made Chief William’s scalp tingle and cold sweat break out. If the occasion had been different, he would have been on his knees begging Hattie to take the people away, his place couldn’t accommodate this deity.
Hattie tilted her head, “But what if I don’t want to go back?”
Harry moved forward, grabbed Hattie’s wrist in a strong grip, “Enough.”
Max wanted to step forward but was stopped, watching helplessly as Hattie was taken away.
“What are you doing? Max, do you want to quit?”
Max stood there dumbfounded, “Didn’t you see Miss Mason didn’t want to go with him?”
“What business is it of yours, you should be happy to see a brother taking his little sister home, and no one has committed any crimes, understood?”
Max didn’t understand, he wanted to leave and was being held back for doing something stupid.
Harry pulled Hattie out, dragging her to the car and then throwing her inside.
Hattie held her aching stomach, her face drained of color, even her lips losing their usual hue.
Harry stood outside the car, looking down at her, his tone condescending, “Is this all you’re capable of, Hattie?”
He had thought that after Hattie was released from prison, she would have learned to be a bit smarter. But she seemed to be the same as two years ago, willing to run headlong into jail.
“Have you forgotten how your fingers were broken? Do you want to break more, one finger at a time? Will you only obey when you’ve lost all your fingers?”
Hattie suddenly lost control of her emotions, ripping off her gloves and throwing them at Harry’s face. Her eyes were bloodshot, nearly weeping in anger.
“I haven’t forgotten how my fingers were broken, it was because of them listening to you, smashing and breaking them nine times!”