When Don heard her words, he shivered in fear. “Calm down now. Let’s talk this out.”
Oh my! They look intimidating. At that moment, Yelena panicked. “How are they ahead of us? We are the ones driving, yet they caught up to us.”
“They have lived here for a long time. Thus, it is normal that they know their way around here,” Federick explained patiently.
Elspeth gripped the steering wheel tightly and said, “Of course not. How can we return to that hellhole when we have just escaped from it? Plus, Federick’s life is in danger. If he isn’t treated any time sooner, he will die.”
Hearing her words, Yelena looked at Federick. Still, she voiced out her worries. “There are many of them, though. Even if we were to fight them, we wouldn’t stand a chance.” She was devastated. She had never expected that she would be abducted and couldn’t escape.
At that moment, Elspeth opened the car door and exited the car. “What are you doing, Elspeth? Why are you leaving the car when there are so many of them?” Yelena was shocked.
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing,” replied Elspeth as she smiled at Yelena, trying to calm the latter down.
Callum also exited the car to prevent anything from happening to Elspeth. The duo stood in front of the car while facing the villagers.
“You sure are a capable man, chief. I didn’t expect you to chase us all the way here.”
Elspeth looked calm as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Looking at her reaction, Don was angry. He would never forget how Elspeth had kicked him to the side like a dog. After I get my hands on her, I will make her pay the price, he thought.
Since the villagers had outnumbered them, Don was harsh with his words. “Don’t try to act tough when you have nowhere to escape. Let’s see if you can be as calm as you are now once I get my hands on you.”
“You seem confident, Chief Macall. Let’s see who the winner will be, then.” As Elspeth spoke, she glanced sideways. Suddenly, dozens of men in black appeared from the corner.
“Get them,” she said.
The men in black obeyed her orders and sprinted toward the villagers.
Don didn’t expect her to bring along reinforcement. In that split second, his face turned pale. “How did they get here?”
“I left some markings on the way here. It’s only normal that they’ve arrived now since several days have passed. Now, it’s time for you to pay for your sins.” Elspeth smirked coldly.
When Don looked at the men in black, all of them were strong and bulky. Thus, he cowered in fear and begged, “This is just a misunderstanding. We are just here to bid farewell.”
Hearing his words, Yelena couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“You sure know how to talk nonsense.” Elspeth raised her eyebrow. “Since you are here to bid your goodbyes, shouldn’t you act like it?”
Don immediately searched his pocket and found a few bucks. “Is this enough? I only have this much money on me.”
Although Don didn’t want to give his money to Elspeth, he knew this was an exchange for his life.
Elspeth signaled the man beside her to take the money. However, as soon as she got the money, she threw it on the ground and said, “Whom are you trying to fool with such a small amount of money? I don’t want this.”
When Don saw that she had thrown the money he cherished to the ground, he was heartbroken. “What do you want?” he asked.
Elspeth pointed at the mountains and said, “I want you to let go of all those women you have abducted.”
At that moment, Don was in denial.
“But it was the villagers who bought them; I have nothing to do with it. If I let them go, the villagers would be furious.” Don shrugged, seemingly as if he couldn’t do anything.
“If you can’t handle this matter, I don’t think there is a reason for you to become the chief anymore.”
The man beside Elspeth immediately raised his knife toward Don.
“No! I’ll do it, alright?!” Don lowered his head in devastation.
“Okay. Yelena, take Federick to the hospital. I’ll rescue those women with Callum.”
“Okay.” Yelena nodded. Then, she looked at them nervously. “Please be careful.”
After Yelena and Federick left, Callum and Elspeth returned to the village. On the way back, Don looked around sneakily, seemingly as if he was waiting for something. Elspeth noticed it and told Callum to stay alert.
Many women had been abducted, and some older women were reluctant to leave after they had given birth. Thus, Elspeth told them she would give them some money if they insisted on staying. However, some troublemakers were unwilling to let the women leave. After all, they had spent their money on those women for them to bear their children. Thus, how would they be willing to let those women leave?
“If you want to take her away, you must step over my dead body first.” A man was throwing a tantrum on the floor. He knew he was no match against those men, so he threw a fit.
“Well then, I guess I have no choice.” Elspeth took out a knife and threw it on the floor. “Do you want me to help you with that?”
The man never expected her to take action since he didn’t mean it. At that moment, he quickly got up and said, “I was just joking.”
Elspeth looked at the miserable girl behind the man and waved at her. “Come here.”
The girl quickly smiled and ran toward Elspeth.
Soon, Elspeth had gathered dozens of women. Looking at their faces filled with fear, she took a deep breath and said, “Don’t worry, I’m going to get you guys out of here.”
Among the women, there were teenagers and middle-aged women present.
When they heard Elspeth’s words, their eyes lit up for a second before dimming once again.
“Can we really escape from here?”
“Of course. I will keep my word and get you guys out of here.” Elspeth nodded her head confidently.
“But we are not the same anymore. Even if we were to get out of here, we’ll always be mocked by others.” One of the women voiced her concerns as she lowered her head.
Initially, she was a college student with remarkable grades. However, she was abducted because she had talked to a stranger on a trip. Just like that, her life was ruined.
“Why would they look down upon you? As long as you live your life to the fullest, no one will ever say anything bad about you.” Elspeth walked toward the girl and held her hands. She was heartbroken when she saw the scars on the girl’s delicate skin. “You are a student, right? You can continue studying if you want to.”
At this moment, Callum stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “It’s time to leave.”
Hearing his words, Elspeth nodded. She had already ordered those men to get more cars, so there would be enough space for everyone to sit.
In the end, Elspeth left the village with a bunch of people. After they left the mountain, she ordered her men to send the women back to where they came from before returning to Evil Wind Sect. Then, she went to the hospital with Callum.
Since Federick’s chest wasn’t severely injured, they admitted him to the ward once he was fully bandaged. At that moment, Yelena was taking care of him.
“Does Hank know about this?”
Yelena nodded and replied, “I just called him. He should be here any moment.”
When Federick heard the unfamiliar name, he smiled and asked, “Is he your boyfriend?”
“Yes. We have been together for a year.” Yelena nodded with a smile.
Hearing her words, Federick lowered his head and looked at the white sheets, seemingly in deep thought. “That’s great.”
“How about you, Federick? Have you been in a relationship with anyone after all these years?” Yelena teased.
“No. I have never been in a relationship before.”
“What? Are you sure?” Yelena said exasperatedly.
“Yes. I’m too busy to have a girlfriend.”
Elspeth suddenly burst out laughing.
Yelena turned around and looked at Elspeth with a confused expression. “Why are you laughing, Elspeth?”
“I’m just laughing because someone is lying.”
When Yelena heard her words, she knew whom Elspeth was talking about. Then, she turned around and looked at Federick. “Did you lie to me?”
“Yes.” Federick felt embarrassed when his bluff was exposed.
“Why haven’t you been looking for a girlfriend?” Yelena couldn’t understand why Federick was reluctant to tell her the truth.
“That’s because—” Just as Federick was about to say something, someone entered the room. When Federick noticed this, he immediately stopped talking. On the other hand, Yelena’s attention was already on the person.
“You’re here, Hank!” Yelena rushed into his arms quickly.
Hank’s cold expression softened as he hugged her tightly. “Don’t you dare enter such a dangerous place alone next time, do you understand?”
“Okay. Still, the toilet isn’t a dangerous place,” Yelena mumbled. When Hank heard her mumbling, he pinched her nose and asked, “What did you just say?”
“I got it. It won’t ever happen again,” said Yelena softly as she lowered her head.
“While you guys are being all lovey-dovey, can you please think about us?” Elspeth said in amusement.
Hearing her words, Yelena realized she was being clingy at an inappropriate time. Thus, she got off from Hank.
“It looks like you have a good relationship.” Federick smiled.
When Hank entered the room, he immediately noticed Federick lying on the bed. At that moment, he sensed that something was different about him. Then, he saw the love in Federick’s eyes when the latter looked at Yelena. Thus, he deliberately showed affection toward Yelena the moment he entered the room. As expected, he saw the pain in Federick’s eyes.
Although Hank was happy, he felt slightly annoyed that Yelena had many admirers.
“Of course.” Hank raised his head like a proud peacock.
Hearing their conversation, Yelena realized the two men didn’t know each other. Then, she dragged Hank toward the bed and introduced, “This is Federick, my high school classmate. He’s the one who saved my life.” Yelena was grateful as she told Hank about Federick’s doings.
When Hank heard that Federick was Yelena’s lifesaver, his expression softened despite knowing that Federick had feelings for Yelena. “Thank you for saving Yelena. If you need any help, just let me know. I will try my best to fulfill it.”
Federick didn’t need anything. However, he couldn’t help but joke when he saw Hank’s expression. “If that’s the case, I have something I want.” He looked around and landed his gaze on Yelena. “Why don’t you give me your girlfriend, Mr. Damazio? I’m pretty interested in her.”
Hank didn’t expect him to say such words in public. In that split second, his face turned grim, and his voice was stern. “Some jokes aren’t meant to be said, Mr. Seanzy.”
Federick knew this, but he didn’t back down. “It’s just a joke. Why do you care so much, Mr. Damazio?”
On the other hand, Yelena sensed that something was wrong and seemed to realize something. Then, she stood between them and said, “Alright, guys. Federick was just kidding, Hank.”
Initially, Hank was going to repay Federick for what he did, but he changed his mind right then.
“Alright.” Hank had a grim expression, but he could only suppress his anger since many people were in the room.
Noticing the tense atmosphere between the two men, Elspeth gave Yelena a look and said, “You have done so much, Yelena. Why don’t you head back with Hank first? He spent a lot of time and effort searching for you.”
Federick curled his fingers slightly when he heard Elspeth’s words.
“Alright, then.” Yelena immediately knew what Elspeth meant. Then, she wrapped her arms around Hank and left.
Hank hummed in satisfaction before leaving with the woman.
When the duo left, the atmosphere lightened a bit. Callum sat beside the bed and started talking to Federick.
“Why did you suddenly become a secretary at such a place, Federick?”
Callum and Federick were childhood best friends. He remembered that Federick had studied abroad when he was young. After some time, he returned and immediately opened a publishing house. Hence, Callum never expected that he would become a secretary at such a remote place.
Federick smiled and replied, “Here’s the thing. Our company is writing a series of novels of the same genre, and we need some inspiration. Hence, I asked my dad to help me become a secretary for a village.”
“And he just sent you there?” Callum was shocked.
“Well, not quite. Initially, he refused my request. However, after begging him for some time, he obliged and told me to return within two years.”
“Won’t he be worried sick if you went home injured?” Callum asked worriedly as he looked at Federick’s wounds.
“You can’t tell him about this matter. Otherwise, my company will be gone.” Federick knew what his father was capable of. Although his father was strict, he loved Federick to the fullest. Thus, if his father were to know that he had been severely injured, he would do anything to avenge Federick. Moreover, he might think Federick was unsuitable to start a business and forcefully shut down his company.
“I’ll keep this a secret. If your father asks about it, just tell him you are unwell due to the environment. In the meantime, I happened to be traveling, so I brought you with me.”
“Thanks.” Federick bumped his fist with Callum’s. He knew that Callum was a friend he could count on.
“No worries. What are you going to do next? Are you going back to the publishing house?”
Federick nodded and replied, “I will return to the publishing house. I promised my dad I would accept the family’s engagement after two years.”
“Engagement?” Callum was in disbelief. “How are you willing to marry someone you have no feelings for when you are such a carefree and wild person?”
Federick had the most freedom among them. At times, Callum even envied him. However, he never expected Federick to accept his family’s engagement.
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