Ch 151 - Down and Out

Forced into the corner of the room, all the girl could do was shake her head vigorously. She felt helpless and was extremely afraid when she saw that Philip was unbuckling his belt. She closed her eyes and ran blindly in the direction of the door.

"Don't run, my little baby. You want me to be strong with you, don't you? I think you like it a bit rough," he said. He had already thrown his underwear onto the floor. He tried to grab her.

The girl banged hard at the door, desperate to escape, but the door was locked and her hands were tied, so it was impossible.

She was in tears, desperate to get out.

"Bang."

Suddenly, the door broke open, knocking the girl to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked her as he rushed in. He squatted beside her and tore the tape from her mouth.

"He's a monster. Please help me. He's a monster—" the girl cried as she threw herself into Alex's arms.

He noticed Philip standing behind him, totally naked and aroused. Without hesitation, he took the knife, which he now carried, from his pocket and threw it at him.

"Aaargh—" Philip screamed when he saw the knife heading for his groin.

He covered his lower body and fell to the ground in agony. Blood flowed out from between his fingers. He screamed in horror when he saw that his penis was lying on the floor. In addition to the pain, he was screaming in panic and fear, horrified at what had happened and the implications.

"You bastard. I'll kill you!" Despite the intense pain, he stood up and rushed at Alex, who stepped forward and took a defensive stance in front of the girl.

Suddenly, a group of police officers rushed in.

"Mr. Ambrose, you're here too. Are you okay?" It was Sam Woodsworth who had brought the police. He rushed in with them.

"I'm okay," Alex replied, shaking his head. Sam was relieved.

"Officer, this man is Philip Gellor, and he's been molesting his female tenants. You must arrest him right now," Sam said to the police.

The police handcuffed Philip.

"Wow," said Sam in shock when he saw what Alex had done to him. "Where's his penis?"

"Here it is," the captain of the police said as he used a white glove to pick an object up from the ground.

"Ouch," said Sam. When he and the other officers saw what the police captain was holding, they couldn't help tightening their crotches and sighing. "How small," one of the officers commented.

"Give him a coat, and take him and his body part away," the police captain said. The other officer led Philip out.

"Shall I go with you?" Alex asked.

"No, Mr. Ambrose, I'm sure you're busy. I'll go with them," Sam said with a reassuring smile. Then he left with the police.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked the girl as he sat down next to her.

"Yes, I'm all right," she sobbed. She had calmed down a little, but with Alex's kindness, she started crying again. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him, whimpering, "I'm sorry, but if it wasn't for you... that asshole... thank you for everything. Thank you."

Alex was suddenly hugged by a beautiful woman who was two or three years younger than him. She seemed very upset, so he hugged her back.

After crying in his arms for half an hour, the girl finally calmed down. As she slowly let go of him, he could feel that his chest was wet with her tears.

"I'm sorry," she said timidly. Her eyes were red from crying.

"It's okay. You've left a free map on my t-shirt. Look, this is America." Alex pointed to the imprint on his chest that was wet from her tears.

She was amused, and she smiled.

"Well, the nightmare is over. I hope that you can get over this okay," Alex said. He was turned about her. She looked so young and vulnerable, and he was worried that she would suffer long-term psychological effects from her ordeal.

"Well, I'll try my best to forget what happened today," the girl replied with a nod. She looked at Alex and suddenly felt uneasy. She asked in a whisper, "What's your name?"

"My name is Alex," he replied with a smile.

"Alex, Alex—" she murmured twice under her breath. Her red eyes fixated on his as she said, "My name's Lindsey Marvel."

"Lindsey Marvel?" he repeated with a smile. "Your surname is quite rare. It's a lovely name."

"Thank you." Lindsey felt a little happier as she asked, "Can you help me pack up my things?"

"Why? Are you moving out?" Alex asked in surprise.

"Well, I'm too afraid to live here now. I'm going to find somewhere else to rent." She knew that she wouldn't be able to get the thought of Philip out of her head as long as she stayed in the apartment.

"Okay. Of course, I'll help you clean up." Alex nodded. He could understand why Lindsey felt too scared to live there. It made him feel very uneasy because he did own the place now, so he quickly helped her to pack her things.

He helped her to check out, and they walked out of Lawrence Heights together. As they walked along the street, Alex asked her where she was going to go. She had no answer. She only said that she was going to walk around the city alone, with no plan at all.

He wanted to help her but couldn't think of what to do for the best.

When a cab pulled up in front of her, Lindsey said, "Okay, I have to go."

"Okay, take care," he replied simply.

Lindsey suddenly felt a sense of loss at the thought that she would never see him again. On impulse, she stood on her tiptoes and tried to kiss him on the corner of his mouth. However, Alex was shocked and stepped back without thinking.

He looked at her in surprise, a puzzled expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said. To his amazement, she didn't blush or look at all embarrassed, just a little sad. "I hope that we meet again in the future," she said.

Alex looked at her but didn't say anything.

She nodded slightly, got into the cab, and drove away.

"Maybe we'll meet again," Alex murmured and walked back to Lawrence Heights.

**

Later that evening, Sue was walking out of an office block following another unsuccessful interview. She had been looking for a job for the past two days, but she hadn't been able to find anything. That day, she had gotten up early again and washed her clothes. She felt that the reason that she had been unsuccessful in finding work might be because of the way she was dressed. She didn't have much money and her clothes were all quite old and shabby.

To give a better impression to the recruiters, she had spent some of her remaining money on a new bag and new cosmetics. She had also borrowed some smart shoes from a friend.

She hadn't gotten to bed until midnight the previous night, but she felt well prepared for the interview that day.

After a three-hour wait, she finally met the interviewer. She introduced herself politely, but the recruiter didn't ask her any questions or even look her in the eye. She simply said, "Sorry, you're not the right person for this job."

The job that she had applied for was with a large television news channel. When she first arrived, she had noticed that the other candidate was greeting all the existing reporters, correspondents, and managers as if they were old friends. She felt that she had never stood a chance.

As she walked out of the building carrying her new bag, Sue felt that she was useless. Feeling desperate that she would never be able to find work, she slapped herself in the face.

She let her hair loose and unbuttoned her suit jacket. She just couldn't understand what she was doing wrong. Her newly bought bag was dragged along the ground getting badly scuffed, but Sue didn't care. She didn't even notice.

She walked the streets of New York in despair.

She lost all track of time. Finally, just as she reached Lawrence Heights, her right leg gave way. The heel of her shoe had broken.

Sue took off her shoes and threw them away.

She sat on the steps in front of the building, not caring that her clothes would get dirty. Looking up at the bright moon, tears gradually started to roll down her cheeks. Not wanting people to see her crying, she buried her face between her knees.

The tears wouldn't stop flowing.

She looked so sad and pathetic that everyone who saw her was sympathetic and wondered why she was crying. She was just a young lady. She shouldn't have so much grief.

For half an hour, Sue sat on the steps and wept. Her voice became hoarse, and her clothes were wet. Finally, she slowly stood up and looked at Lawrence Heights behind her. She couldn't help but think of Alex.

She remembered how that rich young student had helped her. If he could see the mess she was in that day, would he feel even more sympathy for her, or would he regret having helped her?

Barefoot, she made her way to the main entrance of Lawrence Heights. She went to her apartment and was about to open the door, when she was approached by a young man who said, "Miss Bradley, you're back at last. Please follow me. Our boss wants to see you."

Sue raised her head in confusion, but she agreed to go with the young man. She followed him to an office on the first floor.

"Please go in," the young man said, pointing to the office. When she entered, she saw Alex sitting behind a desk, and her eyes widened in surprise. The young man said to him, "Mr. Ambrose, I have brought Miss Bradley as you requested."