CHAPTER 21

Zion never expected Violette would use such a reckless plan to force him to meet her. Therefore, he was furious when he entered the coffee shop at the corner of the street.

"I understand you're anxious to find your friend, but you're using the wrong way!" Zion frowned as he lectured Violette.

"Then tell me what's the right way to do it? Should I just sit and wait for you cops to solve the case? You're taking too long!

"How desperate Sophia would be by now if she's still waiting for someone to rescue her!" Violette lost her temper and yelled at Zion.

Zion didn't seem happy as he rubbed his eyebrows.

"I know how you feel- "

"You don't know a damn thing about how I feel!" Violette interrupted Zion.

Zion glanced at Violette in silence, feeling speechless.

"If I didn't report to the police that Sophia was missing, no one would've reported it! You cops wouldn't even have started investigating."

"Sophia has lost her parents. She has no one but me! If I don't do anything, she'll… she'll be gone for good." Violette's eyes had reddened as she clenched her fists fiercely.

I could tell that she must be terribly upset right now because her body wouldn't stop trembling.

"Violette, please, don't do anything reckless…" I begged her not to go. She should forget about me and live on without me.

However, Violette seemed to have made up her mind. She wouldn't give up before she found me.

"Don't take the deal, Zion. Turn her down!" I cried, begging Zion not to accept Violette's proposal.

Zion pondered for a long while. Then, he said, "Sorry, but I don't know you, nor Sophia. I only learned from Damien and his friend that Sophia isn't a good person, if not vicious-"

"That's bullshit!" Violette shouted furiously.

"Those people are all devils! Fucking bastards! They've got a lot of nerves to criticize Sophia! They're the ones who have been hurting Sophia!"

"Damien Coleman's a rapist! You're a cop, aren't you? You should arrest Damien Coleman! Go arrest him now!" Violette frantically pushed Zion as she shouted in tears.

Zion was a little at a loss. He probably didn't know how to calm down a lady.

When Violette cried, I couldn't help but cry with her.

"Zion, you're a cop, so you shouldn't believe that most people would tell the truth. Sophia isn't the person they described. I can prove it to you." Perhaps she had vented enough, Violette suddenly calmed down.

Somehow, she seemed scarier now than when she was frenzied.

"What do you have in mind?" Zion asked.

"Tomorrow night, I'll wander around the alleys in a red dress. If one day isn't enough, I'll keep wandering for two days, three days until I lure that lunatic out."

Violette clenched her fists tight. She was so agitated that even her breath was shaky.

"What kind of friend is Sophia to you? Why would you risk your life for her?" Zion was a bit irritated, so he went to the smoking area for a cigarette.

Violette smiled weakly. "You want to know more about Sophia? Follow me. I'll bring you to a place where you can understand the real her."

Zion remained silent and followed Violette.

I quiddy followed them.

"Sophia was a top student. She always got first place in our class."

Violette drove Zion to the Hamforth Residence, where I was born and raised.

She knew where my house key was hidden since this place used to be our little hideout when we were students.

Sophia was beautiful. She had been the campus belle of our school." Violette took a key out from a shoe, opened the door, and entered the house.

There was a photo hanging at the entrance of the living room. It was a beautiful artistic photo of me, taken when I took part in a ballet performance when I was 18.

I was wearing a white tutu, posing like a swan spreading its wings in the photo."

"She was so beautiful." Zion nodded his head as he glanced at that photo.

"After her parents had died in the car crash, their company went bankrupt and owed a lot of money. Sophia didn't need to bear those debts. But she still paid them off with her parents' death benefits she had claimed from the insurance, without keeping a cent for herself."

Violette took a box out of the drawer. "After we went to college, Sophia would hand me the money she received from her scholarship every year."

"We would donate the money to help the children at welfare homes. She said the children would be so lonely without their parents."

Bang! The door suddenly opened.

Dexter stood at the doorway, breathing heavily. His eyes were all reddened.

I was standing at the entrance, looking at him in disbelief. Wasn't he taken away by the Blacks?

No, that wasn't the point. The real question was, how did Dexter have my house key?

Violette was shocked to see Dexter too. "Who are you?"

Zion's first reaction was to press Dexter against the wall. "Why are you here?" "Sophia… Sophia!" Dexter shouted for Sophia in his shaky, hoarse voice.

Zion furrowed his brow and released Dexter.

Dexter turned and immediately started running. He signaled for Violette and Zion to follow him.

In a panic, I wanted to stop Violette.

"Violette, don't trust him," I pleaded. "He's a murderer. Don't go with him!"

But Violette saw this as a good opportunity. She was desperate to find me.

"Stop right there," Violette demanded. She chased after Dexter and urged him to stop.

I was in a state of panic and started to follow them. I shouted at Zion, "Please, follow them. Ensure her safety."

Zion snapped to his senses and joined the chase. He and Violette followed closely behind Dexter.

Dexter seemed to struggle with his movements. It was evident he was running with all his might. Blood streamed down his slender calves. It was a harrowing sight.

His pants were both short and tattered. It seemed they were scavenged from somewhere.

I couldn't help but wonder about Dexter's background. If he was indeed from the Black family and they treated him well, I wonder why he would be left to wander without directions.

I knew nothing of Dexter's upbringing. Nor did I wish to empathize with a serial killer. Regardless of his past, murder is indefensible.

"Are you injured?" Zion inquired. His brow was furrowed as he grasped Dexter's arm. "Where are you taking us?"

Alarmed, Dexter wrenched his arm free from Zion. He stumbled to the ground, then rose and continued his escape.

His shoes were missing. The soles of his feet bore horrific scars reminiscent of severe burns. I watched in shock as Dexter stumbled every few steps. I wonder what horrors he had endured.

"What happened to his feet?" Violette gasped in horror.

She observed Dexter's determined efforts to rise after each fall. His feet were severely burned. Each step he took must have been agonizing.

What was driving him to endure such pain?

"They're burn injuries," Zion concluded. He approached Dexter after another fall. He offered a hand and waited for Dexter to accept help.

However, Dexter hesitated. It seemed he was already accustomed to solitude.

Once back on his feet, Dexter resumed his painful journey. Bloody footprints marked his trail.

Violette was puzzled. "How did he burn his feet?" she wondered aloud.

"I had my suspicions about him," Zion confessed. He spoke with a heavy heart. "I believed he might be the murderer and conducted my own investigation."

Zion's admission took me aback. To think he had suspected Dexter all along.

"He is the murderer," I insisted. "You must investigate further!"

"Dexter's life has been filled with hardship," Zion reflected. "Raised in an orphanage, he was never acknowledged by Mr. Black Senior. Mr. Black Senior never considered bringing him into the Black family fold."

"Perhaps it's karma that Mr. Black Senior's lineage has ended with him. Now, he turns to Dexter, the grandson he once shunned."

Zion followed behind Dexter. He lit the cigarette and pondered the cruel irony.

"A servant from the Black household confided in me," Zion continued, "Dexter resisted his new life with the Black family. He frequently attempted to flee. His reclusive nature and quick temper made him difficult to manage.

"To prevent further embarrassment, Mr. Black Senior resorted to extreme measures. He crippled Dexter, confined him, and treated him like an animal. All this to ensure the continuation of the Black lineage."

Violette covered her mouth in shock. "So, his injuries…" she began. "Were they inflicted by Mr. Black Senior to prevent his escape?"

Zion's response was a silent, pained look.

In the eyes of the wealthy, Dexter was not a person but a tool for reproduction. Once he fulfilled his purpose, he could vanish from Huma forever.

I followed behind Zion. My emotions were conflicted as I observed Dexter.

"Empathy for a murderer is misplaced," I muttered hoarsely. "However pitiful he may be, his victims deserve our sympathy more."

Dexter's motives were unclear to me. I was uncertain if he had accomplices. But with Zion present, I felt a measure of safety.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dexter led us back to the abandoned orphanage.

The sight of the dilapidated building sent shivers down my spine. It was here, in an old alleyway, where I was drugged and abducted.

Was Dexter about to reveal the site of his crimes?

"What's here?" Zion demanded. His voice was tense as he surveyed our surroundings. Dexter paid him no mind. He pushed open door after door. His search was frantic yet fruitless.

I was skeptical of his intentions. I suspected that it was an act of madness. But then, we found something on the second floor in a deserted dormitory.

A figure in a red dress stood before us. The silhouette was eerily familiar. The figure seemed lost in thought as it gazed out the window.

I was breathing heavily, and my body trembled uncontrollably. Was I staring at my corpse?