chapter11 Escape

Those folks who need something from him won't dare to openly defy him. That's why she had the nerve to sneak into his place when nobody was around, searching for a way to connect with the outside world. Even if there was just a glimmer of hope, she wasn't about to let it slip away.

The bedroom was connected to another room, and she already knew that the other room was locked when she last came in. Now, she was itching to find out what was inside. Asher must have the key; given his careless and cocky attitude, he wouldn't hide it too well.

Scarlett opened the bedside table and rummaged through the clutter, but found nothing. Turning to check the drawers of the wardrobe, sure enough, a bunch of brass keys were lying there.

She grabbed the keys and tried them one by one until, when she inserted the last one, "creak," the door lock made a turning sound.

It was a study, old-fashioned yet classy, with two rows of tall bookshelves neatly stacked with thick volumes. On the other side were two computers, one on the desk and one built into the wall. But what caught her eye the most was the telephone on the large desk. Despite her anxiety, she quickly walked over and picked up the receiver, hearing a long beep indicating the phone was connected.

She quickly dialed the home number but stopped after entering the first two digits, remembering something. Hastily, she hung up the receiver and dialed 911 instead.

There was silence on the phone, as if waiting to connect. The room was so quiet; the only sound was her heartbeat, each thud crystal clear. After about a minute of waiting, there was a disconnection tone. She tried two more times, with the same result. She then randomly dialed a number in New York City, but after several seconds of waiting, it was still the same disconnection tone.

Turns out, the phone here couldn't make outgoing calls, or rather, it couldn't make them freely.

She then turned on the computer in the study, but it prompted for a password upon booting, forcing her to give up.

She broke into a cold sweat due to nervousness, and after thoroughly checking the study again, besides the phone and computer, all she found were densely packed books, although they were of various kinds, they were of no use to her.

Still not giving up, she tried several more times, fiddling for a long time. She had to admit that she couldn't freely transmit any signals to the outside from here.

Scarlett slumped on the chair, though she understood during this time that there was little hope of returning to normal life, she still felt lost.

The coldness in her heart was like the winter river, her limbs weak. She had to get up to restore everything to its original state, turning off the lights and locking the door. Back in her room, she glanced at the clock; the hour hand was nearing twelve. Feeling tired, although the clock on the wall was moving, it made no sound. She nestled in the bedding, forgetting that she hadn't freshened up tonight, staring at the decorative painting on the wall for a long time before eventually closing her eyes.

In her dream, her parents appeared, their faces tired and tear-streaked, calling out desperately, "Scarlett... Scarlett..." Their voices were urgent and anxious, traversing the wind, tearing her heart into pieces.

She also desperately shouted, "Mom, Dad, I'm here, save me..."

But separated by the haze, her cries couldn't reach her parents' ears. She was so anxious, so anxious that she wanted to cry.

Suddenly, several men in black came, their faces fierce, wielding whips and lashing at her. It hurt so much, but she couldn't dodge. She was dragged away, her parents' faces growing fainter, becoming ink smudges, but the painful and urgent voices still lingered in the wind.

She woke up abruptly, opening her eyes to daylight. She sat still for a long time, hugging the blanket, watching a small bird she didn't recognize fly past the window, flapping its wings joyfully. Its tiny head turned, its eyes like black beans, pausing on the windowsill for a moment before flying away with a chirp.

Probably around noon, Scarlett got up to have a late breakfast and watched TV for a while. In the afternoon, she sat in the backyard as usual, staring blankly. The white walls cast sharp shadows through the dense layers of leaves, hurting her eyes.

She walked past the vines with red flowers, brushed through the lush green bamboo leaves, and reached the base of the wall, looking around. The trees varied in height, with dense branches and leaves. She walked around the wall; the trees outside stretched out their branches as if beckoning, telling her that the sky there was bluer and the wind gentler.

The white wall was like a thorn in her heart, causing sharp pain, so much so that she could hardly breathe. She wanted to take a look at the outside scenery. She knew she couldn't escape, but she longed to glance beyond this wall, even if it was just for a moment, it would be satisfying.

The top of the wall had a small sloping roof shape with light blue tiles embedded in it. She walked halfway around the wall and found a lower spot where the ground sloped, making the wall shorter. A tree happened to grow next to it, with branches reaching outside.

However, Scarlett wasn't good at climbing trees. She looked around, quickly ran back to the yard, fetched a higher chair, and placed it next to the tree. She just wanted to see the outside scenery; the unknown was deeply attractive to her.

The chair was set up, but it was still not high enough. She brought another stool and placed it on top. It was a bit wobbly. She held onto the nearby tree and stood on the stool, tiptoeing to see over the wall. Outside, there were still evergreen and deciduous trees intermingling, but she felt that the green leaves were even more vibrant, lush, and refreshing, and even the wind seemed gentler and warmer.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. The gentle breeze rustled the green leaves, causing the shadows on the ground to sway. The free breeze brushed past her ears, lifting her hair gently. She leaned her elbows on the wall, lying down for a while.

Then she hugged the trunk of the tree, lifted herself up with her legs, and climbed up. She placed one leg on the wall, grabbed the branch sticking out, exerted force, and climbed up. One leg crossed over the wall; the knots protruding from the tree bark scraped her arm, but she didn't care. She finally sat on top of the wall.

She leaned against the smooth decorative tiles atop the wall, sitting directly on it, feeling a bit uncomfortable but strangely at ease. After a while, she felt the urge to explore the scenery of the island, get to know her surroundings. The rustling leaves, the unseen azure sea, all called out to her. The high walls and grand courtyard felt like a cage, but she had no desire to turn back. The ground below was earthy, with some grass, about ten to twelve feet down—not too high, not too low. She hesitated for a moment, then jumped.

As she landed, a jolt of force rebounded from the soles of her feet, her knees bending, legs tingling. She stumbled forward, hands pressing into the ground, feeling the rough soil beneath them. Despite the discomfort, she brushed off her knees and hands, then began to wander. The trees weren't tall, birds fluttering about. A cement road stretched like a white ribbon amidst the greenery in the distance. She ran into the woods, a sense of freedom she had longed for seemingly within reach.

She didn't know how big the island was, whether there were boats at the shore. Deep down, she knew she couldn't escape, but she refused to turn back, to return to the villa that felt like a prison.

Leaves brushed against her clothes, her heart pounding wildly.

Not long after she started running, she heard footsteps behind her, leaves rustling fiercely. A sense of dread washed over her. She didn't dare look back, just ran as fast as she could.

A man's voice behind her cursed, "You lowly woman, stop!"

Behind her, a thick black fog swirled like a demon, threatening to consume her. Scarlett was terrified, unable to gauge how many were chasing her. She couldn't spare a moment to glance back, only to run, using every ounce of her strength.

The man cursed and chased after her, his voice heavy. "You can't escape, you wench! I'll break your legs when I catch you!"

His speed was impressive. Scarlett heard his footsteps closing in, her breathing heavy, legs weakening. Suddenly, a powerful force from behind knocked her to the ground.

Before she could even feel the pain, she scrambled to her feet, but the man grabbed her arm, his grip like iron claws.

Scarlett struggled like prey caught by a predator, screaming hysterically, "Let me go... Get off me... Go away..."

Her slender arms and legs were fragile compared to the muscular man's strength. Enraged by her frenzy, he kicked her to the ground, then grabbed her hair, slapping her twice. "You ungrateful woman, trying to escape, with nowhere to go."

Scarlett saw stars, feeling a chill in her heart as she lay on the ground, helpless.

Jack dragged Scarlett along, his face stern. When they reached their residence, they found Bill leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, a smirk on his face. Jack, feeling even more displeased, tightened his grip and scolded Scarlett, "You're digging your own grave, thinking you can escape from here?"

Scarlett whimpered under Jack's grip, but no one paid her any attention.

"So long? Your speed is slowing down!" Bill chuckled.

Jack's expression darkened. "This woman doesn't know her place, daring to run! She runs as fast as a rabbit. I'll teach her a lesson she won't forget in her lifetime."

Once inside, he threw Scarlett to the floor, grabbed her hair, forcing her head up. "Wait and see, I'll show you what it means to wish for death."

After tossing Scarlett aside, Jack went to fetch something.

Scarlett lay on the ground, lifeless, eyes vacant, neither screaming nor pleading.

Soon, Jack returned with a whip. He lashed it against the leather sofa with a loud crack, sending dust flying, suffocating the room.

The loud sound snapped Scarlett back to reality. She saw the dark whip, her heart freezing with fear, every pore trembling. Memories of the underground hell she endured flooded back, along with the cries she heard. Instinctively, she covered her head, emitting a muffled groan, her face filled with terror.

Jack played with the whip, not rushing to deal with Scarlett but enjoying her fear. He lifted her chin with the handle, taunting, "Now you're scared, but where was your fear when you ran?"

"You should have known your place when you were sold. This island is monitored everywhere. If you escape, we'll become a laughingstock."

A wicked smile crept onto the man's lips as Scarlett's muscles spasmed uncontrollably.

Bill watched silently, casually lighting a cigarette, indifferent to the scene.

Jack, seething with anger, threw the whip aside, glaring at Bill. "Give me one!"

Bill raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Not going to beat her anymore? I was looking forward to it!"

"What's the fun in beating a woman? Do you think I've gone mad staying on this island?" He snatched the cigarette from Bill's hand.

Bill chuckled, "Seeing her tender flesh can't withstand your beating."

"Yeah, it's better to keep her for a few more days. But she's so skinny, it's boring!" Bill glanced at Scarlett, full of disdain.

"After all, she's Asher's person. If Asher doesn't speak, we can't act recklessly. Even if it's just going through the motions, we still have to ask him. Otherwise, Henry will say we're irresponsible." Bill blew out a puff of smoke. "That guy isn't human. Who can understand his temper? A flick of his tail and people die."

Bill took another drag. "We have to save face for him. Otherwise, when he comes back, he'll think we've inexplicably disposed of someone. Asher is scary enough, and the boss trusts him. If we offend him, we'll be in big trouble. I understand that much. Let's keep this woman for a couple more days. After disciplining her, when she's sold to underground brothels abroad, let's see if she'll dare to run. If Henry's in a bad mood, he might just kill her."

"What a foolish girl, only left with a dead end." Bill continued to smile.

"She brought it on herself! Alright, I'll lock her up. I can't stand her presence anymore. I want to go upstairs and have fun with the pretty girls. This woman is such bad luck." Jack turned to fetch something, returning with a pair of handcuffs. He lifted Scarlett, handcuffing her hands, roaring, "You've ruined my mood today. You're lucky to have a decent villa to live in, yet you choose the path of self-destruction. I'll clean you up properly in a couple of days."

Scarlett's eyes were vacant, limp in his grasp.

Jack dragged her, kicking open a door, throwing her in, then slammed the iron door shut with a resounding bang.

As the door closed, the last glimmer of light vanished, leaving her surrounded by darkness.