Nora frowned slightly and asked the man, “Are you not a police officer?”
All of us tensed up at the question and the man scoffed. “We are indeed the police, but we are not the police who will send all of you home. Don’t you know that there are different types of police in Venria?”
Upon hearing his confession, Tabitha shrieked in fear, “Let us go!”
Meanwhile, Laurel was so terrified that she started to shake uncontrollably, and Tessa began mumbling philosophical quotes.
Nora turned pale as her hope of returning home vanished in an instant.
She was so upset that she could not even speak. Glaring at him with her blazing eyes, she looked as if she was going to murder the man.
I clasped my hands tightly and took a deep breath to compose myself. Then, I looked at the man with a steady gaze. “So, where are you guys bringing us?”
He turned towards me and smiled. “Oh, you must be Scarlett Stovall.”
I frowned. “Do you know me?”
He gave me a nonchalant shrug and replied, “Nope, I don’t know who you are, but I’ve heard of you. The police in Marsingfill are looking for you now. You seem to be worth a lot of money.”
The police wouldn’t be finding me without a reason. Perhaps Ashton has known that I’m in Venria, so he contacted the police there.
When he saw the baffled look on me, he continued, “Don’t worry, Ms. Stovall. I can’t guarantee the safety of the ladies here, but I can definitely guarantee yours. As long as you cooperate with us, you can go back to your country safe and sound after we receive the ransom.”
“You think you all can get the money?” I scoffed. “If the police are really searching for me, it’d be better if you send me to the police in Marsingfill and tell them that you’re the ones who rescue me. They might give you a large sum of money as a token of appreciation.”
His brows furrowed as he pondered the option. After a while, he narrowed his eyes and said, “I can consider bringing you there, but not them.”
“Why?” I raised my voice. “As long as you send us back, I can give you the money, as much as you want.”
He let out a scoff. “Ah, you’re indeed different, no wonder Mr. Murphy is interested in you. But he is only looking for you, Ms. Stovall. Him spending money on you doesn’t mean that he would fork out for the others. These women are too mediocre. I don’t think he would like any of them, so there’s no use in sending them to him.”
Offended by his words, the girls gritted their teeth and glared at him.
Nora, who had a pretty complexion with porcelain skin, got especially mad at him.
She shot him a disdainful look. “Did you not see yourself? You’re the ugliest one here. With your pig nose and small eyes, even plastic surgery can’t fix your looks.”
I laughed inwardly. This might be the best retaliation I’ve ever heard.
On the other hand, the man was so angry that he almost burst a blood vessel. He was about to slap Nora when the driver turned around and said something to him.
Then, the man dropped his hand.
Seeing his reaction, Nora rolled her eyes and continued to rebuke, “Stop acting like you’re some kind of big shot. You’re just a traitor who betrayed the country for money.”
“You…” The man had nothing to say to her accusation.
Glaring at Nora, he looked like he was going to tear her apart. But he eventually calmed down and sneered all of a sudden. “Look at you, you can be smug all you want. Don’t you know that all of you are going to meet your end soon? Once we reach Eastsummer, you would know what a living hell is.”
Nora wanted to talk back, but I stopped her and looked at the man. “Since you know who Mr. Murphy is, you should know that the Murphys had plenty of money to spare. Besides, if you send all of us back, not only the Murphys will give you money, even the Fullers, the Moores, and the Stovalls will give you a fortune. You just need to bring us back safely to the police, and you can live an easy life in K City. It’s very simple.”
He gaped and asked disbelievingly, “What did you say? Even the Fullers, the Moores, and the Stovalls will give me money, too?”
I nodded. Realizing that the girls were staring at me as well, I hesitated for a while before saying, “Yes. If you don’t believe me, give me your phone and let me call Ashton Fuller. I’ll turn on the speaker.”
He looked at me doubtfully. “How did you know him?”
I pursed my lips and told him the truth. “Not only do I know Ashton Fuller, but also John Stovall and Zachary Moore. I believe you know who they are.”
He paled instantly. After a long while, he finally responded, “Who are you? Why are you human trafficked to Venria to be a mule?”
I was stunned. I did not expect that they abducted us for smuggling purposes.
