Have the police arrived?
The men panic. But as well-trained ex-soldiers, they quickly take out their guns and get out after
exchanging glances.
I breathe a sigh of relief and black out.
In a daze, I vaguely hear someone calling my name.
Is it Frances?
I am too dizzy to tell it.
I want to open my eyes, but I feel too tired, sleepy, and cold.
At last, I lose consciousness.
In my sleep, I am surrounded by a few men. They assault me one after another.
I cry and shout, but no one comes to save me. I could only endure the inhumane torture over and over
again.
"Frances! Frances, save me!"
I wave my hands in the air. Suddenly, I grab a pair of warm hands.
I open my eyes.
And I meet Frances' sad gaze.
He reaches out and gently wipes the tears off my face.
I look at him blankly and cry.
"Am I dreaming? Frances, tell me, It's not a dream. You are really here, right?"
He nods and holds me in his arms, whispering, "It's me. Jane, I'm here."
He holds me so tight that my wounds hurt badly. And I almost lose my breath.
But right now, I need the pain to let me know that it is not a dream.
"You finally came. Frances, I'm so scared."
Fortunately, Frances has come. Otherwise, I don't know if I can survive their torture.
And even if I survive, I won't know how to face Frances.
"It's alright. I'm here. I am always by your side."
I want to ask where the men are. But I don't dare to ask as I thinking of that terrible experience.
I wasn't raped by them, but they saw me in my underwear only.
How could I face Frances now?
Frances hugs me cautiously. It seems that he doesn't want to let go.
I don't know how long he holds me in his arms. He doesn’t let go of me until I can't stand the pain on
the wounds.
He looks at me as if wanting to say something.
However, he might not know how to say it. He hesitates for a long time and doesn't utter a word.
But I also have something to ask him.
"Frances, how is the company?"
"It's fine. Don't worry." He says softly.
Suddenly, he stares at me seriously and frowns, "Tell me, why you went to see Whitney?"
Why?
I don't know how to reply.
Hilda hinted that I should go find Whitney. She didn't say it directly. Even if I tell him that Hilda asked
me to do so, Frances may not believe it.
It seems that I can't compete with Hilda.
I force a smile and say, "I want to help you. I don't want the company to have trouble because of me. I
don’t want the Louis Group to go bankrupt because of me. And I don’t want you to lose everything."
As I finish, Frances kisses me.
It is a long and affectionate kiss.
I am immersed in his kiss. But tears drop down.
I thought that I would never have the chance to kiss him again.
After a long time, Frances let go of me and says fondly, "Stupid girl. Why would I lose everything? I
don't care anything. I just want you to be with me. I just want you to be safe and sound."
I have been scared and anxious. What he says touches me. I can't help crying. Tears stream down my
face.
At such a cozy moment, a cold male voice suddenly comes from outside.
"Mr. Frances, Whitney has been acquitted."
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