Several burly strangers closed in around her. Carole shook her head tearfully and fought desperately, but she couldn’t break free from their grip. The sound of fabric ripping echoed loudly. Even though it was July and not cold at all, Carole’s heart sank instantly, and she felt a chill run through her.

In the dead of night, those thugs finished their sexual assault, glanced at the woman lying in tatters on the ground, adjusted their clothes with smirks, and quickly vanished from the alley. As they turned two corners, the thugs spotted a man.

The man was none other than Erick. He handed them a hefty sum, which delighted them.

“Wait!” Erick halted them and pointed at one of the men, questioning, “What’s in your hand?”

“You mean this? It was left by that woman earlier.”

The man pocketed the money and tossed the finely wrapped gift box to Erick.

“I get paid to sleep with a woman. If only I could do this every day,” the man said wistfully.

“Yeah, I wish the same. Ha ha.”

Erick opened the gift box and found a splendid ruby brooch, worth far more than the ten thousand dollars he had given to the thugs. They had handed over the brooch without hesitation.

“You clueless fool,” Erick muttered under his breath.

He stayed hidden in the shadows, watching as Carole emerged from the alley looking dazed, tears streaming down her face, her eyes empty. She moved toward her apartment like a lifeless doll.

It wasn’t until dawn that Erick finally dialed Carole’s number. He called twice before she answered.

“Miss Lambert, are you awake? I’m here to take you to the airport,” he said.

Carole was sitting in the bathroom, soaked in water. Despite taking numerous showers, she had lingered, unwilling to leave. Staying there felt like it could wash away everything.

“I’m awake,” Carole replied after a long pause, her voice hoarse and distant.

Ten minutes later, Erick rapped on Carole’s door. When she opened it, he noticed she was dressed impeccably, as if the terrible events of the previous night had never occurred.

“You’re early. The plane doesn’t leave for another three hours,” Carole said, sounding displeased.

Silently, Erick focused on Carole’s neck and collarbone. That was when she realized her attire didn’t conceal the marks. The smile instantly faded from her face. She rushed to hide them, but the hickeys on her arm remained visible.

Under Erick’s steady gaze, she crumbled within seconds, her face gripped with fear.

“I just broke up with my boyfriend,” she lied.

Erick responded with a sly smile. “When I arrived earlier, I heard about a woman being assaulted by some thugs last night. Out of curiosity, I asked around. Interestingly, they mentioned it was a beautiful woman from Critport.”

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