Chapter 54 Eileen’s Wallet Is Missing
He tore Eileen’s clothes with one hand, and the buttons fell off, revealing her Blake suspenders inside.
In an instant, everyone’s eyes lit up.
Eileen tightly clutched the clothes in front of her ch*st and bit the back of his hand hard.
The man let go of the pain quickly.
As Eileen turned around and hurriedly ran away, she was taken aback to see Elm walking towards her in the dimly lit street. Elm was dressed in a black T-shirt, a silver pendant. hanging around his neck, and he had his hands in his coat pockets, holding a cigarette. To her surprise, Vera and Paola were also with him. Eileen didn’t know why they were there, but she knew she had to avoid being seen by them.
Elm appeared preoccupied, engaged in conversation with Vera, and did not seem to notice. Eileen. Seizing the opportunity, she quickly fled in the opposite direction, making her way back home.
As she rushed, the man yelled, “Damn it, she ran so fast,” fueling her fear and anxiety. She dared not stop until she reached the safety of her home. Sweating profusely and feeling her heart pounding in her chest, Eileen leaned against the door to catch her breath. The intensity of the situation left her legs weak and her b*dy trembling.
After a while, she managed to regain some composure and decided to take a shower to calm her nerves. In the late evening, she lay in bed but struggled to fall asleep, her thoughts haunted by past memories of being bullied and mistreated.
The images she had tried so hard to forget flooded back, tormenting her mind once more. She curled up in bed, hugging the quilt tightly as feelings of suffocation overwhelmed her. Despite the darkness in the room, the memories felt vivid and clear, and she found herself reliving the distressing encounters once again.
Eileen hesitated for a moment but decided to turn on the phone that Sharon had sent her from home. It was her first time using it, and she was surprised to find a flood of messages from Jasper, totaling more than a hundred in thirteen days.
Most of the messages were asking about her whereabouts and why she had not replied. He also shared his daily routine with her until the last message expressing concern and worry for her well-being.
Fering touched by Jasper’s genuine concern, Feen replied with a simple T’m tired, good night She did not expect someone to care abour, especially Jasper, whom she considered a familiar strange His worry for her warmed her heart in a way she had never experienced
before.
Just as she was about to turn off the phone, a call from Eric appeared on the screen. Eileen hesitated but ultimately decided not to accept the call.
Meanwhile, in Hulbury, Eric sat in a study room with a stack of printed photos in hand. As he looked at Eileen’s familiar side profile in the pictures, his deep eyes grew dim with emotion. He had not anticipated that she would stay in the remote village for so long.
The photos depicted Eileen working at a restaurant, serving dishes, and washing dishes at the door. Seeing her current situation in the pictures, Eric couldn’t help but feel a mix of
emotions.
Was she the same Eileen he knew in the past?
Looking at the monitoring information that appeared on the computer screen, the time stamp showed 12.43 a.m., indicating when the information was sent.
After the phone disconnected automatically, Eric chuckled and placed it down, noting that the call had lasted until 12:44 a.m.
It seems like she hasn’t endured enough yet.
Eileen, don’t you know that a rebellious kid doesn’t get candy?
Why do you struggle to understand this truth?
What purpose does it serve you to endure such hardships?
Eric thoughtfully tapped his fingers on the table, the last photo displayed Eileen’s clothes being torn by the man.
Half a minute later.
Eric dialed another number and said, “I need your help with something…
After explaining the situation, Eric made one last call to Eileen.
All he heard was a cold notification from the phone. The number you dialed is currently
unavailable:
Ture dock in the morning
10
Someone loudly know ked on ideen’s dooy Open the door. Im back open it
akiy
Eileen covered her ears and stared at the pitch-black ceiling.
She had lost count of how many times Hannah had bothered her in the middle of the night.
The last time she hung her clothes out, they went missing, only to find them in the downstairs trash can the next day.
She had hoped to live peacefully here forever…
If this situation continued, she feels like she would go insane.
Thomas was a well-known gangster in the area and also the son of her neighbor, Morgan…
Eileen didn’t open the door, and he didn’t leave until she lost track of time…
Finally, the noise subsided.
That night, Eileen could not sleep peacefully.
She woke up, and it was already noon.
Eileen went to the balcony, where she prepared stewed ribs, shredded pork, and braised pork ribs…
After washing the clothes, she hung them on the balcony.
Holding the clothes rail, she suddenly noticed a light turned on in the neighboring house, which had been vacant for a long time.
The buildings were close together, and without curtains drawn, one could see inside the rooms through the windows.
Unexpectedly, the window across from Eileen’s opened, and she saw Elm smoking a cigarette on the balcony. The two made eye contact for a moment.
Eileen quickly snapped out of it, hastened to hang up the last piece of clothing, turned off the gas stove, and retreated inside her house. She closed the balcony door and drew the curtains. She was wearing a light-colored nightdress, and she immediately changed into regular clothes, feeling the need for more coverage.
Bringing in the dishes she had prepared outside, Eileen began to eat. Today, she had no plans. to go to the store, as she was unsure when Elm and Vera would leave. She didn’t want Vera to see her there. Eileen’s plan was to leave after they departed and move to Lumiose to live with her grandma. She did not find this place suitable for her anymore.
In the midst of her thoughts, Eileen suddenly rehabered her wallet and realized it was missing. She distinctly recalled placing it in the clothes she wore the previous day. However,
0
34
upon searching for it, she could not find it anywhere, not even in the washing machine.
Then, it dawned on her that it might have fallen in the store last night. Panic set in as she did not have time to waste. Without her ID in the wallet, she would not be able to buy a ticket to Lumiose. Moreover, the wallet held a precious picture of her mother.
Eileen couldn’t afford to ponder the situation further, so she dashed out to go back to the store. As soon as she arrived, she approached Hannah, who was picking vegetables, and inquired, “Did you happen to see my wallet in the store yesterday?”
Hannah did not bother looking at her and replied indifferently, “You lost your wallet, what’s that got to do with me?”
The reason Eileen chose to keep her wallet on her as she knew her surroundings were not trustworthy.
In Mr. Samuel’s store, there were designated cabinets for employees to store their belongings. Eileen requested Sharon to fetch her hand cream from the Swan Mansion’s drawer. This hand cream had been gifted to her by Elsie and was considered an expensive skincare product, costing over two hundred yuan each.
Two hundred dollars was a significant amount in today’s times.
Eileen recalled the last time she caught Hannah pretending to use the restroom, only to sneak into the back and rummage through her belongings, even using the hand cream. without her knowledge….
Despite witnessing Hammah’s sneaky behavior, Eileen felt frustrated as she had no concrete evidence to confront her.
Without proof, she could not make any accusations lightly!
