Silence hammered loudly against the walls of confinement wishing it could escape this room. Carol didn't need to say more. Yana more or less got the picture and understood. Lily and Nick must be Carol's siblings. Now it made sense why Carol tried to hide them whenever someone came for adoption. She didn't want to lose them.
But this information also shook Yana greatly. She never expected Carol's background to be like this. Yana felt even more empathy with Carol, after all, Yana also grew up in an orphanage although Yana didn't have a single family left.
Carol looked pitiful at the moment. Even though her voice was firm, her face carried bitterness and regret.
The managers found out about this secret of Carol and thus threatened her with the life of her own family. Yana could understand why Carol actrf like this. Although Yana never had anyone precious she desperately wanted to protect, every person who had would naturally do anything they could do to protect these people.
Carol was no different. The unfortunate thing was that Carol was involuntarily caught up in the mess Yana created.
Ultimately, it was Yana's responsibility that Carol ended up like this
"I see, I'm sorry."
"I don't need your apologies," the last thing Carol wanted was the culprit to feel remorse.
"But why did you keep it a secret?" Yana didn't understand why Carol never let anyone know that they were siblings.
"Why do I need to let you all know?" since Carol was an orphan, she naturally kept everything to herself.
Not trusting anyone, not sharing anything of herself and her family, this was the best way to survive. The fewer people knew about someone, the less of an upper hand they had over them.
And Carol was proven right. If the managers never found out about her siblings, Carol wouldn't be in this situation. What worse things would happen to Carol if that fact was known? It might've been constantly held against her.
"There would be help," although Yana was also an orphan and shared similar sentiments as Carol, Yana would've tried to find a way to secure the best outcome as possible.
"Who?" the sharpness in Carol's voice prompted Yana to answer without thinking.
"The director or-" as soon as Yana said it she regretted it.
There was no way Carol wouldn't have noticed.
"What? Who abandoned us for money and made an incompetent person like you be in charge?" Carol did notice it after all. She knew the second the director held the meeting that he was giving up on them.
No remorse, no empathy, no regret. In the end, all these people were the same.
"It's easy for someone as fortunate as you," Carol sneered but just as Yana didn't know anything about Carrol, Carol knew nothing of Yana.
"But does it matter now?" Carol continued to talk, glaring at Yana, "You can't do anything about this situation."
"I can," Yana answered quickly. If she knew, she should've taken care of the mess first instead of having them make the first move.
Belated regret started to creep in. Yana stared at the young face of Carol. She was still young and there were so many complicated emotions on her face.
Yana knew that Carol didn't like her, that she thought everything was Yana's fault but even then Yana couldn't help but want to reassure her, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Your siblings will be fine. The men won't be bothering you, I'll make sure of it."
There was only one thing Yana could do right now, "I'll make a call. Go back to your room, we'll talk later."
As Yana pulled out her phone she missed the self-deprecatingly sneer of Carol and her whisper, "What can you do? It's too late."
It was indeed too late. Once Carol came out without the document, the managers knew she failed.
Therefore, Carol acted first. After all, luckily she had prepared for it.
However, once Carol left the office Yana didn't immediately make a call, instead, she leaned against the table and was immersed in her thoughts. The feeling that Yana was missing something was reinforced by the slowly passing time where silence failed to drown her chaotic mind.
Her fingers played with her phone as she thought back on her conversation with Carol. It seemed that there was nothing out of the ordinary but why did it feel like Carol was hinting on something?
What was it about Yana not signing the document? What would happen? It was already late and Yana was too excited to think properly.
No matter how she twisted her mind, she just couldn't come to the vital point that would finalise the critical conclusion.
Yana sighed and took a big breath then her fingers glided across the screen. The next second, the familiar beeping sound appeared. Even though Yana couldn't wrap her thoughts around this one crucial point, she picked up another.
"Are you sure?" Roy's voice answered after Yana told him of her suspicions.
"No, but it could be. If they want to launder money for what purpose? That's why I'm not entirely sure about 'them' being behind it. If so their goal and this action doesn't match up. Money would have no value in the future anymore and-"
Kling. Creak. Shut.
Yana stood up straight.
"Yana?"
"I'll call you back, Roy. Think about it," Yana instantly hung up and ran out of the office.
The sounds she just heard, could it be-?
Yana quickly ran up the stairs and dashed into Carol's room.
"Dammit," Yana banged the door shut and ran down.
She should've known, she should've known!
She shouldn't have made such a newbie mistake. How could she let Carol get away? She should've kept her by her side!
Yana cursed as she ran towards the rooms where the children slept. Carol wouldn't run on her own, she must've taken her siblings with her but why?
Why did Carol leave? Why did it seem like Carol had prepared for this? All of Carol's belongings in her room were gone. It was completely empty.
Suddenly a bad feeling crept into Yana's mind. She realised what crucial point she was missing. Out of all days why? Out of all times, why now?
Why would Carol decide to fake the signature now? Why didn't Yana anticipate that the managers or at least someone was outside the orphanage keeping tabs?
Yana rushed down the hallway but it was too late.
It was already too late.
A faint oily smell reached Yana's nose, then it turned slightly smoky until Yana was sure that it was a burnt smell.
So, this was what Carol was hinting on, what the managers would resort to!
Were they serious? Were they really inhumane to do something like this?
No, wait. If it was that organisation behind it, then yes, they would.
Going so far as burning down the whole orphanage was only something small as a dust in their eyes.