It was still snowing when I walked out of the hospital.
These days, the snow just seemed to never stop.
I looked up and let those heavy flakes land on my face and muffle my tears, my body trembling slightly as the tingling iciness took over me.
I just wanted to crumble and cry, but I know I have things more important to do.
What Jasper told me in that ward tore my soul into pieces, he was the only family I know. Yet he clearly wanted more than that from me…
And it almost destroyed me.
But I still couldn't afford to lose him.
I knew I have to be strong for him, for us. This was not the time for weakness.
If I could get adopted, relying on General's connections and power, Jasper's medical condition could be easily resolved.
And I would get more freedom to take more jobs. In that way, Jasper's medical bills could be easily paid off.
Now that Beatrice had taken General's token away, I must find another way to stop her plan and get in contact with General, the faster the better.
General was a private man. Given his prominent status in the military, his safety concerned the well-being and safety of this country.
As a result, whenever he was about to go somewhere, his private security force would arrive before him to rule out any potential safety threats. And the action would be completely secret.
I knew this because the same thing had happened years ago when General came to the orphanage to visit me…
And I was probably the only one who knew this.
Since the security check usually happened at midnight when everyone was sleeping, all I needed to do was sneak out of my dorm and wait patiently until the morning. If I was lucky enough to meet General's men, I probably would be able to reach him.
By then, Beatrice's lie would be exposed.
And I wouldn't go to jail for her crime.
Jasper also wouldn't be left untreated and uncared of…
…
Standing against the wall, I ducked my neck into the high collar of my coat and shivered a bit.
It was almost Christmas, the night temperature was extremely low.
My thin coat could barely withstand the strong wind.
But it was the only thing I got.
My roommate, Stacy, still thought I would be the lucky one who got adopted by General.
She had been babbling all afternoon about how Alphas and Lycans tended to spoil their only mate when he or she entered the family.
She said Alphas and Lycans used to be crazier about their mates when Omegas still existed in our society.
But Omegas were so precious and rare.
Most of them had disappeared hundreds of years ago.
Stacy pictured my future with an enthusiasm I could never understand. She didn't know that I was not looking for being kept in a golden cage if I had another choice.
Becoming a successful singer and forming a band with Jasper were my biggest dreams.
Being pampered and spoiled by a bunch of Alphas... Let's say I was just not that crazy about becoming anyone's sex toy.
If there was another way to save Jasper's life and get out of this abusive place, I would take it without a second thought…
The sound of the engine caught my attention. My head jerked toward the wired wall which kept the visitors outside.
My heart started to pound nervously.
Was those General's men?
Did they just arrive?
But… would they believe me and take me to see General after hearing my explanation?
I wasn't sure of anything. But I knew I needed to act!
This was my only chance.
General would come to the orphanage and get the adoption process done tomorrow.
If I failed to grasp this opportunity right now, I wouldn't have any chances left at all.
I ducked my head into my collar and briskly walked toward the gate, hoping the supervisors working the night shift wouldn't spot me.
From the distance, I saw two tall men in black suits. They had the "agent look" going on.
My heart fluttered with happiness when I confirmed that they must be General's men…
Their eyes grew alert when they saw my figure against the snow.
One of them whipped out a gun and pointed at me, "Stay where you are, Miss."
I instantly halted in my tracks and raised both of my hands in the air, my heart drumming against my chest with fear, "I… I didn't mean any harm… I just need to tell you something, Sir…"
"Who are you? And why are you wandering around this late outside?" The man holding the gun asked sternly.
Their security check should be secret. No one should have known that before they came. They probably took me as some code-cracking hacker who got to know their action beforehand and decided to assassin General…
I really wasn't.
"Listen… My name is Lola… I know General… He's a friend of my deceased older brother… My brother, George, sacrificed his life for this country during the war… General… General promised to adopt me 10 years ago… But someone robbed the token he left me… That person… that person also stole my identity… trying to replace me. Please, Sir… It might sound confusing right now, but could you please take me to see General? I really need to see him…" I almost cried as I shouted against the cold wind.
I had gone through too many things recently.
The pressure of working 10 hours a day non-stop… and the fear of going to jail…
I was really desperate now.
The agents exchanged a strange look.
Finally, one of them opened his mouth, "There are countless people who wish to see General in this country. General's an important figure. He's not someone you can see easily…"
"I know… I know…" I swallowed my tears, "But this is important… This is concerning someone's life… Those people are planning to lie to General tomorrow… They are trying to let him adopt an imposter… By then, General's safety would be put under even graver risk… This can't be what you guys want, right? Please take me to General… I swear everything will be clear once I see him… Please…"
"What's your surname, if you don't mind me asking, Miss?" One of the agents asked.
"Fling!" I answered immediately, "Lola Fling…"
"General did have a former adjutant named George Fling," one of them said to the other.
"Right?!" I said desperately, panting heavily, "I'm telling the truth. Just take me to General and I swear that I will explain everything to him myself."
I had to immediately leave this place with these guys.
If I left the dorm for too long, the supervisor would notice my absence and come to get me very soon.
The supervisor of our dormitory building, Mrs. Kim, hadn't been the most friendly person I knew. In fact, she was a sick person who enjoyed torturing kids who were living in this orphanage.
Some said if anyone dared to disobey the rules of the dormitory building, she would drag that person into a dark room, beating and starving her/him for days.
The two agents exchanged another deep look. And the one who held the gun finally put it down.
I let out a long breath, my shoulders slumping in relief.
"I assume you're a kid living in this orphanage. Are you sure you don't need to inform any supervisors from this orphanage before you leave with us?" One of them asked.
"No!" I almost screamed but soon took a grip on myself, "I mean… I've done that. I've got the Chief of the Staff, Mr. Dawson's written permission."
To prevent something like this from happening, I had stolen the stamp from the Mr. Dawson's office and faked a permission letter.
If I told these people the managers and supervisors of this orphanage were all in Beatrice's pocket, they wouldn't believe me.
To leave this hell as soon as possible, I had to keep the explanation part to a minimum.
If Beatrice found out what I was doing, she would definitely figure out a way to sabotage my plan… I really didn't have that much time to waste.
I just hoped these agents wouldn't realize the letter was fake.
I swallowed nervously as I walked forth, taking out the piece of double-folded paper from my pocket and putting it in one of them's hands.
The taller man among the two, black-suited and blonde-haired, took out a flashlight and checked out the writings on the letter. He squinted his eyes against the strong white light for a couple of seconds and finally looked up at his partner, "It's true. It's the Chief's signature and stamp."
I secretly let out a breath I'd been holding.
"Miss, please get in the car," the more stout one said as he made a gesture toward the parked black car, "We're taking you back to General's mansion immediately."
"Thank you," I said breathlessly.
Thank God! I finally could leave this hell!
However, before I could follow them through the gate, a high-pitched voice suddenly boomed behind my back…
"Beatrice Dunn? What the heck are you doing here?!"