After Lola's figure completely disappeared, Villiers rolled down the car window and lit a cigar.
His mind kept flashing back to the sight of her resolutely walking away. This girl hadn't acted like other women, who hesitated or tried to please him when faced with his offer.Her refusal was unexpected, but it also stirred some barely perceptible emotion deep within him.
Daniel couldn't help but glance at him. Although his employer had a fondness for tobacco, he never smoked in enclosed spaces, and he certainly wouldn't light up without asking the opinion of those around him. Clearly, that captivating young girl had stirred quite a ripple in his heart.
The silence in the car made the atmosphere a bit heavy, as the cigar smoke swirled slowly, curling in the confined space. Through the rearview mirror, Daniel secretly observed Villiers' expression. The face that rarely betrayed any extra emotion seemed to soften a little today. Lola's stubbornness had clearly exceeded his expectations. And now, Villiers appeared unusually unsettled after her departure, which puzzled Daniel. Perhaps Villiers himself hadn't realized that his feelings for Lola had already gone beyond mere interest.
It was true, though—any normal man would find it hard to resist a girl like that. She had a sweet face and seductive lips, with every inch of her honey-colored skin exuding an intense allure. She could be the innocent girl or the enchanting woman, sometimes naive and carefree, sometimes coy and flirtatious, at times shy and restrained, at others, brazen and unreasonable. With such a complex and captivating gem, it was only natural to be drawn to her.
But his rational, composed employer must have known that there could be no future between him and this girl.
She had rejected his financial support and walked out of the hotel without looking back, heading towards her home. She was so independent, so full of personality, yet she had no idea that in just an hour, they would be boarding a plane to London. She had missed the only chance to have any real connection with Villiers.
Outside the car, the night was deep, and the streetlights cast fragmented shadows on the ground. Daniel pondered that if Lola truly didn't show up again, his employer would probably never go looking for her. Villiers was a pragmatic man—despite being attracted to her, he wouldn't delay his plans for an ordinary girl. Yet, for some reason, Daniel felt that tonight's events wouldn't end so simply. Maybe he was just being overly sensitive?
Daniel checked his watch. Time was running out. Just as Villiers finished his cigar, Daniel was about to start the car and head for the airport when Villiers' voice suddenly broke the silence, tinged with a trace of urgency: "Open the door."
Daniel looked up in confusion, and there she was—the girl who had already missed her chance to connect with Villiers—running towards them.
Lola hadn't expected that even after escaping that street, the men were still chasing her. No matter how much she screamed or begged for help, the people around her remained indifferent. Not a single person offered her a hand.
After all, by now, she must have looked like a clawing, disheveled little lunatic—her hair disheveled, lips cracked, her cheeks both pale and flushed. Her feet were covered in mud and blood. She was no longer the honey-skinned beauty but a wild, bedraggled mess.
Lola swallowed a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, dazedly wondering if she was truly finished this time.
What would these men do to her once they caught her?
Would they beat her? Maybe, maybe not. But she was certain she'd suffer. Perhaps she'd end up like the woman who had been kicked in the stomach earlier. Or maybe, like the girl at the band's party, she would lose her precious innocence—no, at this point, it wasn't about losing her virginity. She would lose her life.
She would wilt like all the other girls born on this street, who blossomed numb and lifeless, only to wither away, drenched in blood.
If she had known today would be the last time she saw Mr. L... She definitely wouldn't have been jealous, wouldn't have been angry with him, and certainly wouldn't have walked away without looking back.
She didn't know how long she had been running when she heard the trembling sound of her knees shaking. She really couldn't run anymore.
A voice echoed in her mind: Give up, Lola, you can't escape your fate.
Lola staggered to a stop, hands on her knees, panting heavily. She had run so long and so fast that all she could hear was a sharp ringing in her ears, and her mind was completely blank.
She closed her eyes, trembling slightly. She didn't need to look back to know that the men were closing in. At that moment, countless memories flooded her mind—her mother, cheap and used by men like a public washing machine; Emily, who had strayed down the wrong path; the lecherous yet kind-hearted restaurant manager; the white girl who had stolen her perfume... and then there was Mr. L, cool and distant, yet always gentle.
Oh, right, that bottle of perfume was still hidden under her pillow. She hadn't even used it yet.
Just then, she suddenly caught the sharp yet refreshing scent—gray-green cypress, hard and polished leather, and the fragrant bitterness of vetiver. It was Mr. L's scent.
A large hand grabbed her wrist.
She involuntarily stumbled forward a few steps, collapsing into a broad, warm chest.
Lola dazedly opened her eyes and looked up, meeting Mr. L's gray-blue gaze.
He seemed so tall, like a towering figure from the heavens. With one arm around her waist, he pulled her close and said in a low voice, "It's alright, I'm here."
...Was she dreaming?
How could he appear before her so perfectly, so timely?
Or had she already fainted, and this was all just a hallucination?
Lola stared at Mr. L's face, wearing an expression as if she were sleepwalking.
Villiers frowned slightly as he looked at her dazed expression. He gently tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear. He had meant to ask if she could still walk on her own, but then he noticed that her body was trembling continuously. His eyes traveled down, and he saw her swollen, bloodied feet. Further down the road, there was a trail of blood.
Her feet had been injured, yet she hadn't said a word.
His heart skipped a beat, and his arms tightened around her. Without hesitation, he bent down and scooped her up in his arms.
Daniel saw this and hurried over, extending his hands to take Lola from him. But Villiers shook his head, gesturing toward the driver's seat with his chin, his voice cold: "Start the car."
"To the airport?" Daniel asked.
Villiers shot him a glance, the look of someone addressing an idiot. "To the hospital."
Daniel understood.
It seemed his employer wouldn't be heading back to England just yet.
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