As Evan's parents hastened their departure, the orphanage staff ensured he was bathed in warm water and fed with milk.
The caretaker reviewed the security footage, hoping to identify the child's parents. Unfortunately, the camera captured only a fleeting image that did not reveal their faces, rendering the footage virtually useless.
However, he observed the mother's apparent distress at leaving her child, which led him to believe that the situation was dire. To protect the child, he decided to erase the footage, fearing that if the parents returned and saw it, the child's safety would be compromised.
Simultaneously, as he scrutinized the camera footage, his wife was about to discard the cloth in which the child had been wrapped. By chance, she discovered a paper hidden within, resembling a letter.
She hastily retrieved it and unfolded it to read. Upon understanding its contents, she rushed to her husband to share the discovered letter.
"What is this?" he inquired, eyeing the paper curiously.
"It was with the child, wrapped in his clothes. It appears to be from his father," she explained, urging him to read it.
He unfolded the letter and began to read:
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Dear Orphanage Director,
With profound regret, I find myself compelled to entrust my child to your care. We are being pursued by high-ranking officials, and for the sake of my son's safety, he must not be involved in our troubles. I have faith that you will care for him and guide him towards virtue. We plan to reunite with him once circumstances permit. I beseech you to keep the existence of this letter secret from him, as the truth of his abandonment would bring him great sorrow. As a token of my gratitude, I have left a sum of money for the orphanage in the garden. Please accept it and forgive me for leaving my child at your doorstep.
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He understood the matter fully and immediately burned the letter, aware of the circumstances of the parents who had abandoned their child here.
While he was burning the letter, his wife, who had read it first, hurried outside to verify its truth. Finding nothing, she was about to return in anger and sadness when she noticed a card on the flower vase by the main door. She snatched it up and saw it was a money card with a note detailing the amount and card number. The sum was ten thousand dracins, which even shocked her.
{Author's Note: As you may know, this story shares the same universe as my main story, so the currency is the same. The history of this world will be told in my main story, as this narrative takes place in another world. I will narrate that world's story, so don't worry.}
Greed clouding her judgment, she glanced around to see if anyone was watching and quickly returned inside to her husband, who was cleaning up the ashes of the letter.
"Look, husband, the letter was true, and I found the money. And guess what? The child's parents were quite wealthy; they donated ten thousand Dracins, which is equivalent to ten million Dragon points. We can do so much with this money," she said, her mind drifting towards the many wishes she had previously suppressed.
"No, dear, this is not our personal money; it will be used solely for the orphanage and the children. I am confident that my job income will suffice for your desires, and we won't need to spend it on the orphanage for a few years," the director replied. He felt a twinge of greed but quickly purified his intentions and shared the truth with his wife.
This revelation silenced her momentarily, but after some contemplation, she concurred with him.
"Okay, I understand. But listen, since we know that sixty percent of your income went to the orphanage, I will use that amount for myself until this money runs out," she proposed. Her husband simply nodded in agreement, not wishing to argue with her.
He after taking Evan to the baby sleeping room where all small child sleep put him their and ask the caretaker which he hired to observe kids if they got up in night to take him to sleep.
Then he also got back for sleep with his wife.
........
While this occurred at the orphanage, two figures emerged from a narrow passage within a darkened area.
As they stepped out, it became clear that they were Jake and Jenny, who had just exited the accursed tunnel.
"So, this is our escape route? From the city's drainage area? Eww, it reeks here," she complained, pinching her nose to block the foul odor of the stagnant water.
"Sorry, Jenny, but it's the only way to leave the city unnoticed," he replied, starting to walk in a certain direction.
They continued to bicker for a while, and after some time, they finally saw the light they had seen earlier.
Jenny, who had been growing increasingly uncomfortable, was overjoyed and dashed towards the light, leaving a stunned Jake behind.
She ran until she was about to exit the area when suddenly her face collided with something cold and flimsy.
"Ow, what did I crash into?" she exclaimed, rubbing her face.
Jake couldn't help but laugh loudly as he saw what had happened to Jenny and went to help her up.
"Can't you see that the exit door is locked?" he pointed out, referring to the metal wire door Jenny had run into, which was set into the wall where the water exited the system.
The door, primarily used for maintenance access to the drainage system, was rusting, and the lock was in even worse condition. With a firm hit from the back of his torch, he managed to break it open, and they both stepped out of the area.
Taking a deep breath of relief, Jenny looked around to discover they were in a jungle-like area, approximately three to four kilometers from the city walls.
"Are we safe now?" she inquired, turning to him.
"Not yet. First, we need to reach the border of the Dragon Kingdom and cross it to be safe. Then we'll sneak into the nearby city," he explained as they started walking away from the city.
They began their trek deeper into the jungle, a path they hoped would lead them to safety.
"Son, please be safe. We will return for you," Jake said, pausing to look back at the city. With a heavy heart, he turned and continued on with Jenny.
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Will they manage to escape safely? Leave a comment with your thoughts and add this to your library to find out what happens next.