"Mom! What do I do now?" Penny sobbed as she told her mother the whole story. Her rage grew once more. How she wanted to kill Nora to shut that girl off. "She had lied so much that now no one trusts me."
Sophia’s heart clenched for her daughter. Even she failed to understand how Nora changed so much. For a decade, she had brainwashed that girl to believe that they were her savior. She had taken her to orphanages and slums to show her how her life would be if they left her alone. It was because of her that she had survived.
She had ingrained in Nora’s mind that they only scold or beat her when she did not perform her duties well. Nora should be grateful that they were giving her a better life. She had trapped the girl completely and changed her into a submissive girl. As long as she would have married Benard and her husband had got those shares, they would have let Nora go and live a luxurious life. Did she have any idea how rich Benard was? But her plan started to crumble down since Nora had met that doctor.
"I will find a way honey. Do not cry that much. Your mother is here. She will handle everything for you." she assured Penny but even she was not sure how to handle Nora anymore.
"Yes mother, I will wait for you." Penny cut the call with another sob. Sophia held the phone tightly in her hands gritting her teeth. After a pause, she dialed another number.
"Mother, it has been weeks since you last visited. Nora has started to rebel and I need your help." a smile appeared on her lips as she heard a reply from the other side.
"Yes, I will be waiting for you then."
—--------
In the infirmary,
"Your wounds have been treated well, they are healing much better. All you need is to change your dressing once a day and apply this tube. If you need help, you can always come here." The nurse on the station gave a tube and a few cotton wrapping and bandages to Nora.
"Thank you!" Nora bowed her head gratefully before leaving from there. But the moment she came out of the small room, she found Alex leaning on the other wall.
How she wanted to ignore this dumb guy. But even if it was not about the mission she had received, she knew that he was guilty. Even that night, he wanted to help her.
"I am not blaming you. We are already even since you have helped me in the classroom." she told him with a blank face. Alex finally opened his eyes and looked at her.
Her hand was plastered, her legs were covered in gauze bandages yet her eyes glowed with such confidence and power as if she controlled the world.
"They have beaten you many times in the past. You did not lie, you just told the truth late." he replied, "they have gone to check the footage of that day. I have asked a friend for help, they would not find the part where I had taken you." Nora’s eyes flickered. She had already thought about it and was going to hire a professional for it.
"Thank you." her face softened and she smiled at him sincerely.
"You should not have jumped. I had to send you back." Do you not trust me Nora? He wanted to add but the words felt foolish even to himself. Why would he care if she trusted him or not?
"It all ended well, so forget about it." she shook her head. She had already achieved a great deal from these wounds, "now Penny would not be able to threaten me or bully me in the school." Alex felt rage burning his chest. He looked away.
"Who helped you that night?" he asked, changing the topic. But he would make sure that penny would suffer later. "I have come for you but you are already gone. If not for the blood on the ground, I would have thought it was all my illusion." her fist clenched. How she wanted to tell him how she was saved and why? But she shook that guilt away. It was all for his safety.
"My maternal uncle lives near the school. Though we are already estranged, I knew that he would not leave me to die." she lied but when he nodded at once, believing her, her heart felt heavier.
"Nora, next time you need revenge, use other methods. Stop using your body as a weapon against them." he hesitated many times but in the end, he said what he had come for.
A wry smile appeared on her lips.
"I am not rich, Alex. I do not have the resources or manpower to stand against them. If I had not used my body, I would have had the chance to leave their house. But you are right, I will never do it again. Because now, I have people who would help and support me." Alex’s eyes trembled a bit. The gloomy aura finally left him and he nodded back.
"Now I need to rest. Will we meet later?" she patted his shoulders before leaving from there. Her eyes hardened. If she was not wrong, Victor would pay her soon.
"Yes Nora. I will support you till the end." Alex vowed as he stared at her leaving figure. That night, he had called all his friends, his lackeys and those who wanted to be in his group in the badminton court.
Those who had come to play were chased by them a long time ago. The place had become their personal meeting room. Alex swept his gaze to every collected person as he nodded his head.
"The rule is simple. As long as you make Pennelope Stone’s life as hell, I will take you as one of my men and will hang out with you."