Katrina gathers her thoughts and begins her story.
"I"m not from here, Miss Roberts. My home is in Abbe. Over a month ago, my best friend and I came to visit Hadley.
"At that time, Aaron lost something very important by accident. His heelers mistook me as the thief and took me to him forcibly. I didn"t even know what he had lost. Despite my explanations, he wouldn"t believe me or let me go.
"I was imprisoned for days, and there was no update regarding the theft. I couldn"t wait, so I attempted to run away in secret. But you know how powerful Aaron is. The entire city is full of his men. I don"t even qualify as an opponent as a weak woman.
"In the end, instead of escaping, I was punished severely. I was thrown in the rain for two hours, which almost cost me my life."
"Miss Roberts," Katrina suddenly looks up to Victoria, her beautiful eyes full of sincerity. "Though you may think I"m sentimental, to tell you the truth, I dream of leaving this place and going back to my country. I want to go home.
"But I can"t stand up to Aaron. The more I act like I want to leave, the more trouble I get into. Whenever I go out, his heelers follow me wherever I go. I honestly don"t know how to get out.
"Miss Roberts, since you like Aaron, will you help me get out of here? I don"t really know anyone else here, everybody around me reports to Aaron. I don"t even have anyone to turn to, and I"m at a complete loss with what to do. I haven"t told anyone any of this besides you."
After hearing Katrina"s story, Victoria"s well-groomed face is full of incredulity. "Are you telling the truth?"
Katrina raises her right hand solemnly. "I swear it. If I"ve lied in any way, you can punish me. However, you wish."
Victoria seriously contemplates on the authenticity of everything Katrina told her.
Her story really fits with everything she"s learned so far.
First, she can"t find any information about Katrina in Hadley, which means she does not belong here. As Katrina said, she"s a foreigner from Abbe.
Second, she overheard Aaron"s heelers that Aaron"s birthday gift to her father had been stolen but was quickly found. Katrina said she was mistaken as a thief, and Aaron refused to let her go. It seems he"s hiding from her that the real thief has been found.
Third, while it was raining heavily during her father"s birthday, Aaron answered a phone call and hurried away, saying that his cat got ill. Katrina said she was thrown in the rain for two hours, nearly costing her her life. Apparently, Aaron"s sick cat turns out to be her.
And finally, although she"s been nothing but malicious to Katrina and regards her as a rival out to steal her man, Katrina has never been impolite or acted harshly towards her. If she really wants to hook up with Aaron, she should be prouder about relying on Aaron"s favor. Why does she keep staying out of it?
After much thought, Victoria finally decides to believe Katrina.
Katrina is desperate about wanting to leave voluntarily.
Victoria"s previously sharp tone finally fades. "How can I help you?"
"My pa.s.sport, ID, mobile phone, wallet, and everything I own has been confiscated by Aaron. Now I have nothing. Even if I manage to escape from him by luck, I cannot return to my country, and I"ll still end up caught again.
"Your father is the mayor, Miss Miller. I was hoping you could change my ident.i.ty and get me a fake ID and pa.s.sport. It won"t be difficult, would it?"
Victoria nods. "A piece of cake." she agrees.
Katrina"s face lights up. "That"s great! I"ll get rid of Aaron"s men and get away from him. When I do, please send me to the airport."
Victoria can"t wait to get Katrina out of Aaron"s side so she can have a chance to swoop in.
They soon come to an agreement on the matter.
Victoria digs out a piece of paper from her bag and quickly writes an address before handing it to Katrina. "If you manage to escape, go here and find the manager, Mr. Scott. Say you want to see me, and he"ll get someone to help you leave."
Although this bar isn"t under Victoria"s name, it"s a joint venture between her and Benjamin. It"s open 24 hours a day, and there"s a large flow of people, so it"s a safe place for their plan.
Katrina takes the card and memorizes the address before returning it to Victoria with a smile on her face. "Thank you, Miss Roberts I"ve memorized the address."
If Aaron finds it by accident, it"s going to cause a lot of trouble.
Victoria nods. "Okay."
"Thanks for teaching me how to make dessert, Miss Roberts." Katrina deliberately says when she gets out of the car.
On the way back, Katrina feels a lot more relaxed.
Because she was alone in her struggles against Aaron, it"s more complicated. But she now has an ally in Victoria. She"ll be able to solve her problems this time.
Asking Victoria for help has always been the best option. She"s wanted to do it for a long time, but Victoria"s always been so hostile to her that she could never find a chance to talk to her. This time, she was able to tell Victoria everything about herself, including her secret desire to escape.
Victoria is sure to do her best to help her.
After all, Victoria will benefit the most from her departure. Once she leaves, the position of Aaron"s woman becomes vacant, and Victoria will have a chance to develop her relations.h.i.+p with Aaron further.
Unexpectedly, the person she could rely on the most was the person who despised her.
Aaron would never imagine that she and Victoria would agree on this.
He would never think that Katrina, who seems so clever and sensible, is quietly plotting her escape.