After Joanne White finished, she glanced at Joyce Lawson, who had been standing to the side all this ti. "Margaret Adler was making a huge scene," she continued. "To calm her down, Sean Sutton suggested they find a wife for Ethan Sutton first. Then, after I had the baby, they would pretend it was born to Ethan and his new wife."
"I was eavesdropping from the side. Margaret Adler said she knew the people in 1501. They had a niece who was a doctor—a great catch. She was also gentle and obedient. All they had to do was pay a bride price, and they could bring her over..."
Joyce Lawson frowned when she heard this. "My aunt and uncle live in 1501... A couple of days ago, I got a text from my aunt. She said she had so extra supplies to give us, so I ca down to get them. I never expected she’d bring straight here..."
The mont Joyce Lawson stepped through the door of 1506, she knew sothing was wrong. She imdiately turned to run, but it was too late.
Sean Sutton and Margaret Adler had ropes ready. They grabbed Joyce, tied her up, and locked her in the study. anwhile, her "good" aunt, Yvonne York, took the final paynt and left without a second thought.
Over the next two days, Sean Sutton and Margaret Adler tried both carrot and stick tactics to force Joyce to accept her fate and beco Ethan Sutton’s wife. But Joyce refused to give in. She wouldn’t even eat, afraid they had drugged the food.
What followed was the scene lody Sumrs walked in on.
Joanne White looked up at lody Sumrs, her voice pleading. "I’ve told you everything I know. Please, I’m begging you... just let go..."
Processing this flood of information, lody Sumrs looked at Joanne White, her feelings a complex tangle.
’In her past life, lody had been forced to deal with the Suttons a great deal. She knew that while Sean Sutton’s word was law in their household, he had never cheated on his wife.’
’To think that in this life, Sean Sutton would actually have an affair with Joanne White.’
’Joanne White really knew how to wrap n around her finger...’
’And Margaret Adler was a piece of work, too. She’d gone to such lengths to ensure her son could have an heir, only to unwittingly invite a master-level howrecker into the family. She must be kicking herself right now!’
Thinking of the cruelty and abuse the Suttons had subjected her to in her past life, lody Sumrs let out a faint smile.
She looked at the anxious Joanne White. "I can let you go, but... you have to promise one thing!"
Joanne White nodded eagerly. "What is it? Just say the word. As long as it’s sothing I can do, I’ll do it!"
The dagger pressed against Joanne White’s neck had grown warm from her body heat, but its tip remained precisely over her carotid artery. Joanne was terrified that lody’s hand might slip and slit her throat.
’I’ve struggled to survive in this apocalypse for more than two years,’ she thought. ’I’ve made it this far. I really don’t want to die!’
’As long as I can live, I’ll do anything!’
Seeing her compliance, lody Sumrs slowly moved the dagger away from Joanne White’s neck. "I, for one, have a history with the Sutton family," she said, her voice cold. "I despise them. Joanne White, I know your plan is to beco part of this family, but what I want... is for you to tear it apart!"
Joanne White was montarily stunned. She had only wanted to use this baby to secure her position in the Sutton family, just as she had used a child to stay by Zane Simmons’s side. She never imagined lody Sumrs would demand she destroy the family.
The thought of the ever-domineering Margaret Adler made the color drain from her face.
lody Sumrs watched her expression and said with an amused smirk, "Joanne White, what’s with that look? Are you trying to play innocent with ? Where’s that talent you used to spread rumors and sic your online mob on ? Where’s that talent you used to drive his wife to a miscarriage? Don’t tell you can’t do it, can you?!"
Seeing the blatant mockery in lody’s eyes, Joanne White pressed her lips together, gritted her teeth, and replied, "Fine... I promise! I’ll make sure Sean Sutton and Margaret Adler get a divorce!"
The corners of lody’s lips curved into a derisive smile. She toyed with the dagger in her hand. "A divorce alone isn’t enough," she said softly. "Joanne White, I don’t believe that’s the limit of your talent... What I want to see is the Suttons left with nothing."
"Joanne White, if you can make the Suttons’ lives a living hell, then the score between us will be settled. Otherwise... since I managed to sneak in here today without anyone noticing, what do you think the chances are that I can sneak back in and kill you just as quietly?"
The mont lody finished speaking, Joanne White’s face grew even paler, her lips trembling.
After a mont of silence, Joanne White nodded emphatically. "Okay... I promise! I won’t let the Suttons have a mont of peace! I’ll make them lose everything!"
Now that Joanne White had agreed, lody didn’t waste any more ti. She put away her dagger and motioned for Joyce Lawson to leave with her.
However, just as lody was opening the door, Joanne seed to think of sothing and suddenly called out, "lody Sumrs! Wait! Don’t go yet!"
lody turned back, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Is there sothing else?"
Joanne White bit her lip, her gaze flickering as if she wanted to say sothing but was hesitating.
After a long silence, just as lody was starting to get impatient, Joanne finally took a deep breath and said softly, "lody, I know I’m in no position to ask you for anything, but... for the sake of us being old classmates, could you do a favor?"
lody asked, puzzled, "What favor?"
Joanne lowered her gaze. "I know you’re on good terms with Zane Simmons. Could you please pass a ssage to him for ? Tell him that what happened before was all my fault. I never should have hurt Mrs. Simmons... I just hope he won’t take his anger toward out on my child..."
Seeing the desperate plea in Joanne’s eyes, lody was silent for a mont before nodding.
’She had assud Joanne was just using her child as a stepping stone to marry into a wealthy family. She never thought that even in a situation like this, Joanne would still be thinking about her child... Then she thought of Joyce Lawson, sold by her own mother. A mother’s love truly was a mysterious thing.’
After leaving Apartnt 1506, lody first took Joyce Lawson to Mrs. Vance’s apartnt across the hall.
Mrs. Vance and Susan Warren were waiting anxiously for lody. When they saw her return safely, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
When they heard the full story, both Mrs. Vance and Susan Warren were in disbelief.
Mrs. Vance slapped her thigh, her face flushed with anger. "Human trafficking! This is blatant human trafficking! If we could call the police right now, I’d have every last one of them thrown in jail!"
Susan Warren looked at Joyce with pity and sighed. "What kind of mother does that? No matter the circumstances, how could you sell your own daughter... That’s monstrous!"
Mrs. Vance added, "And those people in 1501 are no better! Doing sothing like that... it’s no different from pimping!"
At the ntion of 1501, Joyce suddenly rembered sothing.
She looked up at the others, her expression growing serious. "Actually, when I went to 1501 a couple of days ago, I think I heard soone inside... crying and screaming..."
lody froze. ’Crying and screaming?’
’Why are there crying and screaming sounds again?’
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