She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 410

Loyce narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hold on. You were fifteen? Which means Yarden was already the county magistrate and the owner of the loom factory at that point."

Holt nodded. "Exactly. I was locked in the factory, working fifteen-hour shifts. We rotated between day and night shifts, and we never saw a dime. If you tried to escape, there were armed guards patrolling the walls with shotguns, just waiting for you."

Loyce asked, "If you were stuck inside a black-market sweatshop, how did you know Yavon County was a hub for human trafficking?"

Holt's mouth formed a tight line. "There were times when we unloaded cargo. Hidden inside bundles of white cloth were women and children, bound hand and foot. They were trafficked in to be sold off as wives or passed along to other buyers."

"There were organized syndicates in the city partnering with the factory." Thinking back to those days, Holt took a small sip of warm water to push down the lingering terror. "Plus, the education system in Yavon County is terrible, and the local accent is incredibly thick. I could tell instantly whether someone was a local or an outsider."

Loyce pressed, "And in all those years, no one reported it?"

Holt shook his head. "You don't get it. In a backwoods hellhole like that, even the cops might be in on it. If you went to the local precinct for help, they'd just drag you right back to the factory. But Hank Lonsdale came to our county looking for his sister."

At this, the man glanced at Loyce. The resemblance she shared with Hank made the connection obvious.

He continued, "Hank was sharp. Even though he didn't find his sister in Yavon County, he realized there were way too many outsiders in the area. Not long after he left, the military showed up to investigate, and they rescued all of us."

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