Cloud abruptly got up from Vicki's body, supporting himself next to her as he gasped heavily.
He looked at her, but her eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth. She no longer resembled the person from before, whose eyes reflected the stars in the sky, full of tenderness. They could never go back.
He sat up and took off his jacket, placing it on her. He buttoned it up for her.
He avoided her gaze.
Picking up the food he had brought earlier from the table, he fed her bite by bite.
Vicki didn't refuse. After sleeping for a day, she was indeed hungry and needed to replenish her energy to sustain herself. Soon, she finished all the food. Although it had the taste of her childhood, she couldn't feel the same nostalgia. Time had passed, and things had changed.
Her hands were still handcuffed, but she awkwardly reached for a napkin on the table and wiped her lips before discarding it.
Cloud watched her struggle to move, and deep down, he felt sorry for her. But he didn't want to let her go, not now at least.
"What exactly do you want to obtain from the warlords?" Vicki sat up straight and asked. She stretched her legs and jingled the shackles around her ankles. "There's no need. If I wanted to escape, I wouldn't have exchanged Anderson for you and come here with you. I wouldn't have drunk the mineral water you gave me."
Cloud remained silent, squatting down with one knee in front of Vicki. He caught a glimpse of the red marks and even a place where there was a faint trace of blood on her ankle from the iron shackles. He took out the key from his pocket and unlocked her shackles, throwing them aside.
Gently caressing her injured foot, he reached for alcohol and ointment from the nearby cabinet, silently applying them for her.
The orphanage was an institution specifically for idle and wandering children from society. Compared to an orphanage, it was even darker, as the children taken in here often carried the lowest behaviors of society. Theft and fighting were prevalent.
It was like a corner where sunlight couldn't reach, allowing darkness to grow and spread.
Vicki was taken in before him, and because she was younger, even though she had created a world for herself, she couldn't avoid being bullied by older children. When he first came to the orphanage and saw her, she was covered in injuries.
At that time, he was just like he was now. Patiently wiping her wounds.
Later, the two of them joined forces, and no one dared to bully them again.
Cloud still didn't answer until he finished applying the medicine for Vicki. He finally spoke up.
"What exactly it is, it's best for you not to know. The less you know, the safer you'll be. Once I obtain it, that will be the day I leave OGW, Vicki."
He looked up. "If you and Felix's affair, I can overlook it. When the time comes, I'll take you far away. How about that? We'll go to a place where nobody knows us, a small island in the Caribbean Sea. We'll spend the rest of our lives together."
Vicki smiled faintly. "It's too late. How is that possible? Stirring up bloodshed and chaos and then leaving. Do you think I'm capable of doing that? Rayan, you should be very clear. OGW, the Ballard family, the Saunders family, and the warlords all have deep grudges. There's only one ending to this."
She paused, speaking word by word. "OGW must be completely destroyed and expelled from Pascaylia. Otherwise, it will never end."
Cloud narrowed his eyes.
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