CHAPTER 133: GOOD GIRL

"I also cannot live without you. So we have to work together from now on. I won’t let you handle this yourself."

Something inside Alice crumbled. Her lips curved into a sad, broken smile as she shook her head softly.

"Since when did you become this bold?"

Paula let out a shaky laugh, cracked and uneven, but real.

Alice reached out finally, her hand trembling as it cupped Paula’s tear-streaked cheek. She sighed, her thumb brushing gently across her skin.

"Thank you, Paula. I don’t... I don’t know what I’d do without you." Alice said while blinking back tears.

"It’s okay. I am fine. For real." Paula smiled at her. For some reason, it looked forced and genuine at the same time.

That was just... Paula.

Alice still did not know what she had done to deserve her.

"Alright," Alice murmured, facing ahead. "We need to take care of you. I’ll put you in a hotel for now. Just to breathe. Then I’ll think of something."

Paula nodded weakly, relief softening her features.

"We should go to the hospital. Get you checked."

Paula nodded faintly, but Alice hesitated. Her words stumbled before they left her mouth.

"But first..." Alice swallowed hard. "I need to do something."

Paula’s eyes flicked toward her, questioning.

Alice’s hands flexed on the wheel, her jaw tight. "The only card I have with enough money is the one Hades gave me. If I use it randomly. I fear he may be tracking the alerts." She shook her head. "He may get suspicious and want to find out. We can’t.. risk it."

"What... can we do then? I don’t... I have no money on me." Paula’s voice was filled with guilt.

Alice’s chest tightened. She was exhausted, torn apart, but there was no choice.

She was going to have to walk back into Hades’s shadow and keep him blind to the fire she was stoking right under his nose. And that terrified her.

She reached for her phone with trembling fingers and dialed his number.

The line clicked almost immediately. She hadn’t expected that and it made her suddenly anxious since she didn’t even get the time to prepare herself mentally for what she was about to ask.

Alice swallowed, her heart hammering. Her voice came out small, hesitant.

"H-Hades?"

No response. Ruffling sounds and distance voice and then, his voice came on, surprisingly calm in a way that it reduced her anxiety.

"I’m listening, little girl."

The simple words cut straight through her walls, unraveling her resolve.

Why did that almost make her want to cry again?

She hated this!

She forced a tremor of breath out before responding, though even the sound of her own voice made her want to recoil.

"Um... are you... are you busy right now?"

The words stumbled out like children tripping over their own feet. She hated how fragile she sounded, how utterly transparent her nerves were.

On the other end of the line, a pause stretched.

She imagined the faint arch of his brow, the way the corner of his mouth might twitch in dry irritation at the ridiculousness of the question. She could almost see his expression though she wasn’t there.

Then, finally, his voice came.

"You already called me." His tone was flat, as though every syllable was pressed through stone. "Why are you suddenly concerned about my availability? What is it?"

This annoying guy.

Alice turned slightly, angling her body so Paula wouldn’t see the anxiety etched across her face.

"It’s... it’s nothing serious. I just... um... I met someone I know. Well... not really know, not like that. But someone from before. And, uh..."

Her tongue tangled. Her thoughts felt like marbles spilling across the floor, impossible to gather. She hated how obvious she sounded, how clumsy every word was.

"And?" Hades prompted, his voice flat, almost impatient, but never raised.

Alice swallowed, her grip tightening around the phone until her knuckles ached.

"And I... I was thinking I’d like to use some of the money... for, um, for hospital bills. And maybe... a hotel. Just temporary, of course. Not for me. For... the person."

The silence that followed made the sound of her own pulse too loud in her ears.

Finally, Hades spoke.

"...And why are you telling me?"

The question stunned her. She blinked at the windshield as though the world outside could offer her an answer. "I... I just..." Her throat burned. It hurt to swallow, hurt to breathe. She forced air into her lungs and let it out slowly, shakily. "I didn’t want you to get suspicious if... if you received alerts. I thought you might... dig into it. Try to find out what I was doing."

This time, the pause stretched even longer. A dangerous quiet. She could almost hear his thoughts, sharp and cutting, dissecting her reasoning like a surgeon’s scalpel. She pictured him leaning back in his chair, head tilted, fingers tapping idly against the armrest while his mind tore through her flimsy explanations.

Except no. He was facing a window with a hand inside his pocket while the others behind him were still trying to make sense of what was happening.

"So. You must really not want me to dig into you." He said quietly.

Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her body betrayed her again. She bit down hard on her lip, so hard she almost tasted copper. He was too close to the truth. Far too close.

And wasn’t it ironic? That old saying she’d once overheard in some smoke-stained bar: if you want to protect your fish from rats, give it to the rats to keep for you. That was what this was. She had to place just enough of the truth in his hands, because if she didn’t, he’d pry it out himself, piece by piece, until there was nothing left of her to hide.

Her silence seemed to satisfy him. When he spoke again, his tone was smooth, dismissive, almost bored.

"Listen carefully. That card belongs to you. So does the money. Do whatever you want with it. I don’t know where the alerts go, and I don’t care."

Alice froze. The words sank in slowly, like stones dropping into water. She was torn between relief and unease. He didn’t care? Did he really mean that? Or was it another one of his traps, some way to watch how she moved when she thought she was free?

She glanced sideways. Paula was watching her now, her face swollen, but her eyes wide and questioning. What is he saying? What does he want?

Alice forced a small nod to reassure her, even though her insides felt like they were being pulled apart. She pressed the phone back to her ear. "I... I understand," she murmured.

She thought that was the end of it. That he would hang up, sever the line, and let her go.

But then his voice came again, cutting through her fragile relief.

"Bring the friend here."

Alice blinked. Her back went rigid. "What?"

"You said she needs a doctor and a place to stay. Then bring her here. Unless you prefer to worry every second because she’s not within your sight. I am going to get pissed. So get here here. You can keep an eye on her."

She turned sharply to Paula, who sat blinking at her, her bruised lips parted.

Alice’s mind spun.

Was that... concern?

"Will you do that?" Hades asked. But his voice was gentler than even before. As though he was coercing her.

Alice swallowed, her throat tight. She wanted to protect Paula, shield her from everything, but here she was being told to hand her over. To place her inside the very house that was no house at all, but a cage gilded with Hades’s shadow. Something she did not want to admit to getting used to.

But Paula...

Hades was right. She would think and overthink if Paula was not there. Even though it was not safe for her.

Just until she was well.

She would send her away. Far away.

"I will." She said softly.

"Good girl." He replied calmly, almost sending her into shock but then he ended the call immediately.

She turned back to face Paula and put the phone down. "What... did he say?"

"He..." Alice’s voice cracked. She cleared it quickly, pressing her lips together before whispering to Paula even though it was just two of them inside the car, "He says you should come to the Block."

Paula’s eyes widened, shock rippling across her battered face.

"Is it... safe?"

Alice’s lips parted, but no words came right away. Her gaze drifted back to the steering wheel, fingers tightening even though the car was off.

"He’s... not bad," Alice said finally, her voice quiet but steady. "He may look intimidating but... he’s better than the others. Better than his brothers, to me."

Paula didn’t answer. Just watched her. The weight of her silence pressed against Alice like an iron hand. She forced herself to keep talking, words stumbling out to fill the unbearable void.

"And... a doctor would check you there, personally. You wouldn’t have to worry about going out. You’d be safe inside and—"

She stopped when she realized Paula was still staring. Not blinking. Just... staring.

"What?" Alice asked, sharper than she meant, her voice cracking on the edge.

"I was asking if it’s safe to go to his home and stay there without them sniffing out that we’re... close."

Alice froze. Her lips pressed into a thin line, the silence loud between them. She swallowed hard, eyes dropping to her lap.

Then Paula’s next words landed like a stone.

"You... have feelings for him?" she whispered.