Jordan didn’t really n on going in–he just wanted to check out the situation inside. He’d already gotten all the info he needed from the

    prison guard.

    After leaving. Jordan immediately picked up his phone and called up a few of his contacts. After making several calls, he kept getting the

    same response.

    They all said, “Jordan, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but this time I really can’t. Your wife pissed off someone important, and that person has spoken–our hands are tied.

    “T’m sorry. If there’s anything else you need, as long as it’s within our power, we’ll definitely help you.”

    The only person Jordan could think of was Monroe. Jordan didn’t have deep roots in the upper ss. Even though he had reached his current position, his connections weren’t as solid as Monroe’s.

    Monroe wasn’t entirely self–made; he relied on the power of the Johnson family. Jordan figured Monroe was probably doing all this behind his grandfather’s back.

    With that thought in mind, Jordan knew what he had to do. As soon as he arrived at Arthur’s ce, he saw Kevin: When Kevin spotted him, the two exchanged a silent nce and a knowing smile, understanding each other without a word.

    Kevin was the first to speak. “Looks like we’re on the same page.”

    Jordan wasn’t sure if Arthur would even see him. After all, Jordan had once taken a business deal away from Arthur. Even though Arthur hadn’t held a grudge, it had still caused some tension between them.

    Having Kevin show up at a time like this was definitely a good thing. Arthur would have to give the Carver family some face. Sure enough, the two of them were able to meet Arthur without any trouble.

    When Arthur heard that Monroe might be using his name to pull something like this, his expression immediately turned sullen.

    Arthur said, “Alright, I get what you’re saying. Rest assured, I’ll look into it. If Monroe really did this, I’d make things right with you.”

    The two of them said, “Thank you, Mr. Johnson.” Then they walked out together.

    Kevin said apologetically, “I only just found out myself. I asked around, and it turns out there are two factions inside making things hard for Ste. I’m guessing one is Andrew and Anna, and the other is Monroe.”

    Jordan clenched his fists. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of state Ste would be in right now. He said, “We have to get her out of there

    immediately.”

    Jordan was getting more and more worried. He thought, ‘Andrew and Anna probably want Ste dead, and with her all alone in there,pletely isted, how can she possibly stand a chance against those people?‘

    Kevin said, “We can’t just force our way in. We should wait for now.”

    “I can’t wait,” Jordan said. With that, he turned and walked away.

    Kevin had always known that Jordan was pretty extreme when he acted. Seeing the look on his face, Kevin just knew Jordan was about to do something drastic.

    He wanted to call out to Jordan, but Jordan moved so fast that he was already gone before Kevin could say a word. Kevin could only pray that nothing would go wrong.

    b1/3 /b

    Meanwhile, Monroe woke up from a nightmare. He nced at the time it was just a little past six in the morning. He usually stayed upte and rarely woke up this early. He was covered in cold sweat, and his mind was still a mess.

    He couldn’t figure out why he’d had a dream like that. In the dream, for the first time, he saw Ste. She looked utterly wretched, like a ghost from helling to im his life.

    She walked toward him, her whole body drenched in blood, and demanded, “Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you? Why are you treating me like this?”

    Monroe wanted to exin, but the words caught in his throat, and he couldn’t get a single word out.

    “Does seeing me like this make you happy? I was the one who saved your life, and this is how you treat me?” Ste shot back.

    Suddenly, her hands mped tightly around his neck, choking off his breath. Monroe wanted to beg her for mercy, but her eyes were terrifying, as if she were ready to take him with her to the grave.

    Just when he thought he was about to die, he jolted awake. He looked around his familiar room, but the dream was still crystal clear in his

    mind.

    He thought, ‘Why? Why would I have a dream like that? In the dream, Ste said she saved my life, but it was Anna who saved me.

    There’s no way I can be wrong about that. Is it because the two of them look so much alike?‘

    Monroe picked up his phone and called someone he knew. “How’s Ste doing in there?” he asked.

    The person said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Johnson. Everything’s going just like you ordered. We’ve got people ‘taking care‘ of her. Anyone who dares to cross you, we make sure they suffer. She won’t have an easy time.

    O

    “But seriously, there’s even another group after her now. She must have done something unforgivable, right? Otherwise, why would everyone want her dead?”

    Monroe was stunned. “What? There’s another group after her?”

    The person said, “Yeah, you didn’t know? In our prison, there are two rival gangs in the women’s section. They’re always at each other’s

    throats.

    “Usually, when a new girles in, both sides try to mess with her. But after a while, it just turns into a contest to see who can get her to join their gang.

    “But with Ste, both groups are out to abuse her. With how tiny she is, I doubt she’llst a few days. I’ll definitely let you know if there’s any

    good news.”

    Monroe didn’t say a word. From the other guy’s perspective, Monroe was totally on board with all this.

    Monroe hung up, feeling a weird, gnawing unease. He’d never been this ruthless to a woman before. If it weren’t for Anna, he wouldn’t have

    done it.

    He thought, ‘Anna is the woman I love, and Ste actually tried to hurt Anna that way. I haven’t done anything wrong, really.‘

    It was still dark in prison. Ste had barely closed her eyes when someone suddenly dragged her up. A bucket of cold water was poured right over her, snapping herpletely awake.

    “Well, well, I guess we didn’t rough you up enoughst night if you could still sleep. Looks like we need to try a little harder,” one of the

    women sneered.

    b18:03 /bSat, 9 Aug

    She gave Ste a mocking p across the face, and then another woman handed her a pair of scissors.

    The first woman took them and grinned, “I heard your hair only just grew back after thest incident. Tsk, tsk. Wonder what you’ll look like if we chop it all off again?”

    This wasn’t the first time Ste had been through something like this, so she knew better than to beg for mercy.

    She gave a cold, mocking sneer and said, “You better pray I never get out of here. I always pay back every slight, no matter how small. Go ahead, take their money and do whatever you want to me now.

    “But once I’m out, I’ll make sure your lives here turn into a living hell.”

    That woman burst outughing. “Oh, threatening me, are you? You really think you can get out of here? Word is, you pissed off some seriously dangerous people on the outside.

    “The two top dogs in this ce have always hated each other, but because of you, they actually teamed up just to go after you.

    “Most of us have been stuck in here eight, ten years or more, and we’ve never seen anything like this. Usually, if you cross one crew, your life

    turns to hell. But you? You got both sidesing for you at once.

    “Don’t me us, though. We’re just trying to survive in here, same as everyone else.”

    With that, she yanked a fistful of Ste’s hair and hacked it off without mercy. The pain made tears spring to Ste’s eyes, a raw, physical

    reaction she couldn’t control.