MainNovelChapter 169 Magnolia.
This time, Raymond finally saw what those countless pairs of eerie green eyes in the room belonged to. The sight sent a chill down his spine.
A pack of vicious dogs bared their teeth, their heads weaving from side to side with hunger. When they caught sight of Citrine, their low growls turned excited and sharp.
Raymond was a grown man and even he felt afraid-so it was almost unimaginable how terrifying this must have been for eleven-year-old Citrine.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAs Citrine took in the scene before her, the color drained from her face.
She stumbled back several steps, only for her legs to give out beneath her. She collapsed to the floor.
The dogs circled, waiting for the right moment, then lunged straight at her.
Just as the snarling beasts leapt, Citrine's eyes landed on a small wooden stick lying on the floor. She snatched it up, gripping it with all her might.
"Get back!" she yelled, swinging the stick with every ounce of strength she had, striking at the dogs as they closed in.
There was no room for hesitation. Each blow was wild and desperate, Citrine pouring all her fear and will into every swing.
Fighting off one or two dogs was possible-but as more and more closed in, her movements grew sluggish, her arms heavy. Inevitably, she was bitten. But she clenched her jaw against the pain, refusing to stop, beating back any dog that got too close. By the tthe heavy steel door finally creaked open, she was bleeding and battered, covered in angry bite marks.
A group of men entered, carrying stun batons. One of them grabbed Citrine by the collar and dragged her out of the room.
"Where are you taking me?" Citrine gasped, struggling to breathe as her shirt tightened around her throat. The men ignored her, hauling her before a man seated on a leather couch.
He wore a mask, his legs crossed in a display of casual authority. As Citrine was thrown to the floor in front of him, his eyes glinted with interest. "You've broughta good one this time." The men all bowed their heads respectfully. "Boss, this girl's from the Iverson family in Havencrest. No idea what she did to anger Mrs. Iverson, but she's been sold off to us." With that, they tossed Citrine carelessly to the ground.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe masked man looked her over, his gaze cold, like he was inspecting merchandise.
He curled his lip into a thin smile. "What a little wretch." Citrine didn't understand their words, but she could sense from the way they addressed him that this man was in charge here.
She crawled forward, kneeling at his feet. Looking up at him, her voice trembled, "Sir, my family is wealthy. If you letgo, we'll pay you any amount, whatever you want." Worried he might refuse, Citrine added urgently, "I can call my father right now and ask him for the money." The people brought here were all abandoned by their families. The man seemed amused by her plea, letting out a sharp laugh. "How naïve. They've already sold you. It's tto face reality."
"No, my father would never abandon me. He doesn't even know aboutn this," Citring insisted, certain this was all Aline's doing. Sawyer couldn't possibly be involved. The man smirked at her naïveté, then tossed the phone from the table onto the floor. "Go ahead. Call him. Then you'll see for yourself."
For a moment, hope flickered in Citrine's eyes. She scrambled to pick up the phone, her fingers dialing the familiar number she'd memorized by heart. The call connected almost immediately.
Citrine's eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling with relief and fear. "Dad, it's me-Citrine." "Citrine, I'm busy right now. I'll call you back later," cSawyer's voice on the other end, edged with impatience.
Afraid he would hang up, Citrine blurted out, "Dad, Aline sold me! I need money, please you have to help me!"
There was a long silence on the line.
nonsense Finally, Sawyer spoke, his tone sharp with irritation. "Citrine, don't talk nonsense. If you keep saying such awful things about your Aunt Aline, I'm going to be very angry with you."
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