Chapter 188
Anna spoke so pitifully that it was all too easy for Monroe to believe her. He felt awful inside, like he’d just poked at her old wounds. He said, “Anna, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
A glint of smugness flashed in Anna’s eyes as she cursed him as an idiot in her heart. She said, “It’s okay. Stella did that just to make you doubt me. I really don’t want to admit it, but Stella can be really scheming.”
The more Monroe thought about it, the more it all made sense to him. Things would play out like that when someone was plotting them. He thought, ‘I must have been out of my mind to ever trust Stella.‘
As he left, Andrew walked over, and Anna gave him an OK sign.
Andrew looked at Anna. He hadn’t expected her to go as far as murder, but now that it had happened–and since he also wanted to get rid of Stella–they’d have to take their time and plan things out.
At Hayes Group. The whole thing about Stella getting thrown in jail was the talk of the town for a while, but then the gossip just vanished. Nobody had a clue what really happened.
Meanwhile, Nola was really worried. She wanted to get in touch with Jordan, but she didn’t have his number. She asked around, but none of the people she knew were important enough to have his contact info.
All she could do was desperately hope that Jordan would try calling Stella, realize she wasn’t picking up, and then maybe call her instead. Otherwise, there was just no way someone like her could possibly get Stella out of this mess on her own.
In prison. Stella hadn’t even been questioned yet, but she was already thrown in with the inmates who’d already been sentenced. It was obvious Anna was behind this.
Stella thought, ‘From the very start, Anna never planned to let me out of here. She must have found out that Jordan isn’t in Seavale right now. That’s why she’s rushing everything.
‘She’s clearly hoping I’ll die here. By the time Jordan comes back, it’ll all be too late.‘
As Stella was trying to piece things together in her mind, a woman suddenly yanked her hair. Her hair had grown out into a neat short cut. lately, so she didn’t need to wear a cap anymore. She looked sharp and full of energy.
The pain was sharp, but after everything Stella had been through, this was nothing. She glared right back at the woman, her eyes cold and
unyielding.
The woman slapped her hard across the face and said, “How dare you look at me like that? Looks like you don’t want to get out alive, huh?”
Stella spat right in her face.
“Bitch, still got fight in you? Ladies, let’s teach her what happens to people who don’t know their place,” the woman barked.
As soon as she said that, a group of women swaggered over, ready to join the fight. Stella was no match for them. She tried grabbing one, but it was completely pointless.
The women fought like a pack of wild animals, totally chaotic. Someone yanked Stella’s hair again and smashed her head against the wa!!
over and over.
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Chapter 188
Meanwhile, a bossy–looking woman just stood there watching, somehow lighting up a cigarette and puffing away like she was enjoying a
show.
Stella’s head was ringing from the blows, and she couldn’t see a thing. In the end, they dragged her down and started brutally kicking her all
over.
“Think you can fight back? Do you even know where you are? Do you have any idea who we are?” one of them snarled.
Stella’s fingers dug into the cold floor. She told herself, ‘No matter what, I have to survive this.
Someone saw it and stomped hard on her hand, grinding it mercilessly. The pain was so sharp that tears nearly sprang to Stella’s eyes. But she didn’t let out a single sound.
Finally, the bossy woman finished her cigarette. She looked at Stella, who was too beaten to fight back, and grinned. “You’ve got guts, not even a peep out of you.
“You never did anything to me, but hey, I take money, I do the job. As long as you’re stuck in here, my girls are gonna make your life hell every single day.”
Stella slowly lifted her head. “How much did she pay you? I’ll pay you triple whatever she gave you!”
The bossy woman burst out laughing. “Triple, huh? Sounds tempting, but come on, who knows if you’ll ever get out of here? How am I supposed to believe you can actually pay me that kind of money?”
“Can you contact anyone on the outside?” Stella asked.
The bossy woman sat there and said casually, “You trying to pay me off?”
“That’s right. Just help me get a message to someone, and he’ll make sure you get paid,” Stella said.
The bossy woman laughed. “You think I’m an idiot? Like I don’t know you want me to snitch for you? If word gets out I laid a hand on you, they’ll skin me alive. Take my advice, just keep your head down and stay put.”
Stella hadn’t expected her to be this wary. It was not like she was going to hurt that woman or anything. She just wanted the woman to help her get in touch with Jordan, and honestly, she was ready to make a real deal.
“How can I prove I’m not lying to you?” Stella asked.
“This is the first time we’ve ever met. Why should I believe you’d keep your word?” the bossy woman shot back.
Stella locked eyes with her. The bossy woman looked away and turned to the others. “Keep an eye on her. The higher–ups said as long as we torture her to death, we’ll get our reward.”
The others replied, “Got it.”
The bossy woman walked off. Stella knew this woman was her only hope, so she kept shouting for her, but it was useless. The woman didn’t even look back. She didn’t even have time to think before another round of beating began.
Stella’s body had only just started to recover, so she didn’t stand a chance against these women. They were nothing like anyone she’d dealt with before. It was obvious these women were used to doing this kind of thing in prison.
Just then, she heard more footsteps. Stella thought maybe help had finally arrived. After all, there were guards in the prison, and surely they wouldn’t ignore all this noise.
But she was wrong. She heard the leader of them say, “Who’s this?”
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