Chapter 194

Evelyn shook her head and turned to leave.

"Fine, I'll drop it to 8 dollars!" the vendor shouted after her. "That's below cost price! Surely you can spare 8 dollars?"

Her fingers absently traced the pale band on her ring finger where her wedding band used to sit. Hot tears pricked at her eyes as she quickened her pace through the crowded marketplace.

It wasn't about the money. She could technically afford it. But buying herself a replacement ring felt like admitting her marriage was nothing but a hollow sham.

The marketplace faded behind her as she reached the roadside where bicycle taxis clustered. Their drivers called out offers, but Evelyn kept her distance, choosing to wait for the public bus instead.

Standing alone, her striking features drew appreciative glances from passersby. Then a black SUV screeched to a halt nearby.

The tinted window rolled down to reveal two leering men. "Need a ride, sweetheart?" the driver asked, his gaze crawling over her body.

"No thank you," Evelyn replied politely but firmly.

"Come on, we'll take you anywhere," the passenger insisted, licking his lips.

Alarm bells rang in Evelyn's mind. She turned sharply toward the safety of the crowded market.

Car doors slammed. Heavy footsteps pounded behind her.

"Help!" Evelyn screamed as rough hands grabbed her arms.

A bicycle taxi driver moved to intervene, but froze when one attacker brandished a switchblade.

Evelyn fought desperately as they dragged her toward the SUV. In this supposedly civilized society, she never imagined being abducted in broad daylight.

Inside the vehicle, they wrestled her phone away and pinned her down. As the car bounced along a forest trail, Evelyn forced herself to stop struggling. She needed to conserve energy for the right moment.

After what felt like hours of jolting along backroads, they merged onto a highway.

Evelyn's blood ran cold when she spotted the sign: "Valtoria Border Crossing 5km."

Valtoria? The lawless narcostate neighboring Aldenria? No wonder these men operated with such brazenness.

The SUV turned onto a concealed dirt road leading to a fortified compound. Through the window, Evelyn saw armed guards patrolling between poppy fields behind high electrified fences.

They stopped before a rustic lodge where four men lounged in an open pavilion. The sight of drug paraphernalia scattered across their table made Evelyn's mouth go dry.

"Boss!" her captor announced proudly. "Found this pretty thing near the market. Thought you might enjoy her."

They shoved Evelyn forward. Her pulse hammered as she took in the terrifying scene.

At the center sat a bald, neck-tattooed brute flanked by three equally dangerous-looking men. Their predatory gazes made her skin crawl.

The bald man's lips curled into a grotesque smile as he examined her. "You've outdone yourself this time," he told his subordinate, licking cracked lips. "Where did you find such exquisite merchandise?"