Mr. Middleton, You're the One in a Real Mess

"I left you a note, didn't I?'

Emelie pushed him away. 'I'm fine. I shook them off. Did you finish the IV drip?"

William gave a heavy hum and then kept his eyes on her without blinking.

It was as if he feared that if he relaxed, she'd vanish into thin air.

Emelie nearly forgot the important matter at hand. She adjusted her cap and said, "I also found a way to get to the border. There's a rural bus that doesn't check IDs. You just hop on, pay, and go. We can take it to the border and head to Barolo first."

"Where do we catch it?"

"Definitely not in a busy area like this. Follow me." Emelie had already asked for directions.

Most of the people who took this kind of bus to the border were likely illegal immigrants. Everyone turned a blind eye to the others and just paid and got on without questions. The two sat in the last row.

The bus was filled with all sorts of people-men, women, the elderly, and children. They all shared similar characteristics, as they were all wearing dirty clothes and had grimy faces. They carried large woven bags, looking like poor workers heading to the city to do some manual labor.

Emelie noticed a young man, who looked like a thug, boasting to the person next to him about how he was a small gang leader and how many people he cut down in a day.

Both Emelie and William listened and quickly dismissed it from their minds.

It would take several hours to reach the border, and the bus typically continued. If someone couldn't hold it in and needed the restroom, they'd just use a bottle.

Emelie turned away uncomfortably, looking out the window. However, the sound of it still made her feel a bit sick.

Suddenly, her ears were gently covered by a pair of warm hands.

Startled, she turned to look at William.

William shifted slightly, blocking her view and signaling for her to continue looking out the window. Emelie pursed her lips and looked back out.

After a short while, William released her ears and casually helped tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. He teased, "Quite the mess, Ms. Pierce."

Emelie, unfazed, responded, 'I haven't been glamorous for long. Mr. Middleton, you're the one in a real mess. This is probably the first time you've experienced something like this, right?"

He had always lived a pampered life, treated like royalty. Now, he had been rolling on the ground and was stuck on a filthy bus.

William replied, "It's not the first time. Do you remember the scar on my back?'

There was a long scar on William's back. Not from weapons, but a whip.

Back when they were both injured and hospitalized in Wimstour City, she had helped him bathe, and William casually mentioned that he got it while in prison.Text © 2024 .

However, she knew he didn't have a criminal record, so she assumed he was joking.

Was he not?

William explained casually, "After graduating from university, I traveled to Faldoria and accidentally crossed paths with a gang. I reported it to the police, but it turned out the cops were in league with the gang. My report ended up backfiring, and I was imprisoned instead. That scar is from the beatings I received from the police." Emelie couldn't help but ask, "How did you get out?"

William simply said, "It had something to do with Lyle.'

"I don't remember you mentioning it."

William looked down at her. "How could I tell such an embarrassing story in front of the woman I like? It's not cool.'

Emelie didn't respond.

The rural bus finally arrived near the border, and the passengers began to disembark.

Emelie whispered, 'Follow the crowd. There should be a people smuggler nearby."

They glanced around and pretended to search.

Soon, the young man who had been boasting about being a gang leader approached them.

In broken Cedonian, he asked, "Are you going?"

Emelie sized him up. "How much will it be?"

He held up his hand and flipped it twice.

"One thousand dollars?' Emelie asked.

The young man nodded. '1000 dollars per person."

William was about to agree when Emelie countered, "800 dollars for the two of us."

The smuggler bargained back, "1500 dollars for two."

"850 dollars for both. If not, we'll find our own way across."

The young man licked his lips, then reluctantly gestured an okay sign. Emelie turned her back to count the money and handed it over.

The smuggler motioned for them to follow.

As they walked, William asked, "Why did you haggle?"

The smuggler's Cedonian was poor, so they didn't hold back.

Emelie frowned. "Are you stupid? Showing too much wealth when traveling is just asking to be targeted."

William smiled softly and whispered, "Ms. Hoven, what would I do without you?"

The border was just a barbed-wire fence, but there were guards stationed nearby.

The smuggler led them to hide in the bushes. Once the guards changed shifts, they'd have a chance to rush through a previously damaged section of the fence.

"Run! Hurry!"

Emelie began moving, but she was still a bit stunned. "That's it? We're just running for it?"

She immediately felt like the 850 dollars from earlier had been wasted. They could have run on their own. There was no skill involved, so why did they even pay him?

William chuckled as he pulled her along and asked, 'Haven't you seen the jokes online? Scalpers charge you for a fast pass, but all they actually do is help you cut the line. You go in while they stay behind to argue. It's

simplicity at its best."

Emelie was speechless.

However, there wasn't time to think about it-they had to keep running.

However, they hadn't gone far when a police car pulled up behind them. 'Freeze! Take one more step, and we'll shoot!"

Emelie and William exchanged a glance and immediately stopped

Before long, two police cars surrounded them. An officer in uniform stuck his head out of the vehicle and

shouted, "Round up all these border jumpers!"

They weren't the only ones caught. Others were attempting to cross as well, and they were all herded into the police cars like ducks

A group of people sat inside, looking at each other in dismay.

Emelie thought that this was really embarrassing. She licked her dry lips. "Do you think these cops are dirty too? Will they beat us?"

William, on the other hand, saw this as a good thing. "It might be better to go to the station. Their reach might not extend here. We could negotiate with the police, pay a bribe, and use their phone to contact Ashton and

the others."

Emelie stared out the window. The car drove into the small border town.

She lowered her head while pondering. Then, she kicked the smuggler opposite her and said in Faldorian,"

Give us our money back."

The smuggler became nervous. "This is all about luck. It's not my fault your luck ran out. No refunds!"

Emelie raised an eyebrow. "You said you were part of a gang, right?"

The smuggler straightened up. "Yeah! If you dare to rob me, I won't let you off!"

Emelie continued, "So, you should be pretty fearless, right? Do you want to try breaking out of jail?"

The smuggler looked puzzled. "Breaking out?"

Emelie pointed out the window. The town's streets were narrow and crowded with people and vendors, and

the police car was driving slowly and stopping frequently.

"When the car stops next time, we should escape together. What do you think?"