The man in the black suit forcefully submerged her face into the water tank, half of her height. She shook her head abruptly. But it only bought her more pain as the hand gripping her hair pulled it too hard for her to bear. She winced under the painful grip.

They tied her hands on her back, making rashes on her wrists. Her mind was blank as it needed only one thing to live right now, air.

She struggled, and he, who sat under the only lit light bulb, smirked under his black mask. The boss, they called him. His legs crossed, an ankle on the knee of the other. Lying back on the chair, he kept looking at this woman who struggled a lot. A scoff escaped his mouth. Because of these tiny titty acts of rebels she kept in front of him.

She had no escape. She knew, he knew, then who was she fooling. Her rebels merely put any impact on any of his life but hers.

“Enough!” He ordered and the man in the black suit holding her looked at him.

“Bring her to me.”

She was finally bright out of the water and presented in front of him.

Her head lowered, hair dripping with water, and clothes were wet by now. She shuddered, not in fear, but in the cold which was in the atmosphere of that dull basement.

From the outside, it looked like a lavish, extravagant mansion, but who’d known that it has such a dull and scary basement too.

She gasped for life as soon as her hands landed on the dirty floor of the basement. The boss sat up straight and bent towards her. Getting a grip of a fistful of hair of hers, he made her look at him.

“Eva darling, don’t you remember what you’d promised me before we signed the contract?” He questioned. His voice was calm and poise yet it made many shudder at their place present there.

Eva closed her eyes. Not because she was scared to look at him. She held a great sense of disgust for him, which made her go insane every time she used to see that filthy face of his.

“Why don’t you simply answer me, Eva? Why create chaos when everything can be settled easily?” He questioned further.

Eva’s chest raised and went down, probably still reaching out for the needed breath. Her hands holding his, trying hard to get him away from her.

“FOR GOD'S SAKE, YOU MAKE ME GO INSANE!” He yelled and threw her back on the floor.

She fell on her stomach, her hands protecting her face to collapse to the floor, too. Her hair still dripping out on the floor. All the dirt had climbed her body by now, she looked a lot messy than anyone could imagine.

She dared not to answer him back, cause doing so would make her a loser. She’ll lose the battle of being a rebel.

“What were you even thinking while facing the media? And I heard it was also you who called them.” He pointed a finger at her back.

“Stop this act of being a child, Eva. I’m fed up with this now.” He proclaimed after not receiving an answer from her again.

His blood boiled inside, and so did hers. But the difference was, he could let it out while she could just swallow it. ‘cause the situation wasn’t in favour right now.

Being the most furious he could have been, he rubbed his forehead and took in a deep breath. He walked towards her, bent down and held her by her chin, almost making her jaw dislocate.

She again looked down rather than looking at him.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“So, you will not answer? Huh?”

He pulled her face close to his. She could feel his breath on her cheek.

“Don’t you dare to awake a sleeping lion, Eva? Else even I, myself won’t be able to stop the event same as what happened five years ago...”

“Or even worse...” Hearing his words, her heart stopped beating for a second, and she looked up at him.

Her eyes holding anger, fear, disgust.

“You know...what you can provoke me into doing.”

“And I wonder...you’ll be able to bear it this time.”

Pulling her away, he stood up and looked at his men. “Take her to the room and don’t let her escape until I say.”

The men nodded and made her stand by, gripping her forearms. They made their way towards the stairs, along with Eva. In the back, she could hear the boss mumbling, “We’re supposed to work in dark, how could she do so when she’s dead for the entire world?...”

She was thrown onto her bed and locked inside. Curling up, she clenched the bedsheet lying underneath her. Her tears held many feeling, disgust, guilt and anger were some of them.

Only if she hadn’t lied to Hebrew that day, only if...she’d come up with a better choice. Only if she had thought a little more about it.

The words ‘only if’ showed how miserable her present was. Guilt wasn’t something she had promised to her life to give. It would be a lot better after this, she’d thought.

But for once in a while, her life did scoff and make fun of her. It also knew that even she might deny. Deep inside, she knew Hebrew was right all along.

~~~~~~

Jessica was feeling all bored while waiting for Winchester to come back to his cabin. She gave walking out for a while a thought. As she walked past the investigation room, she heard some chuckles and voices.

A conversation was going on, in between some people out of which two Jessica could luckily recognise Winchester and Robert.

Bending towards the closed door, Jessica could what them clearly.

“I know, I know, but what you will about those who have no future?” Robert said.

“Exactly my point!” Winchester jumped in.

“Getting treatment for them and wasting the money over them is the same as letting them burn. They’ll eventually turn to ashes, meaning nothing to you.”

“But we should at least call the doctor for once. What about the fund we’ve collected from the government?” Someone said.

“Why are you insisting on wasting out a fortune on someone else?” Robert replied.

“But don’t you think we’ll get caught one day?”

This made Winchester laugh, and Jessica frown.

“Sorry man but-” He burst into more laughter and Robert joined him.

Covering his mouth and after some deep inhales and exhales, he spoke up.

“This joke really took me in a split. We what? Get caught?” He scoffed again.

“Did anyone even suspect us in all those last five to three years? Let alone getting caught.”

“Yeah! Don’t worry...” Robert added.

“But-“ The other one hesitated.

“Why are you trying to flush all money for those prisoners who have no life to live further, rather than living and dying in the jail?”

“Or do you wanna act honest and end up being the fake cop of Whitechapel?” Winchester added, and they all laughed.

In listening to all this conversation, Jessica didn’t realise when someone was keeping a spy on her all this time until they tapped her shoulder, making her flinch.

She turned and sighed in relief, only to find Emma.

“Oh, you scared me out.”

“Ms Lennon, what are you-“

“No, no...it isn’t how it seems, I was just-” Before she could complete Emma took her in the corner.

“Shh...” Emma looked back at the door of the investigation room.

“Why were you standing so close? What if...they’d caught you?” She looked back at Jessica.

Jessica frowned. “And why...are you helping me out? I mean, It’s good to have someone at my back but...why you? Shouldn't you as a coworker go and inform them about me?” She folded her arms above her chest and narrowed her eyes at Emma.

“Don’t you remember the last letter?”

“Letter?” Jessica questioned.

“He has been released, Ms Lennon.” Emma lowered her voice.

Jessica narrowed her eyes, even more being confused.

“Whitechapel police station, St 21. Those letters without names.” Emma hints her out.

The sudden realisation but Jessica and her eyes grew wider, “Wait...it was..you?” Emma nodded.

“But why? I thought you admired Mr Hebrew. Was it a show?” Jessica smirked.

Emma kept her hand on Jessica’s shoulder, and Jessica’s eyes stared at her gesture.

“Not everyone is like you, Ms Lennon.”

“What do you mean?” She jerked her hand off her shoulder.

Emma remained calm and wore her usual smile.

“I’m not trying to help you, I’m just trying to prove Mr Hebrew right. You...are... just a way to do so.”

Emma walked away, leaving Jessica frozen in her place. “Did she say...she is using me?”

Jessica was in chaos. Though she was avenging her father’s death, she right now felt being used, and it hurt her pride.

“Should I carry on or...” She was in a dilemma...