Chapter 181 – I want you to trust me until…
I was in high school at the time and used to work part-time jobs. One day, I got home late and couldn’t wake up early the next day," Joanna began her story.
"I decided to take a shortcut, which my mom usually didn’t allow because she said only rich people used that route."
"I ran as fast as I could, fearing someone might stop me and force me to take the normal way when I heard a girl screaming. I looked around and saw a playhouse, so I thought the sound was coming from there and jumped the fence."
"Honestly, I thought I might get arrested for trespassing, but when I reached the playhouse, I heard the scream louder, coming from a mansion nearby."
"I was terrified when I saw smoke coming out, and without thinking, I ran in. By some miracle, I reached the girl, but she was scared, and so was I. I was afraid of getting arrested but also afraid the girl would get burned."
"The path I used was already on fire, so there was nowhere else to go," she said, tears welling up in her eyes but for some reason, she didn’t stop so Alex didn’t notice how emotional she had gotten.
"The girl was so beautiful, reminding me of my sister Nancy, who was killed by Salvador’s men a few months ago. I couldn’t help her," Joanna sobbed.
Alex comforted her, realizing the depth of her pain. He also knew that sooner or later, he had to arrange for Joanna to meet her sister, whether Nancy liked it or not.
She was alive and yet, her family was hurting and Salvador’s name was being dragged in the mud. "You can take your time and continue whenever you’re ready."