“Yes.” Zeke nodded.
Emma asked again, “Did you serve in the North?”
Upon hearing that, Zeke frowned. What? How does Emma know about that?
He nodded with a suspicious look on his face. “That's right.”
Emma seemed to get more agitated. “I-I have something to give to you. Please come with me.”
“Sure.”
Based on his strong intuition, Zeke believed that whatever Emma wanted to give to him was something of great importance.
It might involve the Military District in the North.
When the two of them walked out the door, Ivan started shouting.
“Bloody b*tch! Just wait and see. You and that boy toy of yours will surely die today. Even if Mr. Sixtus lets you off, I'll still hunt you dow- Ah!”
Before he could complete his sentence, Zeke kicked out at his calf.
Crack! Ivan's calf bones shattered.
His blood-curdling wails could be heard from a fair distance away.
The fear on Emma's face became more apparent.
As they walked out of the bar, Emma turned back every now and then. Her eyes were filled with nostalgia, and she looked reluctant to go.
In her heart, she knew that it was impossible to save the bar. All she could now was to imprint its image in her mind forever.
Half an hour later, Emma brought Zeke to the small residential apartment that she was staying in.
The apartment was built a very long time ago. It was dirty, dilapidated, and infested with pests. Trash was all over the place, and the stench was overwhelming.
The conditions were so bad that it was not even worth demolishing.
That made Zeke frown.
Emma was, after all, the owner of a bar. The way she dressed had always been trendy and sexy. She exuded the aura of a strong and successful woman.
Why does she stay in a place like this? It doesn't make sense.
Emma's apartment was on the top floor.
The old building did not have an elevator. Hence, the two of them had to walk up the stairs in order to reach the sixth floor.
When she opened her door, the apartment turned out to be sparkling clean and comfortable.
Once they were inside, Emma stated, “Take a seat first while I get you a cup of hot water.”
“Thanks!”
Zeke took a seat, and Emma went into the kitchen to boil the water.
The moment she went into the kitchen, she exclaimed, “Amelia, what happened?”
Hmm? What's going on?
Instinctively, Zeke got up and rushed into the kitchen.
Standing at the entrance of the kitchen, he could see everything.
A pretty and adorable girl was huddled up in one corner.
Her right hand looked red and swollen, as if she had been scalded.
Tears were brimming in her eyes, but she did not cry out loud.
When she spotted Emma, the girl called out in a choked voice, “Mommy.”
Emma got down on her knees and took hold of her daughter's hand. “Amelia, what has happened?”
Amelia answered softly, “I was hungry, and I wanted to cook some noodles for myself. But I was burned by the hot water.”
Emma's eyes turned red and teary. “I'm sorry, Amelia. It's all my fault for not taking better care of you.”
Amelia reached out and wiped Emma's tears away.
“Mommy, don't cry.”
“Okay, I won't.” Emma immediately dried her tears and said, “Amelia, why don't you go and sit in the living room for a while? Let me prepare the noodles for you.”
“Okay.”
The little girl nodded obediently.
Emma picked up her daughter and turned around to discover that Zeke was standing at the doorway.
She smiled apologetically at him and said, “I'm sorry, Mr. Williams. This is my daughter, Amelia. You two should sit in the living room first while I get the noodles ready for you.”
Zeke nodded in agreement.
As they moved to the living room, he sat down facing the little girl.
She kept her head down and dared not look at him.
When she crossed her arms tightly, she rubbed against her wound. It hurt her so much that her whole body spasmed. Yet, she did not make a single sound.
Zeke found a basic first aid kit nearby and picked it up, intending to tend to her wound.
However, the girl became frightened when she saw Zeke coming toward her. In her bid to get away, she fell off the couch and started to move backward.
“No, please don't hit me! I'm sorry! Mister, please don't hit me!”
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