Chapter 6 Hope for Escape

While Flora was pondering this, the door suddenly creaked open quietly. Flora instinctively pulled the blanket tightly around her and cautiously waited for the intruder to approach. The footsteps were so light that they didn't resemble the rude stomping of the shrew or Maxwell's steady gait.

Flora looked towards the doorway, and she hesitated for a moment. Standing in front of her was a child whose gender was hard to determine. The child appeared to be about eight or nine years old, wrapped in an incredibly thick winter coat that turned them into a small, round bundle. They wore a cotton hat that was attached to the coat, revealing only the central portion of their small face.

His blue eyes were large and bright, with perfectly curled eyelashes that looked almost artificially crafted. Their pink lips were slightly parted. All of this made it impossible for Flora to determine whether the child was a boy or a girl. Vaguely, she could see a glimpse of the man who took pleasure in torturing her with that beautiful face.

Flora instinctively guessed that this child must be the son or daughter of that man. The child, upon seeing Flora, walked over and stood in front of her, eyeing her intently, then asked loudly, "They said the person that Hercules wants to kill is you, right?"

"Yes, it's me," Flora wanted to hate him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He was such an adorable child that she couldn't find any reason to hate him. Besides, he called that man Hercules? His name was Hercules? What a domineering name, just like him! Domineering and cruel!

"But why aren't you crying?" the child asked again. When he overheard the maids gossiping, he thought Hercules had captured some superhero or Ultraman. He had to gather the courage to sneak into the control room, turn off the air conditioning, and wrap himself in layers of clothing before entering. To his disappointment, it turned out to be a woman, which was far less exciting.

"May I ask, are you a boy or a girl?" Flora asked, not answering his question, and voiced the doubts in her heart while staring at him.

The child's expression stiffened, and Flora saw the shadow of that evil man on his face once again. She quickly lowered her gaze, unwilling to look at him further.

"Of course, I'm a boy," the child protested in a disgruntled tone. How could she not tell if he was a boy or a girl?

"Can you please tell me where this place is?" Flora asked him again.

"This is my home!" the little boy exclaimed loudly. Then, he turned around and looked toward the door, leaning closer to Flora's ear, and said, "I'll tell you a way to escape. It's right under the plum tree in the backyard. If you climb the plum tree, you can jump over the wall and get out. I've used that spot to escape and play outside many times."

Afterward, the little boy grinned with a sense of pride, as if escaping from his home was a remarkable feat.

Flora stared at him in astonishment, looking utterly incredulous. Could what he said be true? Could she really escape from there?

So, she cautiously asked, "Is it really true?"

"Of course, it's true," the little boy reassured her with a pat on his chest. His keen ears picked up a faint sound of a car outside. He muttered to himself, "Oh no, Hercules is coming back. If he finds out I adjusted the temperature, I'm in trouble. I have to go!"

With that, he dashed toward the door. Just as the door was about to close, he stuck his little head back inside, asking Flora, "I'm Robin Smith. What about you?"

"I'm Flora White," Flora replied with a slight smile.

It was the first time she had genuinely smiled in days. After nodding in acknowledgment, the little head that was wedged between the door disappeared as the door closed once more.

Flora lay still in bed, reflecting on the scene she had just experienced. Could Robin's words be trusted? Was there truly an escape route? His eyes looked so innocent, nothing like the eyes of a liar. In any case, she decided to take the gamble. She was facing death either way, so why not take a chance before that?

With this thought in mind, Flora struggled to sit up, her body weak from days of hunger, not to mention the pain she was in. She barely had the strength to get out of bed, but she had to try if she wanted to escape. Her gaze scanned the room and landed on the cold meal placed on the bedside table.

The food had already turned ice-cold, but Flora couldn't afford to be picky. She picked up the meal and devoured it, bite after bite. After days of starving, even cold leftovers tasted better than the lavish feasts Henry used to take her to.

Having finished all the food on the table, Flora felt much better. Her strength returned, and she no longer felt too weak to stand. The temperature in the room dropped again, she knew that the little boy must have adjusted the temperature back to its original setting!

Having eaten a decent meal, she felt less uncomfortable despite the cold. Flora entered the bathroom and took a warm bath to warm herself. She searched through all the wardrobes, but couldn't find a single piece of clothing to wear. If she wanted to escape, she needed some clothes, she couldn't run outside naked.

This man was truly ruthless! Flora thought to herself. The way he imprisoned her was sadistic to the extreme!

There was no other choice but to retreat to the bed again, where at least she could find some warmth. She remembered Nancy's words, telling her to get better quickly to do some work. If she wanted to leave this room and have some clothes to wear, she had to recover as soon as possible.

Around six or seven in the evening, Nancy entered the room with dinner in her hands, looking at the clean and empty plates. She sneered and said, "Weren't you adamant about not eating? I thought you had some backbone, but you're nothing but a wretched person!"

After her comment, Nancy placed the dinner on the table and began to clear away the dishes. Flora paid no attention to her taunts and picked up the meal Nancy had brought and started eating.

"Even if you were starving, there's no need to be in such a hurry, is there?" Nancy observed her voracious appetite and jeeringly commented.

Flora remained unfazed and calmly said, "I'm ready to work now."

Nancy scrutinized her and laughed sardonically, saying, "Are you getting tired of this freezer? Are you thinking about getting out? Well, you can wait. I'll go back and think it over before deciding whether to let you leave this room." With that, she carried the dishes and walked out.

Flora watched her departing figure and sighed inwardly. She wasn't in a rush to leave this freezing room; all she wanted was a set of clothes to wear.