Chapter 8 News of the Unknown Pretty Lady

• The policemen took the men into custody and confiscated the car. At that point, my father and Henry were stunned by the scene in front of them. Meanwhile, my mother rolled on the ground and refused to follow instructions. As for the human traffickers, they yelled out that they had not committed any offense so there was no reason to take them into custody.
• However, at that moment, their excuses sounded quite feeble and the officer who led this raid merely mentioned, "You can explain once we get back to the station!"
• In the afternoon, we arrived at Northdale station in Milch. I was the victim so the police were exceptionally kind toward me. My parents and brother’s identity hadn’t yet been confirmed so they were detained in a separate room. As for the human traffickers, they were brought into the interrogation room instantly.
• There were two policemen in the office with me and they took my statement. I told them everything that happened factually. Firstly, I mentioned the details of how my parents tried to sell me off and I reiterated everything to the police. However, I ended up giving in and I took into account our familial ties so I didn’t end up mentioning the past and how they had framed me resulting in my imprisonment.
• Master Campbell had taught me the importance of leaving some leeway with spoken words and actions taken for one's own sake. Sometimes it was unnecessary to go after someone too persistently because it could end up backfiring. That was even more so true when dealing with one’s family members.
• After I had given my statement, I was allowed to leave but being the party concerned, I had to be on standby. However, I didn’t have a place to stay in Milch so the policemen ended up arranging for a temporary hostel for me to stay at the station. The case should be resolved in less than two days so I could leave after that.
• From then on, I had no idea what happened to my parents and brother. However, I had been very benevolent with them, expressing how done I am with them.
• That night itself, I lay in the hostel and held Henry’s phone. I browsed through his photo album first and saw photos of him with his girlfriend. The girl looked quite acceptable but evidently, she wasn’t the pretty lady. I finally felt completely at ease after confirming this.
• Subsequently, I placed a call to the number given to me by Master Campbell. I asked for that lady known as Lauren.
• I’d told myself that after I was finally released from prison, I would definitely accomplish two main things. Firstly, I would help Master Campbell overturn the verdict of his case so that he could gain freedom once again. Next, I wanted to seek the pretty lady to thank her.
• As for my parents and Henry, originally, I had no intention of seeking revenge but they were the ones who plotted against me, which resulted in that minor altercation from before.
• After the phone call had been put through, it took quite some time before a cold, distant voice rang out from the other end. Despite that, the woman’s voice sounded quite melodious. "Hi there, who’s that on the line?"
• "Hi there, is this Lauren Krause? Master Campbell wanted me to contact you." I pursed my lips and waited. This was the first time in my life ever that I had interacted with an unknown woman.
• "Master Campbell? Who is that? Who are you?" Her voice remained quite indifferent and there was a confusing note to her voice too.
• "My name is Annon Hushton and I was previously imprisoned at Eastland Prison. That’s how I came into contact with Master Campbell. He’s in his forties and he’s very knowledgeable…"
• At that point, she cut me off instantly, "I know him. Where are you? If you need help, I can send someone to fetch you right away."
• I quickly responded, "No, I’m fine. I just want to confirm something with you. Was Master Campbell framed? What do you know about his case? I need to know the entire story from the start."
• "What do you plan to do?" She questioned coldly.
• "I want to help him overturn the verdict of his case!"
• “Did he ask you to do that?"
• "No, he didn’t. He forbade me from getting involved in this," I replied.
• "Then heed his instructions and stay out of this. Is there anything else that you want to say?" She asked.
• Instantly, I asked her why. I wanted to know why I had to stay out of everything. After all, I was forever indebted to Master Campbell and he had given me a second chance in life so it was my duty to help clear his name.
• However, this woman was as cold as an icicle and she refused to say anything else. She merely asked indifferently, "Do you have anything else to say? If you need money or anything else then feel free to let me know."
• "What’s your relationship with Master Campbell?" I persisted with my question.
• "If that’s all you have to say then I’ll hang up now." She was quite rude and refused to tell me anything.
• I responded by quickly appeasing her, "Fine. Okay! Don’t hang up! I have something that I need help with."
• She went straight to the point. "What is it?"
• Subsequently, I mentioned that I needed her help to find someone.
• She spoke in a swift voice. "Give me the person’s name, age, and personal details. Do you have a photo of her?"
• I was momentarily stunned and I suddenly realized that I knew nothing about the pretty lady…
• In the end, I went on and on to describe the situation to her and I also described the pretty lady’s looks to her.
• On the other end, she remained silent for quite some time before taking a deep breath. "So you want me to help you search for a girl, whom you were secretly in love with, six years ago? You don’t know a single thing about her, is that right?"
• "Y-Yes… You kind of got that right." I couldn’t help blushing upon hearing her say I was secretly in love with the pretty lady.
• "How did Master Campbell accept such a thoughtless student like you? Are you an imposter?" She no longer spoke coldly at me but her voice was full of scorn.
• "You don’t get it! She saved my life previously so I have to repay her for that no matter what it takes!" I gripped the phone tightly and spoke in an agitated voice.
• She responded coldly, "You would have to give me some useful information then. There’s no point in telling me that she’s pretty."
• I considered it for a moment before voicing out, "She lives in Bluebell Town. Back then, she should have gone to Middlemore High School. She graduated in 2008 and came to Milch to study at Rullogrend Business School. I th-think that should be everything…"
• "I’ll try my best then!" After she said that, she hung up the phone abruptly.
• At that moment, I didn’t harbor much hope that Lauren would be able to be of help. After all, the information that I had given her was too limited for her to actually seek someone out. Unexpectedly though, in less than two days, she called me back.
• Two days later, several policemen came to the hostel and updated me about the progress of the case. My parents, my brother, and all of the human traffickers had basically confessed to their crimes, and their confessions matched up with my statement.
• My case involved fraud and human trafficking. Furthermore, the ringleader of the human traffickers was a repeat offender and he had been involved in cases all over the country. He was implicated in a lot of cases of missing persons so everyone involved in this case had to attend a court trial.
• "Mr. Annon Hushton, thanks for providing us with such a great lead to solve the case. There’s nothing much left to do so you’re allowed to leave now." The policeman shook my hand sincerely.
• "How about my parents, especially my mom? Will they be prosecuted?" Although I despised them, they were family after all, especially my mom. She had not treated me exceptionally well all of these years but she had not mistreated me either so I did not want to take drastic measures against them. After claiming their property and taking Henry’s graduation qualifications, they no longer had anything to fall back on so my resentment had dissipated too.
• The policeman patted my shoulders and said, "Adult human trafficking isn’t legally a criminal offense but they also committed fraud and they forcefully orchestrated this so their exact outcome will be dependant on their trial in court."
• As he spoke, my cell phone rang and he waved at me to gesture that I could leave anytime I wanted.
• I sent them off before answering the call––it was a call from Lauren.
• "I’ve found her but I’m not sure if she’s the person that you’re after." Her tone of voice remained quite cold.
• "Is that so? What’s her name?" I was so excited that I nearly leaped up in joy.
• "Her name’s Nylah Scott and she graduated from Middlemore High School in Bluebell Town in 2008. There was only one student who applied to go to Milch Business School that year."
• At that point, I scratched my head excitedly as I twirled on the spot while saying, "It’s her! It must be her!"
• Lauren continued, "You shouldn’t be overly excited for now. She applied to go to the campus of Rullogrend Business School outside town and she originated from Milch, not Bluebell Town. I’m not too sure how come she completed her high school studies in Bluebell Town so I don't know whether she’s the person whom you’re after."
• It’s her. It must be her! She was dressed very fashionably back then and she didn’t look like a local from Bluebell Town. Besides, after Henry went off to university, she no longer kept in contact with him so this was a clear indication that she did not attend university in town, otherwise, she would definitely have kept in contact with me. I can’t believe that I could still manage to locate you after all these years, Nylah. But then… will you still recognize me?