Chapter 12

The black Maserati traversed the city streets and finally stopped in front of the self-study block in A City University.

Sally got out of Ol' Joe's car. She ran toward the public study room without saying thank you to Ol' Joe.

She left more than her notes and study material in the study room. There were also all sorts of awards and certificates that she won, and the cards that her grandmother sent her every birthday.

Those birthday cards were crudely made and her grandmother's handwriting was ugly. Other people might think that they were waste paper.

However, those were Sally's most treasured possessions!

The self-study block was crowded that morning. The elevator lobby was packed.

Just as she was waiting for the elevator, Evonne gave her another call.

"Are you here yet, Sal? Those people are going crazy!"

Sally could hear that Evonne was about to cry.

Her chest tightened.

Sally took a deep breath. There was no use waiting for the elevator. She turned and ran toward the stairwell.

'It's just the eighth floor, no big deal!'

Her legs were almost giving way as she reached the eighth floor. She had not had a bite of food since the morning.

People stood guard throughout that floor.

Evonne was waiting anxiously in the corridor.

Not far away from Evonne, a group of people dressed in black was tossing Sally's books and notes into a brazier.

A fire burned in the brazier. They were all Sally's precious notes!

A man in black casually sat on a chair next to the brazier. "What's all this nonsense?"

As he spoke, he tore a piece of paper in two. That was the first place certificate of the A City Physics Quiz.

"Put that down!"

In a fit of rage, Sally pounced on the man.

When she went nearer, she realized that the man was none other than Wendell Moses!

"So, you're willingly falling into my arms, Sister-in-Law?"

Wendell continued to sit there like a hooligan while his eyes brazenly devoured Sally's body. "If you're so promiscuous, why did you behave like a celibate nun in Grandpa's house yesterday?"

Sally gritted his teeth. She shoved Wendell away and hugged the pieces of the torn certificate in her arms.

She could still hear ripping sounds from behind her. The men in black were still destroying her other things.

"Stop!

"All of this is mine! You're breaking the law if you touch them without my permission!"

Tears were welling in Sally's eyes. She tried with all her might to grab her things.

"Stop it, then."

Wendell crossed his legs. "I ought to show some mercy to my sister-in-law."

The men in black stopped their actions after Wendell gave the order.

Evonne rushed forward and helped Sally to grab the things from the men's hands.

However, many things were already burning in the brazier.

Sally riffled through the things in her arms. At the same time, she lifted her head and glanced at the brazier.

She noticed the corner of a photo album peeking out from the brazier.

She froze.

The album contained all the birthday cards and photographs from her grandmother!

Reflexively, she reached out and pulled out the burning album from the brazier.

The roaring flames licked her fingers. She slapped the album with her palms, trying to put out the fire, as though she did not feel any pain at all.

Evonne grabbed the album from Sally's hands and put it aside. She was angry when she saw Sally's red, scorched palms.

"Was I being excessive?" Wendell laughed. "What is this, compared to what Elijah did to me yesterday?"

He seemed to have remembered something and pointed at a bruise on his forehead. "You should remember how this happened, right?"

Sally's mind raced. Was that bruise related to her?