Chapter 164
Meanwhile, Charlotte barely dared to breathe from her hiding spot, her expression grave.
The drug in her system still hadn't worn off.
If they found her now, God only knew what kind of death she'd face.
At that thought, Charlotte scanned her surroundings, only to furrow her brow.
The storage room was crammed with junk. Those men had already blocked off the outer passage.
To get out, she'd have to backtrack the way she came.
After a sigh, Charlotte hurried back to the window she'd entered through.
But right then, a wave of dizziness hit her.
Sensing something was wrong, Charlotte tried to steady herself.
The weakness was overwhelming, though. She swayed, nearly collapsing to the floor.
After a moment, she came to and grabbed onto a nearby shipping container.
What was happening?
By her calculations, at least three hours had passed since she'd been drugged.
Even the strongest sedatives on the market shouldn't last this long!
Could it be that what Chloe had slipped her wasn't just a simple sedative, but something mixed with other debilitating drugs?
At that realization, Charlotte's expression darkened.
That woman really was pulling out all the stops to destroy her!
While she was lost in thought, the men started moving again.
"Quick, check over there!"
An angry voice rang out, accompanied by the beam of a flashlight sweeping closer.
Left with no choice, she took a deep breath and quickly ducked to the side.
The two men seemed to sense something and headed in Charlotte's direction, their cursing growing louder.
"Damn it, this place is like a maze. How the hell are we supposed to find anyone?"
"Stop complaining and just find her, or we're all screwed!"
They grumbled while sweeping their flashlights back and forth.
The harsh beam aimed straight at her hiding spot. Charlotte's heart lurched. She held her breath and pressed herself deeper into the shadows.
The distance between them was razor-thin now.
For a split second, Charlotte could even smell the acrid stench of cigarettes on them!
"Damn it!"
She cursed silently.
The moment these two got any closer, she'd knock them out cold.
Fortunately, the two men lacked the patience for a thorough search. After a cursory sweep, they cursed and headed in another direction.
Hearing their footsteps fade, Charlotte let out a breath.
Crisis averted... for now?
Leaning back against the wooden crate, she gasped for air, trying to calm the dizziness and weakness.
She wasn't sure how much time passed, but once the debilitating weakness faded, she opened her eyes again and searched for a new way out.
Whether by luck or sheer determination not to die here, she spotted something in the darkness—a door on the side wall of the warehouse!
Noticing this, Charlotte squinted and studied it more carefully.
The door was half-open, leaving just enough space for one person to slip through.
She had no other options now.
Moving forward might give her a chance to survive, but staying here meant certain death.
No... probably worse than death!
With that thought, Charlotte's gaze grew resolute.
She quickened her pace and slipped through the iron door.
Beyond the warehouse lay another, smaller storage area—cold and eerie.
Charlotte dragged her heavy steps forward, scanning her surroundings as she went.
A pungent smell hit her, making her wrinkle her nose.
Why was it so quiet here?
Frowning, Charlotte quickly surveyed the area, looking for an escape route.
Just then, faint sobbing reached her ears.
Someone was here?
Instantly, Charlotte's nerves went on high alert.
She lightened her footsteps and crept silently toward the sound.
In the corner of the warehouse sat several large iron cages.
Inside them were children.
The oldest looked maybe thirteen or fourteen. They huddled together on scattered straw.
The sobbing Charlotte had heard came from a little girl who couldn't have been more than five.
Taking in the scene before her, Charlotte exhaled slowly.
At first, she'd wondered why Chloe would go through the trouble of having her brought all the way out here instead of just dealing with her directly.
Now it made sense. This place was probably a human trafficking waystation.
And these people had brought her here to sell her off!
"Those bastards!"
Realizing this, a surge of fury rose from deep within, momentarily overpowering her physical weakness.
Almost instantly, she thought of the missing Victoria.
Looking at these children who should have been safe in their parents' arms, her heart turned ice-cold.
These damned traffickers!
She took a deep breath, about to move forward to see if she could unlock the cages and free the children, when suddenly her decorative earring vibrated faintly.
She raised an eyebrow and lightly touched the earring.
Soon, Jason's urgent voice came through: "Boss, are you okay? I haven't heard from you in a while—I was about to come find you!"
Hearing his question, Charlotte glanced warily around.
Only after confirming nothing was amiss did she tap the earring lightly with her finger, signaling she was fine.
Hearing the response, Jason paused before asking, "Why is your location showing the abandoned dock on the east side? What happened?"
Before leaving for Chloe's wedding, she'd told Jason to monitor her location at all times. Turned out her hunch had been right.
Charlotte lowered her voice and gave him a brief rundown.
"Change of plans. I got kidnapped, just escaped."
"But this place... something's not right..."
"Kidnapped?!"
Jason's voice shot up, but he immediately lowered it again, controlling his emotions. "Are you hurt? Do you know who they are? I'll bring people to get you right now."
Hearing Jason's rapid-fire questions, Charlotte quickly stopped him. "Don't do anything rash. I'm safe for now."
"This is one of Richard's subordinates' bases. Not only are they working for Chloe right now, but they might also be... trafficking children."
"So you can't charge in here. We need to think this through carefully!"
Silence fell on the other end. Clearly, Jason was shocked by the child trafficking revelation.