Let Me Go, Mr.Lancaster!

Hope could not sleep that night because she kept thinking about Stan, and after a while, her mind drifted towards her father, Richard. She felt uncomfortable, especially since she was sleeping in Stan’s bed.

However, her discomfort lulled her to sleep later on. She had no other choice but to rest since she still had classes to attend.

Hope found herself fumbling for her phone the next day to message Stan. She figured it was right to inform him since she was staying at his house.

She settled for a message saying, ‘I’m already at school.’

Hope planned on turning her phone off after that message to evade his call and message. However, she had no idea that Stan was already awake, and just as she sent her text, Stan’s name popped out of her screen, calling her.

It took Hope a moment to answer the call with a low voice, “Yes?”

“You’re already at school?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed.

“Okay. For the time being, you don’t have to worry about Tom.” The sudden mention of Tom’s name stunned Hope. She didn’t expect Stan to ease her worries about Tom.

“Just concentrate on your studies,” Stan stated huskily.

A period of silence fell over Hope. She knew Stan remembered the events of that night, but she didn’t know that he was still looming over it.

“Okay…” Hope said, and since she was afraid of what Stan might say further, she immediately added, “I’m going to be late for class. I have to go.”

“Alright. Take your classes seriously.” And the sound of Stan’s deep voice was the last thing Hope heard before heading to her classes.

***

“Who were you just talking to?” Ashton Maxwell gazed at Stan as he sipped his usual chamomile tea.

The two were spending their morning in a teashop after spending a night at a KTV bar. After Stan left Hope last night, he went to the basement of the building to spend his night alone. Fortunately, Ashton called and claimed he was at the nearby KTV, urging him to come.

Ashton and Stan had spent their childhood together, their hobbies intertwined, so when Ashton called him, Stan did not hesitate to come.

That night, they talked about Oakwood’s economic status and the latest projects that Ashton invested in, such as railroads and bridges. It was a long night, but Stan couldn’t sleep, and Ashton wanted breakfast, so they decided to grab a quick cup of tea.

Stan turned to Ashton after hanging up the phone. “That was my brother’s daughter,” he formally answered.

“Ella?” Ashton asked with his brow raised.

Stan frowned but slowly uttered, “It was Hope.”

Ashton’s brows raised even more as if he recalled who Hope was. “That’s the girl who was nearly shot by Tom, right?”

“Yes, that’s her.”

Stan was not surprised that Ashton forgot about Hope immediately. Ashton didn’t know Hope was part of the Lancaster family until that night. However, Stan knew that Ashton was aware of Richard’s cheating incidents. Because Richard wanted to divorce Elizabeth at that time, many of their acquaintances were trying to stick their noses into the Lancaster’s business.

In a social circle like theirs, illegitimate daughters like Hope always have a hard time, even if they are recognized as part of the family. Stan knew that the case would be different if Hope were a boy. There was always discrimination between sons and daughters in their society.

“Are you coming back this time to arrange your marriage with Hailey?” Stan asked Ashton to change the uncomfortable subject.

***

Hope was known as the illegitimate daughter of the Lancasters, and that reason was enough for students to hate her shamelessly. She never wanted to be an illegitimate daughter, but the people around her acted like it was her fault.

“Hope…” a girl in their uniform sneered, “What a funny name for someone so hopeless and helpless.”

Hope was walking through the corridors of their school when she saw Sofia Taylor. Sofia was one of the campus bullies. She always vented her frustrations toward Hope, saying that illegitimate children like her deserved it.

Hope, wanting to avoid trouble, took a detour to the classroom. However, as she passed the laboratory, someone grabbed her by the collar and pulled her towards the back of the building.

“Oh, look, little Hope is getting brave. She didn’t run away this time,” a sickly sweet voice said, but Hope’s eyes went to Sofia’s face.

Hope closed her eyes when Sofia kicked her through the chest. She coiled her body to the ground. It took a long time before she could collect her breath.

“Aw, she’s cute. She doesn’t even utter a word when kicked. She doesn’t hide away anymore, either,” another voice commented. “Why aren’t you hiding, Hope? Why didn’t you run away?”

Hope didn’t move an inch. Instead, she locked eyes with Sofia, whose eyes were filled with rage when she saw that Hope did not even utter a single word.

Hope knew what Sofia was going through. She heard it from the whispers of the other students. Sofia’s father cheated on her mother and had a son with the mistress.

Knowing their society, Hope knew that the illegitimate son would be more favored than Sofia.

Still, Hope knew that what Sofia was doing was an injustice. Even if Hope were not doing anything wrong, Sofia would always find a way to hurt her, saying it was all for Ella. Sofia and Ella were good friends, but Hope knew that it was not the reason why Sofia kept on bullying her.

Still, Hope felt unlucky. She did badly on her entrance exams on purpose to avoid attending the same school as Ella and Robert, but she didn’t expect Sofia to be here.

“Talk, you little shit! Why aren’t you speaking? Why aren’t you hiding? Fuck!”

Hope curled even more on the ground, covering the places that could easily be kicked. Cold sweat gradually broke on her body, but she gritted her teeth and remained silent, urging herself to soldier through the situation.

Fingernails dug through her flesh, and at that moment, Hope prayed. She prayed for someone to interfere. She prayed for someone to save her.

She didn’t know how long it took. She only remembered that someone shouted from far away, saying someone was coming. After that, the rush of feet running away echoed in her ears, and Sofia’s words said Hope should die.

***

When Hope returned, she found Sofia talking to her friends casually, as if she didn’t just bully a person. Their gazes met, and Sofia immediately gave her a wicked grin.

Hope felt her body tremble at the interaction, but she chose to sit quietly on her chair. She tried to hide her pain, but a soft groan escaped her lips after a few moments, and Sydney turned to her.

Sydney didn’t question her until Sofia and the others had gone out after class. “Did they hit you again?”

Hope remained motionless in her position, and Sydney’s eyes started to warm with impending tears.

“Do you need some medicine or what?” Sydney murmured.

“No, don’t talk to me. They might see you,” Hope whispered in return as she tried to put some distance in between them.

At school, Sydney was afraid to be seen hanging around Hope. Of course, Hope didn’t take it negatively. She knew that Sydney was just trying to play it safe since their school was like a tiny social club wherein, once excluded, a person’s life would be ruined.

Hope didn’t want that kind of exiled life for Sydney.

“Only a month left….” Sydney’s voice choked. “Everything will be fine once you leave here, Hope. You must do well on the exam and leave this place.”

***

That night, Hope caught a fever due to the brutal beating she received from her bullies. Her body was aching all over when she went to school. She had a few hours of free time in between classes, and she wanted to spend it off to sleep.

However, Stan’s house was far, so Hope decided to rent a computer in the nearby Internet cafe and sleep in front of it. It was the perfect spot for her since the room was cold, and she could listen to music as she slept.

She didn’t notice that a man in a black car saw her and was a bit surprised. After consideration, the man dialed a number and it was picked up quickly.

"Hello?" a man's deep voice coming from the other side.

"Guess who I saw."

...

With nonchalance, Hope decided to enter the cafe and sleep her fever off.

Loud rings from her phone interrupted her rest. Still dizzy from her fever, Hope answered the call without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?” she spoke in a weak voice.

A deep voice coated her ears. “Where are you?”