Chapter 60

I ran after her through those alleyways and street food stalls. She moved with such agility that she was starting to gain distance while I tried not to bump into anyone. I called out to her forcefully, but it seemed like she was fleeing from a force that wanted to kill her.

"Damn it…" I quickened my pace, grateful for my good physical condition, but suddenly a woman crossed in front of me, causing me to knock her over. Belle stopped when she saw how the entire fruit stand had scattered all over the ground.

"Look at what you’ve done! Who’s going to pay for this mess?" Joffre arrived, breathing heavily, and handed the woman my card.

"Please, call us here, and we’ll compensate you for the inconvenience." I looked up at Belle, who, scared, started to run again.

"Where the hell are you going? Have you forgotten you have a contract with me?" I said, getting up with difficulty to follow her. She turned towards me with a scowl and angrily snapped.

"You can shove your contract up your ass!" She pointed to her backside and flipped me off. I stared at her in disbelief, speechless. Furious, I ran after her. What kind of ill-mannered woman had I come looking for? Why was I wasting my time with this insolent person?

Suddenly, I saw her slip through a narrow green metal door, disappearing inside. Not entirely sure if I should follow, I opened the door and peeked inside with distaste. It was a small neighborhood with two immense, dilapidated buildings, the air thick and the sky completely obscured by a tangle of power lines stretched between the two buildings. People hung their clothes on the railings of what, for them, were their homes, but to me, it was a dump. Did Belle live here…? This was impossible. This place wasn’t even habitable. I ran my hand across my forehead, overwhelmed. I had never imagined that this woman’s life could be so harsh. I clenched my fists, and Joffre approached me.

"Sir, we shouldn’t be here; it’s too dangerous."

"I know, but at least now we know where she is." Joffre placed a hand on my shoulder and said.

"Don’t blame yourself, sir… you didn’t know."

"I treated her like an outcast, and she’s had a truly difficult life." I sighed and added, "Put surveillance at the entrance to this place. She’ll have to come out at some point."

"As you command, sir." I left the area and headed for the car.

♡

"Hey… they say there’s a tinted car waiting for you at the entrance. It’s been there all night." Annoyed, I stuffed my mouth with bread and then drank some milk.

"And so what?" I said with my mouth full of bread and milk.

"Well, it’s clear they’re looking for you."

"Why don’t you go out there and set things straight with them?"

"Just ignore them; they’ll leave soon enough." I picked up my glass and grabbed the recycling bag to start my day. "Have a good day, Sasha."

I put on my hood and slipped out the back, avoiding the front entrance where Mr. Montenegro was probably waiting. I weaved through food stalls, cheerfully greeting the vendors who often gave me a skewer of street sweets. I reached a broken fence that bordered the back of the Torres neighborhood. Years of neglect had left the fence in disrepair, so I slipped through it to start my recycling route. But when I looked up, I was met by some men in suits and a luxury SUV.

"We’ve got her, sir, she’s coming out the back."

"What? Who are you?"

"This is Miss Belle."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, so if you’ll excuse me—"

"Stop running and talk to me," he commanded, as elegant as ever, but this time he looked more disheveled and had a tired expression.

"I don’t know who you are, leave me alone." I tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm firmly, positioning me in front of him.

"You have a contract with me, have you forgotten…?" He looked me up and down, and my throat tightened, remembering the words of that woman.

"You don’t need me. You can buy anyone you want; you don’t need to humiliate me any further…" I continued walking, and he let go.

"So you’re giving up, over some stupid, meaningless words… Is this the woman you wanted to become… a garbage collector, a conformist with no promise of a better future? Where is your pride? Where is that confidence you had when you told me you wanted to change…?"

"You rich people take everything from others, thinking you’re superior to everyone! Your family took everything from me… made me doubt myself, who I am, and how I was raised. The only thing I believed in, my dignity, that woman crushed it without hesitation! You’ve had the right to be proud, to have confidence, to have dignity… I wasn’t born with that right, and if you took the only thing that makes me who I am, it’s because I don’t deserve to be someone. Forget about this ghost…" I picked up my recycling bag and walked away without looking back.