The Retribution – Episode 18

Chapter 17 – The Hudson’s True Nature Revealed

 

Eva woke up the next morning alone in bed. She looked around the house for a second before remembering where she was. She also realized that she was still naked. That was when she remembered all that happened the night before. How she had given her virginity to Eric.

She sat up in the bed, covering her chest with the sheets. A frown appeared on her face as she couldn’t see Eric anywhere around. Her eyes landed on the huge wall clock. It was just seven o’clock. So why was he up so early after a rough night?

No sounds were coming from the restroom, so it was obvious Eric had gone out. She finally slipped out of bed with the sheets covering her body and headed to the wardrobe to pick out some clothes. She realized his absence provided her with the best opportunity to freshen up and get dressed. Eric’s safe house was not like Jack’s where she was given the privacy of the bedroom to herself.

But just as she finished selecting the clothes to put on, Eric walked in. Her shoulders dropped and a sigh escaped her lips.

“Hey! You just got up?” he remarked as he walked in the opposite direction towards the table.

“Yes,” she replied and turned slowly. “Good morning, Master.”

He didn’t reply or look at her. So she picked the dress she selected and headed towards the bathroom with her towel.

He finally turned to talk to her. “Eva.”

She froze as he mentioned her name. She then turned her face sideways to look at him.

“About what happened last night,” he began. “You’re a recruit and nothing should have…”

“Master, are you trying to apologise or regret it?” She cut in. He squinted at her, not sure of what to reply. “I wanted it.”

She walked into the bathroom before he could say anything else.

–

Eva got out twenty minutes later, dried and fully dressed. The table was already set with two plates of food.

“I’ve got breakfast for us,” he announced as he placed a bottle of water and cup on the table.

She walked slowly to the table and took the empty seat. “When are we returning to the territory?”

He lifted his face to look at her. “The jet will be ready in two hours,” he answered dryly and continued to eat.

They remained in silence for the rest of the mealtime. Eric was the first to get up after eating and he walked straight to the sitting area. Eva joined him after she was done with the meal. She sat on the one-seater sofa opposite him. He kept his eyes fixed on the tablet device and didn’t act like he noticed her.

“He survived,” he finally voiced after a few minutes of awkward silence between them.

She narrowed her gaze at him, wondering what he was talking about.

“The boy survived,” he stated and then leaned forward to hand his device to her.

On the screen was a news page reporting the assassination of the Hudsons. After scanning through the news for a minute, she returned the device to Eric.

“I thought that was going to make you feel better,” Eric stated, noticing that she looked gloomy after reading.

“He survived but he’s going to always remember me as the woman who killed his mother.”

“What a pity!” Eric scoffed. “You’re gotta gear up, Eva. You’re going to be killing more kids orphans soon.”

Sadness covered her face as she realized he was saying the truth. She had just begun her killings for the Nanl Clan and would probably be used to ki*ll many more people. She needed to fight off the guilt feelings she had every time she did it.

Eric got up from his seat and walked to the table. He returned a few seconds later with the file Eva had stolen from the Hudsons’ study.

“Maybe reading this will make you feel less sorry for the victims,” he tossed it to her.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to open this,” her brows drew together. “Isn’t it meant to be delivered to the client?”

“The client didn’t ask for the document,” Eric stated. “I wanted to have it myself.”

Eva gazed at him in surprise. Does that mean Eric was not just working for clients but had something to do with the killings?

“I didn’t order for their death, Eva,” Eric said as if he could read her thoughts. “I’m keeping the document for something else. The Hudsons were never really against human trafficking, they only appear to the public as saints. The two of them were actually human traffickers. That’s how they raised money to build their empire. A lot of their trafficking deals are recorded in that file.”

Her eyes widened in shock. Was Eric lying just to make her feel better for killing Emily or were they really human traffickers? She opened the file to find out.

After scanning through for a few minutes, she realized that they were indeed criminals. The file contained shocking details of children that had been trafficked that year.

At that moment, she understood the reason Emily Hudson warned her sternly not to touch the documents and why she tried to fight her off.

“You gotta take pity of your eyes, Eva. Everyone’s got something hidden behind, no one around you is a saint,” he said as he rose to his feet. “We gotta prepare for our return to the territory now, Eva.”