Chapter 193: Little Dolphin, Please Keep Enrico Company for Me
“Understood,” the butler nodded. “And what about the conglomerates?”
At the mention of this, Rafael felt a headache coming on. He paused, raising a hand to rub his temples. “Let’s stick to the plan. Tell them Paige didn’t know anything. She only mentioned it because she overheard someone from the slums, and during the speech, she was scared and desperate, trying to say whatever she could to save her life.”Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.
“But what if the conglomerates and the old families still don’t believe it and continue to press the issue?” the butler asked worriedly.
“I believe in Paige. She said there won’t be any unrest within the next two years in Country A, and if she says so, there won’t be. With that in mind, what else is there for them to make a fuss about? The girl is about to die,” Rafael replied.
He couldn’t explain why, but he just trusted Paige. He sighed again. “Let’s leave it at that. By the time Enrico returns, I might not even be in this position for another two years.”
By then, everyone would suffer. So let them do what they want.
The butler remained silent, sensing how much trouble this Paige had caused the president.
Before the verdict was finalized, Paige endured another five hours of agonizing torture, fainting twice.
When the effects of the drugs finally wore off and the chains were removed, she collapsed weakly to the ground, her bony hands pressing against the bloodstained floor.
She hung her head, breathing heavily, each breath feeling like an exhausting effort.
“Woof, woof…” The little dolphin lay beside her, looking at her with a sorrowful expression.
Two men in uniform lifted Paige, dragging her to a long table and forcing her into a chair.
One of them looked at her with admiration. “You’re the most courageous and resilient woman I’ve ever seen… No, even men aren’t this tough.”
The other added, “Alright, they won’t force you to take any more drugs. Sign the document, and you’ll be freed.”
Paige glanced down, her vision blurred, but she could just make out that it was a sentencing document. The words were so small that reading them was a struggle in her current state.
After studying it for a while, she asked, “When will the execution take place?”
“Tomorrow morning. Due to the severity of this case, the authorities have decided on a public execution,” one of them said with a heavy tone.
After everything they had witnessed over the past three days, they had developed a reluctant respect for Paige. She shouldn’t have to die. She was a victim of the Clarkes, and now, because of the involvement of the conglomerates, she was being sacrificed.
“Tomorrow morning. Public execution. Not even a dignified death,” Paige mused, a mocking smile tugging at her lips. “I won’t sign it. Signing would mean admitting guilt, and since I’m going to die anyway, what difference does it make?”
The two men understood and didn’t press the issue. They put the document away and asked, “Do you have any last wishes? If it’s within our power, we’ll do our best to fulfill them.”
“What about the members of Peak Club?” Paige inquired.
At this, their expressions turned sour. “You’re still thinking about those nine? After being held for a few dozen hours, they were so scared that they confessed to everything the moment they were released. Now, every absurd charge is pinned on you… It’s almost worse than Gangnam Hall.”
Paige’s expression remained calm, her face pale as she lowered her gaze. She showed no reaction, even as they voiced their frustration on her behalf.
“They’re all worthless scum. I heard you founded Peak Club and even protected them, but look what happened-they turned on you. If it weren’t for them, the sentencing wouldn’t have happened so quickly.”
But Paige found some relief in the rapid sentencing-it meant less torture.
Seeing her pallid face and indifferent demeanor, the men dropped the subject. “Would you like to eat something? The food at Gangnam Hall is decent.”
“Give me the whole jar of candy that Jaden brought,” Paige said softly.
“Why do you rely on candy to survive? Eating too much of it can give you cavities…” one of them began but stopped mid-sentence.
He was talking nonsense. She was a woman with one foot in the grave-why would she care about cavities?
Eventually, the jar of candy was handed to Paige. Rafael had given up on extracting any information from her, so from now until her execution, she could live as comfortably as possible.
Paige sat in a white-walled corner on the cold floor, but the cold didn’t bother her.
She took out a mint candy from the jar, trying to open the wrapper with trembling hands, but it kept slipping. The candy fell to the ground twice before she finally tore it open with her teeth and placed it in her mouth.
She bit down hard, expecting it to shatter, but instead, she only tasted blood.
If Enrico were here, he’d probably tease her, saying, “You’re so weak, you can’t even bite through a piece of candy.”
Paige could almost picture his expression as he said it, and the thought made her laugh-an uneven, broken laugh that made her eyes even redder.
The little dolphin curled up in her lap, gazing up at her with innocent eyes, not understanding why eating candy would make her laugh so much.
Paige looked down, gently stroking its head. “I never expected that you’d be the one to accompany me on my final journey.”
The little dolphin blinked its big eyes at her.
“Little Dolphin, I’m leaving soon. I’m going to a far, far away place,” Paige murmured, then paused. “No, if that place is full of unfairness, I don’t want to go there. I don’t want to go to the heavens or the underworld-I just want to be somewhere where I feel nothing forever.”
The little dolphin snuggled into her lap, and Paige smiled down at it, the candy still in her mouth. “Don’t come to my execution tomorrow. It’s going to be messy. After I’m gone, stay with Olivia. She’s kind and will take good care of you.”
The little dolphin looked up at her with sad, dark eyes, and Paige suddenly thought of Enrico. Her eyes stung with tears.
Where did she last see him?
After a long moment, she remembered-it was on his private jet. It had only been a few days, but it felt like years ago.
She had spent hours with him that day, and she had thought it was unbearable at the time, but now she realized it was the last time they’d ever be together.
She thought back on all the moments she had shared with Enrico, and as she unwrapped another piece of candy, she savored the intense sweetness.
Paige gently grasped the little dolphin’s paws, holding them up as she looked into its eyes.
The little creature seemed to be trying to cheer her up, playfully sticking out its tongue at her.
Paige smiled at it and whispered, “Little Dolphin, will you keep Enrico company for me?”
The little dolphin responded by patting her gently with its paw.