Manhattan Reborn 1978

new York.

night~

Manhattan, upstairs at Wildfire Bar on 42nd Street.

David sat in the dining room of his home, enjoying the dinner carefully prepared by the maid Chasidah, and listening to Susan asking Polly about special things that pregnant women need to pay attention to during pregnancy.

Butler Ackleyd stood behind David, observing his meal at all times and silently calculating the time it would take for him to sober up.

After a while~

He looked down at the time, picked up the decanter and walked to David, smiling, "Sir, the red wine is at its best."

"Ok, give me some."

"David! Aren't you going to meet your tutor to discuss something later?" Polly frowned and stopped them after hearing the conversation between David and Ackley.

"I only drank a little, I should be fine..."

"no!"

Polly glanced at the butler Ackleyd and said to David patiently.

"You just said that you have a very important matter to discuss with Professor Bartlet and others tonight."

"To talk about important things, you must stay sober."

“And it’s also a sign of respect for others!”

"Um... okay." David put down the wine glass in his hand, turned to Ackleid and shrugged with a smile.

"You won't let him go to waste, will you?"

"Of course!" Ackley put the bottle back into the ice bucket with a smile and pushed it into the kitchen.

Susan put a piece of apple in her mouth and looked back and forth between David and Polly, her eyes smiling into a line.

Polly saw David obediently give up drinking and showed a very satisfied smile on her face: "My father, mother and sister and I have already discussed it. We are going to arrange things here and move to Houston before Easter at the end of the month."

"Oh?"

"A few days ago, Sena's mother told me that she would not leave until after Easter."

"Why did you change it again?"

"It's not because of you!"

"..I?"

"Yes!"

Polly glanced at Susan beside her, put down the cutlery and explained, "According to what we had agreed upon, I was going to Houston to pick up the children before Easter, and after the whole family spent the holiday in New York, we would prepare to move to Houston."

"But my sister Manqi seemed to have become a different person after she came back from following you out this time..."

"She talked to her parents several times and finally convinced them to change their plans and pack their bags early to go to Houston for the holiday."

"Is it Manqi?" David scratched his head, somewhat confused about what she was thinking.

Polly quietly observed his reaction, and the heavy stone in her heart was slightly relieved. She picked up the cutlery again and spoke.

"Actually, I miss my kids these days~"

"It's a good thing to see them earlier."

"Oh, that's right!"

"I have already discussed with Susan that she, her mother Sarah, and her brother Johnny will also go to Houston with us."

"The medical conditions there are very good and can help Sarah get rid of the pain of the disease sooner."

"Ah... okay!" David looked at Susan who was nodding with a smile, licked his lips, thought for a while, and asked.

"What about me? What do you need me to do?"

"No need~ Just do your thing."

"But you must rush over before the festival to reunite with us!"

"OK!" When David heard that Polly had carefully arranged everything, he smiled readily, held Susan's hand, his eyes full of tenderness.

Polly glanced at the two of them, lowered her head calmly, and launched a final attack on the food in front of her.

----

The Ossining area is located in the northern part of New York City, about 50 kilometers away from downtown Manhattan.

363 Riverside Drive, Croton-on-Hudson.

Under the flashing neon lights in front of the door, there were several women with heavy makeup and revealing clothes, waving to passers-by and vehicles, soliciting business.

Officer Far Bochvino from the Auxiliary Police Office drove his car slowly past the gate of No. 363.

He held the steering wheel with one hand and pointed to the apartment building on the street with the other hand, and whispered to Pamela Landy, a female CIA agent sitting in the passenger seat.

"The vampire Jack that my informant mentioned lives in that apartment building..."

"He is the biggest human trafficker in this area. Many women who have been smuggled or trafficked from abroad are traded through him."

Pamela Landy carefully observed the five-story apartment building on the street and found that only the windows on the first and second floors had lights on, while the rest of the windows were dark.

She tightened the belt of the bulletproof vest she was wearing inside her coat and pointed to a place ahead where there were no street lights: "We'll stop there. You go look around first. I'll be in the car to support you at any time!"

"Ok!"

Far Bochvino parked the car in an empty corner, carefully checked the weapons and bulletproof vest he was carrying, got out of the car and walked into the dark alley between the two buildings.

Pamela slowly rolled open the window on the passenger door, carefully observing the movements around her, and spoke in a very soft voice to the octopus Wasim sitting behind her.

"No matter what happens later, you must not be impulsive!"

"Um.."

"You are already very clear about the current situation.. Why are you still following me?"

Octopus Wasim, whose heart was filled with hatred, pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

"That girl named Chasida, she's still alive!"

"But my daughter Betty...is dead!"

"..." Pamela had never experienced the accidental death of a relative, and felt that she could not feel the pain and hatred that penetrated deep into her bones.

But he knew very well in his heart that if a person's heart was filled with hatred, he might do anything.

Octopus Wasim sat quietly in the back seat, tilted his head and looked at the apartment building not far outside the car, and suddenly spoke.

"Fal's boss, Commissioner Austin...you...and that man named Alto...are you all working for Chasida's boss?"

"Work?"

"No~ You misunderstood."

"He is just a wealthy, kind-hearted man who hopes that Chashida can quickly get rid of that nightmarish memory and start a new life."

"She is lucky." Wasim seemed to be talking to himself.

"Yeah." Pamela glanced at Wasim through the rearview mirror and couldn't help sighing.

“Not everyone is as lucky as she is.”

"Your luck now is much better than hers!"

"At least you have the money, time, and ability to track down your daughter's murderer."

"Where's Chasida?"

"She was able to survive in such an extreme environment. She must have a strong belief in her heart that kept her alive."

"The only beliefs that can support a person's choice to continue living in pain are hatred, love, and unfulfilled responsibilities."

"She is one of the very few girls who survived the captivity. Will the pain and hatred in her heart slowly dissipate over time?"