Jenny kicked Andrew. “Go save Olivia! That guy’s old and disgusting. I’m not letting himy a finger
on her.”
“How are you so sure she’s in danger?” Andrew blinked and gave a slow, easy smile. “She doesn’t need me to save her.”
His voice carried nothing but confidence in Olivia.
“You idiot!” Jenny rolled her eyes hard enough to hurt, waving her small hand in exasperation. “Don’t you want to be her savior?
“Even if Olivia can save herself, think about it–if she sees you show up anyway, she’s gonna like you more, right? You’ve gotta find a way to win her over.”
Jenny was almost tearing her hair out. She thought, ‘If you don’t try, how will Olivia even remember you?‘
“Come on, we’re going to Magnolia Town,” she said.
*****
“We’re here–this is my hospital.” Steven pointed at a in–looking building.
Olivia lifted her gaze. Before her stood a five–story, weathered building, surrounded by mud–brick walls and half–hidden by a few trees.
“Looks pretty ordinary,” she said carelessly, as if nothing about it concerned her.
Steven chuckled. “Wanna take a look inside?”
“Sure, Olivia replied.
Gina beamed. “This woman was way <i>too </i>easy to fool,‘ she thought.
From the outside, the hospital looked unremarkable. Inside, it was a different story.
The hallways reeked of disinfectant. The relentless beeping of machines pierced the air. Cries of pain and sobbing echoed from every direction.
To Olivia’s surprise, a janitor was in the ultrasound room performing a scan on a young girl. The girl’s face was etched with despair.
As they passed an operating room, Olivia caught sight of an appallingly crude setuppletely unprofessional.
Inside, a girl was being pinned to the bed, eyes wide with terror.
11:51 pm
The thin door did nothing to muffle the sound.
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“I don’t want to donate eggs anymore. It’s been over a dozen times–one more and I’ll die,” the girl cried. “Let me go. I want to go home.”
The doctor holding a scalpel gave a coldugh. “You’d better behave. This isn’t your decision to make.”
“Barely a dozen times. What’s there to be scared of? You won’t die.” With, that, he pulled out a twelve–inch retrieval tube, didn’t bother to sterilize it, and moved to insert it into her body.
“No!” the girl screamed.
Olivia’s brow furrowed. She eased the door open just a crack, flicked her wrist, and sent a needle sailing through the gap–itnded squarely in the doctor’s hand.
He howled in pain, dropping the instrument. Clutching his hand, he stared at it in shock. “My hand What’s wrong with my
hand?<b>” </b>
The people holding the girl immediately crowded around him in confusion.
Seizing the chance, the girl on the bed scrambled to her feet and ran to the door–straight into Olivia’s arms.
Her face was chalk–white, lips trembling, hands clutching Olivia’s clothes.
“Help me–no, wait, run. You have to run!” she stammered.
Some awful memory seemed to sh in her mind. She shoved Olivia away and staggered down the
hall.
She barely made it a few steps before copsing to the ground, her breathing ragged and shallow, slipping quickly into unconsciousness.
Steven’s face darkened. “Take her downstairs.”
A few nurses rushed forward, dragging the girl away.
Olivia furrowed her brow slightly, pushing down the anger rising inside her. She put on a nk, confused expression.
Steven gave her a small smile, “Didn’t scare you, did it? She’s a little unstable. Let’s keep moving.”
[This ce is pure hell. Where are the cops?]
[That girl’s so pitiful–danger all around her and she’s still telling the streamer to run.]
[Oh my God, the whole hallway is filled with girls‘ cries. They must be so helpless.]
11:51 pm
[What kind of nightmare is this? Doesn’t anyone care?]
EX 55 vouchers
Viewers in the livestream spammed mentions of the local police, some even called the cops. But it was like the Magnolia Town police had vanished–there was no sign of any response.
Outside an office door, a couple had been waiting a long time.
Steven immediately approached them with a ttering smile. “You two have been waiting a while, haven’t you? Right this way.”
Gina joined in the greeting, bringing over some red wine.
Once inside, Olivia picked a spot where she could fit everyone in the shot and casually sat down in a chair by the bed.
“I want a boy this time,” said a woman dressed in expensive clothes, sipping her wine. “How much is it this time?”
“Mrs. White, you’re one of our best clients–you know the rules,” Gina said with a ttering smile as she handed over a contract. “Without choosing gender, it’s 250 thousand dors. If you pick the gender, it’s 300 thousand dors.
“And if you want to select looks, health, or other traits, the all–in price is 400 thousand dors.”
“That’s fine,” the woman said, ying with her manicure, eyes fixed on Gina. “But this time, it can’t be likest time. Thest child died after just a few months. Such a waste.”
“Don’t worry, we’re the biggest agency in the country. You’ll be satisfied,” Gina said, puffing out her chest with confidence. “Last time was an ident–won’t happen again.
“This time, we’ll use the best seed. We just got a top student from a prestigious college, 22 years old, healthy.”
The woman nced at Olivia, sizing her up from head to toe. “Is it her?”
“No, she’s… my daughter,” Cina said with a hesitant shake of her head.
<b>“</b>But I like her look, the woman said, interest growing.
Steven and Gina exchanged a nce, both understanding what she meant.
Gina leaned in close, lowering her voice. “Mrs. White, she’s already been booked by Devin. There’s nothing we can do.”
“How much did he pay? I’ll pay double, the woman said, eyes still on Olivia, appraising her carefully. “A surrogate of that quality will definitely have beautiful kids.”
“Mrs. White, let’s go check out thend. We have plenty of seeds anyway…” Gina waved, and a nurse
came in to lead the woman out.
<b>11:51 </b>pm
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Once the office was left with just the three of them, Olivia picked up a cup from the coffee table, twirling it between her fingers. A faint, cold smile curled on her lips, as if everything was under her control.
“So this is your job?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Steven answeredzily, clearly not taking her seriously.”
Olivia pressed on, “You tricked me here–what do you want?”
“You’re smart,” Steven grinned brightly, admiring her nerve. He didn’t beat around the bush. “Since you’ve seen it all, I’ll be honest.
“We’re the biggest surrogate agency in the country. Women who donate eggs are called seeds. Surrogates are callednd.
“Women get paid $7,000 to $30,000 per egg donation. Surrogates make $30,000 to $70,000 per pregnancy. The exact price depends on your looks, age, education, and so on.”
He sized Olivia up head to toe, nodding with approval. “A woman of your quality would make $70,000 as a surrogate.”
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