The hour for release passed in the blink of an eye.


    Prisoners formed a line to head back to their cells, closely monitored by the guards.


    ine felt a tremor of anxiety as she returned to her cell alongside her fellow inmates. Once inside, her heart sank even further.


    She was uncertain about Charlie’s situation, unsure how long it would take to get the money for cigarettes to Jessica’s sister, and worried that Chloe would continue her harassment.


    Upon entering the cell, ine quietly approached her bed, only to find it still damp. The difort made it impossible for her to even sit down, let alone sleep.<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Just then, Chloe approached the bed across from ine, a smile stered on her face. Taking a seat, she looked up at the submissive ine and said cheerfully, “1024, the guard mentioned that your family has sent the money for cigarettes.”


    Relief washed over ine as she let out a long sigh. Eagerly, she replied, “Since the money hase through, could you please stop bullying me in the future?”


    Chloe’s expression turned serious. “1024, that’s not quite right. I’m not bullying you; I’m simply teaching you the essential rules for surviving in this cell.”


    ine quickly nodded in agreement, saying, “Yes, yes…”


    Chloe’s smile returned as she continued, “1024, I realize I’ve been a bit careless in the past. I just spoke with Jessica, and I n to recruit people from other cells one by one. Soon, I aim to be the big sister of the entire Bedford Hills Correctional Institution.”


    Mn felt perplexed. She didn’t quite understand what Chloe meant by being careless and how that rted to her ambition of bing the dominant figure in the prison. The two statements seemed disconnected.


    Chloe borated, “To recruit others, you need to offer certain incentives. Here, cigarettes are the most valuable currency. If I want to be the big sister of Bedford Hills, I’ll need a lot of cigarettes. Two cigarettes a day just won’t cut it.”


    At that moment, ine finally grasped Chloe’s earlierment about being sloppy.<fn826e> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n find?novel</fn826e>


    It turned out that the price had been a bit too lenient.


    Anger surged within her as she realized the depths of Chloe’s shamelessness.


    Even Mrs. Wilson never reached such a level of audacity, continuously shifting her demands without shame.


    One cigarette a day, then two, and now it was expected to be four. Following this pattern, it would amount to a staggering four thousand dors a day!


    Though ine was unsure of the economic conditions in the United States, her mind raced with thoughts: “This shameless red-haired foreigner has a face as pale as a wall but a heart as dark as a ghost! Four thousand dors a day, over a hundred thousand a month. Out there, you could hire someone to take her out for that much!”


    Noticing ine’s hesitation, Chloe’s expression darkened. She abruptly dropped her cheerful demeanor, raised her hand, and pped ine’s face hard, shouting, “I asked you a question! Why aren’t you answering?! Are you trying to court death?”


    ine felt a wave of unbearable pain from the p, and tears of frustration streamed down her cheeks. Through her sobs, she managed to plead, “Please don’t hit me… I’ll call my son-inw tomorrow and ask him to buy four cigarettes starting then…”


    Chloe scoffed, looking down at ine with disdain. “You’re quite the piece of work, aren’t you? Why couldn’t you just agree sooner? You needed a p toe around. I’m feeling generous today, so I won’t hold this against you. But if you dare to hesitate in front of me again, even if you eventually agree, I’ll make sure you regret it. Do you understand?”


    ine trembled in fear at Chloe’s words.


    The implication of four cigarettes a day was just the beginning, and she dreaded to think what further demands Chloe might have in store.


    But ine knew she couldn’t ponder over this any longer. Terrified of provoking Chloe’s wrath again, she quickly nodded, repeating, “I understand, I understand…”


    Chloe appeared satisfied with her response.<h3 ss="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="chapter-list"><strong></strong>