Chapter 1326:

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Nancy quickly glanced toward the door and saw several people walking in. Their fierce expressions made all the children look fearful. Among the crowd of strangers, Nancy’s gaze locked onto a face she would never forget—Khloe. The same woman who had drugged her, the one who had dragged her into this nightmare.

“Regretting your choices now?” Khloe strolled forward with a smirk curling on her lips. She clicked her tongue, her voice thick with mockery. “Too late. Everyone brought here ends up sold—shipped off to some forgotten village or smuggled across borders. Nancy, you will never see your parents again. Maybe when they can’t find you, they’ll just give up and have another child.”

That last line hit like a slap. Nancy barely flinched at the mention of being trafficked, but the thought of her parents giving up and having another child ignited something white-hot in her chest.

Her fists clenched. “I will fight you!” she screamed, lunging at Khloe with wild force. “What are you all standing around for? Fight them! Roland, hurry and get over here! Help us take these guys down!”

Roland wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and gave his belly a satisfied pat. “Just ate my fill.”

The other kids followed Nancy, charging at the adults.

Khloe only laughed. With a lazy wave of her hand, her men stepped in—grim-faced and broad-shouldered, forming a wall of muscle and menace. It was like hitting a brick fortress.

Nancy’s momentum faltered. These men were not like the ones from before. Something about the way they stood—their silent confidence—set alarm bells off in her head. These were professionals.

“Move aside!” Roland shouted, charging straight into the line like a cannonball.

Nancy’s heart skipped. If he could punch through, she could dart through the opening. She was small, quick—slippery.

But that hope shattered in the next heartbeat. One of the men caught Roland mid-charge as though he weighed nothing. The boy kicked, twisted, and thrashed in the man’s iron grip.

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“Let go of me!” he yelled, his voice cracking with effort. The man did not even flinch.

Nancy’s breath caught. Her stomach turned cold. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

The remaining children were rounded up, and Khloe had freed the adults who had been bound. The captives’ last hopes of escape quietly withered under the tightening grip of their reality.

“Still scheming your grand escape?” Khloe folded her arms, her eyes narrowing playfully as she studied Nancy.

“No!” Nancy threw her hands up in surrender, her voice tinged with dramatic exasperation. “We are just a bunch of kids. We never stood a chance against you guys. So how about we sit down like civilized people and talk terms?”

“Terms?” Khloe arched a curious brow. “And what sort of terms do you think you are in a position to negotiate?”

“I stay. You let the others go,” Nancy said, her voice steady, eyes sharp with conviction. “They’re orphans. No one will pay ransom for them. But me? I am your golden ticket. My parents would pay more than you can imagine.”

“Are you out of your mind? We leave together, or we do not leave at all!” Jacob burst out, stepping forward, his tone laced with panic.

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