With everything I had, I pried Lottie's hand off my mouth.
「Mr. Finch, help me! This woman is a human trafficker. She's trying to sell me to Elijah Gray!」
「Mr. Finch, don't listen to her nonsense. She's my daughter-in-law, and the day after she married my son, she jinxed him to death! I only felt sorry for her, all alone with no one to lean on, so I found her another man to depend on.」
I dug the marriage certificate out of my padded coat.: 「This certificate is a fake! Craig tricked me!」
Conrad took the certificate from my hand and studied it carefully. Then his face darkened with fury.
「Forging a marriage certificate is a crime. Does your son want to end up in front of a firing squad?」
Lottie flinched.: 「Oh, Mr. Finch, my son's already dead. And whether this certificate is fake has nothing to do with us. We were cheated too.」
「I'm just an old woman, I don't understand any of that. All I know is that Celeste Mason took her vows with my son, so living or dead she belongs to the Matthews family. Either way, she does what I say!」
「We never had a wedding, and we never took any vows! Mr. Finch, if I go back with them, I won't survive!」
Conrad's expression turned stern.: 「Let her go, now! If you don't, I'll dock your work points!」
At the mention of losing work points, they finally got scared.
They let go of me, grudgingly, and I quickly grabbed onto Conrad.
「Mr. Finch, I'm Celeste Mason, one of the workers relocated here. I heard my name was on the list to return to the city this time. Does that mean I can go back?」
「I can't say for sure whether your name was on it, but the truck for the city already left with the workers this morning.」
The words hit me like a thunderclap. My voice was shaking when I spoke.
「Gone? Then how am I supposed to get back!」
「Mr. Finch, I'm certain my name was on that list. Susan Finch stole my spot!」
「My introduction letter and my crescent pendant were both taken from me!」
Conrad's face went grave.: 「I'll need to verify this. Come back to the team headquarters with me first.」
I followed Conrad back to the production team, and after a round of investigation, it was confirmed that the return permit really was mine.
「Celeste Mason, a model worker, is indeed on the list to return to the city this time.」
「But proving it will be very difficult. My advice, young comrade, is to work hard and try for the next return permit.」
I swayed on my feet.: 「Next time. And when will next time be?」
Was I really going to be trapped in this village forever?
Then, all at once, I saw the words again in front of me.
「Doesn't a delivery truck from the city come to this village every month? One's due in a few days. Celeste can sneak onto the delivery truck back to the city. Even if the production team finds out, the one who gets written up will be Susan.」
Everything cleared in an instant. That was exactly what I'd do!
A few days later, sure enough, the delivery truck from the city arrived.
While the driver wasn't paying attention, I slipped quietly into the cargo bed.
The truck jolted along the whole way, and after I don't know how long, it finally came to a stop.
「Wonderful, Celeste is back in the city! Hurry and find your birth parents. You're the real heiress of that wealthy family!」
「Your birth parents are throwing a big banquet at the Peace Hotel right now, celebrating the return of their real daughter. Celeste, get over there fast!」
I took out what little money I had and found a man nearby with an old road bike to give me a ride there.
When we arrived, I didn't even have time to thank him. I ran straight inside.
Only to be stopped cold by the doorman.
「Mr. Mason is holding a family-reunion banquet here. The hotel's been booked out. No unauthorized people allowed inside!」
「I'm their real daughter, Celeste Mason. Let me in!」
