Arriving in the South for a vacation with a carefree mindset, Eloise subtly sensed that this would be a peculiar journey.
Her mother's legendary friend, Mrs. Brown, was very friendly. As soon as she got off the plane, she saw a tall woman dressed in red and green, enthusiastically opening her arms to welcome her with a big hug.
Yet, within that enthusiasm, there was a hint of something odd. Afterward, Mrs. Brown started rubbing her delicate hand, her eyes spinning around her face, and she muttered, "Not bad, not bad, look at this little face, oh, so lively and fresh!"
It felt as though she was being evaluated like some item for sale, making the hair on the back of Eloise's neck stand on end.
The next month passed in enjoyment, with Mrs. Brown taking her to her seaside villa. She was given the best room with a panoramic view: a three-story beachfront room. When she opened the window, there was a tall, lush banana tree, and beyond it, the refreshing blue sea stretched as far as the eye could see.
Mrs. Brown also gathered a group of her friends to keep her company. Although they were a bit older, they were wealthy, pampered women who had long enjoyed life in the South. With youthful attitudes and a love for the internet, they didn't have much of a generational gap with her.
With her sweet, doll-like appearance, Eloise triggered their maternal instincts. They surrounded her every day, calling her "darling" and "sweetheart," as if she were their own daughter, almost wanting to keep her in their pockets.
These ladies knew how to enjoy life—eating, playing, and living with sophistication. In the mornings, they would bring fresh fruits from their garden to make seafood meal; in the afternoons, they would have swimming sessions and massages; and in the evenings, they enjoyed cocktails and stargazing.
They also loved to dress Eloise up, taking her shopping every day, draping her in all kinds of limited edition clothes and bags, as if they were finding amusement in some dress-up game with her. Since entering the book, Eloise had never experienced such star-studded attention.
Yet, amidst this comfort, there was also an unsettling undercurrent. For example, these madams especially loved to inquire about her love life. Whether they were buying bags, getting facials, or having tea, they would casually throw in a question: "Elly, do you have a boyfriend?"
Eloise would always freeze for a moment, then obediently answer, "No."
A strange sense of satisfaction would appear on their faces, and they would look at her with curious, gossiping eyes: "What kind of boy do you like?"
Eloise thought of Isidore and smirked, "Someone who respects others, not too domineering." They nodded thoughtfully, as if mentally comparing something. It left her bewildered, with little bubbles of doubt rising in her heart.
Among all the strange details, the strangest was Mrs. Brown. As the temperature rose and the sun grew fiercer, her strange behavior became more apparent, manifested in her overbearing control, as if Eloise were merely an object in her hands.
For example, one day when the sun was particularly strong, Eloise suddenly felt like going surfing. Mrs. Brown ran out in alarm, pulling her in every direction to stop her. After Eloise gave in and gave up, Mrs. Brown touched her fair skin with lingering worry, saying, "Such delicate skin, what if you get sunburned?"
There was another time when she drank two cups of a delicious coconut fruit tea at a seaside cabin. Unable to resist, she drank them both in quick succession, and as she was about to ask for a third, Mrs. Brown came over with a stern face, pulling her back and scolding her. "Such sweet drinks, what if you gain weight from drinking too much?"
She even tapped Eloise's flat stomach under her crop top as she spoke. All of this made Eloise feel a sense of offended discomfort, but when she thought of how well they had taken care of her, she chose to endure it.
However, every time she looked at Mrs. Brown's smiling face, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was some hidden agenda.
One morning, Eloise was awakened by noisy sounds from downstairs. She quietly crept to the corner of the stairs and saw Mrs. Brown, with a noble look on her face, sitting on the sofa playing with her nails. On either side of her sat two other madams, the ones who had previously come out to play with her, and they were arguing fiercely, their faces flushed.
The madam on the left said, "I knew you'd pull this trick behind my back! You even pretended to say that Elly and my son were a good match! And now you're secretly flattering Mrs. Brown, hoping she'll introduce Elly to your useless son! Just because he can give jewelry, does that make him impressive? With that much free time, you should go back and teach your son to recognize a few more words!"
The madam on the right sneered, pointing at the gift bags on the table. "Then may I ask what you came here for? My son may be a little naive, but at least he has good character. Unlike your son, who's an expert in drinking, gambling, and womanizing. How dare you fantasize about Elly marrying him? Are you trying to ruin a good girl and turn her into a disease-ridden mess?"
"Enough," Mrs. Brown's face darkened as she glared at them, first to the left, then to the right. "The more you talk, the more nonsense you're spouting. Take your things and leave! My little Elly is of high status, comes from a good family, young and clean, and she's beautiful. What about your son? What does he have to offer? Weigh it carefully before you come to me again!"
She spoke so seriously, with that expression, and the undertones in her words clearly showed her disdain for these gifts being too light.
Eloise thought she had been sold into a brothel, watching two vulgar businessmen bidding against the owner for the prized courtesan, her head filled with dark thoughts as she asked: "Are you talking about me?"
Mrs. Brown looked up and, seeing her, turned pale as though she had seen a ghost. Hastily waving her hands behind her to send the two men away, she approached with a face full of obsequious smiles. "Elly, why are you awake so early today? Quick, go back to sleep for a bit, and when the sun comes up, I'll take you shopping!"
Eloise glanced at her, deciding to hold off for now. That night, she pretended to go to sleep, and after the lights in the living room went out, she quietly crouched by Mrs. Brown's door, listening to her on the phone inside.
"Yes, Marsha, it's about time. We should take her out to meet someone. Well, don't worry about me, I'm sure I'll introduce the best to Elly! A master's degree, second-generation rich, a young talent, his whole family has emigrated to Europe, how's that? Hmm, he's coming back to visit his grandmother during the summer break, so in the next few days, I'll set them up as a couple…"
Eloise's fury rose, and in her distraction, she failed to notice her foot stepping on the tail of a passing cat. The cat let out a painful cry, and she hurried back to her room. Mrs. Brown opened the door and saw her, calling after her with a guilty tone, "Elly, what are you looking for me so late for?"
Eloise could never have imagined that such a thing would be waiting for her at the end of her peaceful trip. The thought of how she had been kept in the dark all this time made her so angry that she confronted Mrs. Brown directly, "You were talking to my mom on the phone, weren't you? Are you two planning to sell me off?"
Mrs. Brown's face stiffened, and her smile faltered. "Wh-what are you saying? I'm just introducing a friend! It's good for you to have someone to know in Europe when you go there!" Eloise felt like spitting in her face. "It's so good? Then you go meet him yourself!"
Mrs. Brown stormed to her room door, seeing her stuffing clothes into her suitcase, and changed her attitude, saying, "I've taken your documents. You can't leave unless you obediently meet those boys. Then I'll return them to you!"
Eloise never expected her to be so shameless. She threw the contents of the box aside and said, "Give it back to me, or I'll call the police!" Mrs. Brown smugly rolled her eyes, "Go ahead, call. I'll make your parents explain it to the police!"
Seeing the frail young girl trembling with anger, her expression softened with a hint of reluctance. "Your mother and I just want you to meet some new friends. We're not trying to hurt you, you really don't appreciate it! Go to bed quickly, or you'll get dark circles under your eyes." She closed the door and locked it.
Eloise wasn't one to be easily provoked; the more she was angered, the more she would act irrationally. She glanced out of the window, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. Casting aside all else, she took only her phone, grasped the windowsill, and swung one slender leg out.
Looking down, she finally understood why Mrs. Brown had placed her on the top floor. It was at least ten meters above the ground, and even if she didn't die from the fall, she'd probably break two or three bones. After a moment of dizziness, she focused her gaze on a banana tree about a meter away.
If she jumped, maybe she could reach the tree's extended leaves. But if she failed... She shook her head, driving away the fear from her mind—meeting those odd, grotesque men for blind dates was far more terrifying!
After Mrs. Brown closed the door, she didn't leave. She stood by the door, listening to see if Eloise was following her instructions and going to sleep. But then she heard the sound of rustling leaves. In a panic, she thought, "No way." She opened the door just in time to see Eloise clinging to a branch that was about to snap, hanging in midair.
She screamed and ran over, reaching out her hand but only watching helplessly as Eloise fell. She closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight. After a moment, she opened her eyes just a crack and realized that Eloise had been cushioned by the banana leaves, safely falling onto the soft earth.
As she breathed a sigh of relief, Mrs. Brown was furious, shaking her clenched fist and smashing it on the windowsill. "You little brat, you're going to kill me with your antics!" Eloise, clutching her aching waist, didn't look back and ran down the road.
She took a taxi to the airport, planning to buy a flight ticket, only to realize that all her cards had been frozen. Due to the safety-conscious upbringing at home, she never carried cash, and during the month she spent earlier, she had already used up most of it in small, scattered amounts.
She called her parents several times, but no one picked up. She did have some other friends, but unfortunately, they were far away and couldn't help her in this immediate situation. The airport staff noticed her disheveled appearance—wearing nothing but a nightgown, and with one slipper missing from her foot. They had already been eyeing her. She decided to ask them for help.
To her surprise, when she told them she had no ID or money, their first reaction was, "Where are your family? Give us their contact details." Eloise rolled her eyes inwardly, and seized the chance to slip away under the excuse of needing to use the restroom.
She crouched by the side of the road, the salty evening breeze gently blowing her bangs, her mind filled with curse words. She couldn't understand how she had ended up like this—almost as though the world had no place left for her.
Damn it, she really wanted to run away. She had become a cynical, disgruntled intellectual, almost to the point of wanting to smoke a cigarette.
At this moment, a hesitant, pleasant male voice called from behind her, "Miss Elly, is that you?" Eloise turned around in surprise to see a tall man, carrying a black shoulder bag and dragging a suitcase, looking at her with concern.
She thought the person looked somewhat familiar. That rare, refreshing vibe typical of male college students made her pause and think for a moment. "Ah, you're the shooting champion from the hot springs club!" She couldn't remember his name. The young man shyly scratched his head, smiling with squinted eyes. "Hmm, I'm Octavius Hawthorne. Miss Elly, what are you doing here?"
