Such a Rude and Noisy Woman

The old lady sitting in front of Rachel was irritated by Shirley's attitude. Exasperated, she stood up and said, pulling Rachel over,"Sit down, dear. Don't waste your time on people like her." The old lady gave Shirley a once over and continued, "She's not worth it." Other people soon chimed in, and soon, the carriage was filled with a motley of boos from passengers, cries from the little girl, and the snapping of wheels on the rail.

The train was nearing its destination with every clink of metal. Upon its arrival, passengers naturally quieted down and the earlier incident forgotten like wind. Most of them were taking their luggage off the shelves and got easy to get off.

Rachel and the old lady stood up after the train had come to a stop, and the sound of murmurs and footsteps soon filled the surroundings. Before saying her goodbye, the old lady handed a slip of paper to Rachel. It was a phone number. When Rachel passed by Shirley, she was still on her seat, showing no intention of leaving.

The little girl, probably worn out from all her crying, was asleep on her lap.

Rachel continued on her way. After getting off the train, she stood at the station for a while, her eyes scanning around. She looked at the overhead signage, wondering where to go.

A moment later, Shirley got off with the kid in her arms. She looked around, and then headed towards an exit on the left.

Rachel followed Shirley with her eyes. She looked kind of strange. Rachel shook her head and decided to focus on her own. She turned her head to the left and the right exit. With no idea where to go, she decided to choose one at random and just follow her gut. Suddenly, there was a shout. "There she is!" Catch her!" a man's voice bellowed.

"That bitch has the kid. I'm gonna break her legs when I catch her!"

She saw a gang of around four or five men pointing at the direction Shirley took.

Rachel felt cold sweat on her brow. Her heart was pounding. She guessed these people might come for her in the first place. After thinking it over, she overthrew her assumption. It would take at least a day to drive from North Sea City to where she was, so it was impossible for Hiram to come so soon.

Rachel stopped in her tracks and whipped her head to Shirley. She was running, her arms around her child, trying to avoid being captured by her pursuers.

"You bitch! How dare you escape?! Stop!" Rachel had a closer look at the man. He was shouting fiercely. From his appearance, it seemed that he wasn't from the city.

With her hands holding her child, it was impossible for Shirley to run fast. She looked around desperately, her shoulders heaving from her own breaths. Her limbs were shaking from the exertion. Her heart sank when she saw the men running towards her. She gripped her child in her arms. There was no way out.

Then, she spotted Rachel standing not far away from her. The anxiety in her face mirrored her own.

With a huff of breath, Shirley ran towards her.

"Rachel! Listen, please! I know I hurt you before. I understand that I am not in any position to ask anything from you, but I need your help," she pleaded, her voice quivering. Rachel saw the sheen of sweat covering her face. Shirley's hands were protectively wrapped around her child, and her eyes were bloodshot as they looked into hers. "I didn't give birth to a boy. This is my daughter, Nadia," she said, looking at the child in her arms. "Someone wants to buy her with a high price," she hoisted her child higher on her hip. "Please. Please help me take her away. She is everything to me. I'm begging you, please."

Tears were streaming down Shirley's face as she spoke. Her head turned to the men who were approaching nearer every second. Before Rachel could think or speak, she pushed the girl to her.

Shirley might not be a good person, but she was a mother. She would never be able to forsake her daughter.

"Shirley..."

It was all happening so suddenly and Rachel could not process everything at once. Looking at the little girl, Rachel felt conflicting emotions run through her. "Rachel, please!" Shirley was on her knees, begging and gripping her arms. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, but my daughter is innocent. Please help me save her!"

"Shirley!" A shout broke through the sounds of Shirley's sobbing. "Give me back my daughter! I will decide what happens to her!"

The men were approaching. Shirley stood up, her eyes boring into Rachel's.

"Take Nadia away quickly. I will lead them away from you." With those words, she pushed Rachel into the exit. When they were safely out of sight, she turned back to the men and shouted, "Listen! All of you! Among you is my brother, my cousin, my uncle, and my husband, but I won't let you take my child!"

She stepped in their way, her head held high. The men were running to her.

She closed her eyes and breathed, silently praying that Rachel makes it safely with her child. She had lived a hard life, but her daughter, she wanted a much better future for her.

"Bitch, get out of the way! Do you know who you're going against? Don't force me to beat you!" Shirley's husband walked over to her and slapped her in the face. Shirley staggered and held her swollen face, but she didn't move. Grabbing her by the collar, her husband roared, "Get out of the way, or I am gonna break your legs! All of you, go after the other woman! Hurry up! The kid is worth 150000! Do everything it takes to get her back. Don't let her get away!" Shirley's husband wanted a boy to carry his name. He didn't care about losing her daughter at all, because he might have sons in the future after selling her. 150000 was no joke.

At his words, his brother and cousin held Shirley down and then ran after Rachel and the kid.

Shirley's husband stepped closer to her. He raised his fist and gave a heavy blow on her stomach. She felt the air get knocked out of her lungs as she folded from the pain. He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him.

"You damn bitch! You should know how lucky you are that I married you!" he hissed, "You're useless to me if you can't give me a son. And now you oppose me?" His eyes glinted with malice. "Women like you need to be taught a lesson, or you won't know your place." He raised his hand once again. Shirley closed her eyes, wordlessly praying for her daughter's safety.

The train station was big. Rachel was turning her head both ways, but it was as if the floors of the station extended beyond her view. She was breathless, running with the kid bundled in her arms. Nadia was now awake. She looked around and asked, cautiously. "Auntie, where's my mom? Where did she go?"

"Don't worry. Your mom will come back soon," Rachel replied, patting her shoulder gently, trying to keep her calm.

She looked around, checking for their pursuers. There was no sign of them. She sat down with Nadia on her lap.

Nadia looked even younger than Joyce. Her eyes were wide from confusion, and tears were starting to form in her eyelids.

There were plenty of things that Rachel didn't know, but she knew that Shirley would not lie to her about her daughter. She had no reason to. Worry began to creep into Rachel's chest as she looked at the little girl in her arms. Whoever those men were, she knew they wouldn't give up until they had what they wanted.

"Auntie, I'm hungry..." Her thoughts were broken when she heard Nadia speak in a low voice, touching her stomach. Gurgling sounds were coming from it.

Rachel's heart broke at the sound. She immediately rummaged inside her bag and found half a loaf of bread. Handing it to Nadia, she said with a small smile, "Have this first, okay? We'll buy a lot of yummy food for you when we get out of here."

Nadia reached for the bread in her hand. Rachel felt her chest weighing down with emotions. She was so young. Kids her age should not be separated from their mothers. "Look! There she is! Hurry up!"

a man's voice echoed through the station. Rachel's head shot up and she saw

two men running towards her direction.

She grabbed her bag in haste and ran towards the exit with Nadia. She had checked earlier and knew that they were sitting close to the exit.

She put all her strength in her legs and arms. It was impossible for her to run fast.

Nadia weighed at least ten kilos. Rachel looked at her. In her fear, she forgot to eat the bread. Seeing the two guys running after them, she instinctively drew her head back.

Her mom had told her that those men were going to sell her to someone. She closed her eyes against her tears. She didn't want to be sold.

Even if it was only for a short while, Rachel could already feel herself losing strength. She raised her head and saw an elevator in front of her. The men were still going after them. She raced inside and pressed button of the door close.

The doors were banged from outside. She hurriedly pushed on F1 from the keys. The current floor she was on was empty. They would be safer when they reached the first floor.

She could ask people for help there.

Rachel leaned on the wall and tried to catch her breath. Nadia was shaking in her arms. She wrapped her small arms tightly around Rachel's neck. Rachel could feel the Nadia's heartbeat. She tried to calm her by stroking her hair and speaking softly. After some time, they reached the first floor.

Rachel rushed out with the kid in her arms as soon as the elevator doors opened. But she froze when she saw two figures ahead. The two men who were running after them

had already arrived and were waiting outside the gate. Her blood froze in fear.

It was already dark. The sky was lit up by the lights outside the station. There were only a handful of people who were waiting to take train.

Rachel looked around helplessly.

"Go head! Why not keep going?"

The two men ran to them, shouting. At the very same instant, the man who had been cursing Shirley earlier appeared from behind.

There was only a broad empty space outside. Rachel couldn't find a place to hide themselves.

"Give us the kid. It's none of your business. If you're smart, you know what to do. Give me the kid and we won't hurt you."

The man coming from behind her said.

Rachel looked at Nadia in her arms. Small sobs racked her frame. She couldn't bear to leave her alone. Shirley had done terrible things, but, if not because of Rachel, she wouldn't have been sent to a remote village and got married off to that cruel man. 'I can't let them have this child, 'Rachel thought to herself. Her arms tightened around the girl.

"Auntie, I'm so scared. Please don't leave me alone," Nadia pleaded in a small voice. She wrapped her arms tighter around Rachel.

Rachel rubbed her cheek and said, "Don't worry. Everything's gonna be okay. I won't leave you alone." She shifted her gaze to the men surrounding her, holding the girl protectively to her chest with her arms.

"You asked for it. You made this choice. A stupid one!" The man who spoke sneered, and then waved to the other two men behind him.

Seeing them coming closer, Rachel took two steps backward in fright.

Just then, the sound of sirens echoed through the air and several cars lined up on the side of the road. A man came out from the first car. Rachel couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hiram!" Behind him, several more men stepped out from the other cars. 0000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐