Lucas slowly lowered his hand from udia''s mouth, though he still kept a tight grip over her wrist.


    "You two sure can run. Let''s go. You''reing back with me," Manny said, brandishing a knife. He did not consider these two brats much of a threat; he was confident he could take them back. Lucas squeezed udia''s wrist repeatedly to signal her.


    "What''s the matter? Are you too scared stiff to move? Hehe, next time I''ll make some noise first so you won''t get startled, okay? Now be good ande with me," said Manny.


    "Three, two, one!"


    This was the rhythm Lucas squeezed on udia''s wrist, and when he repeated it, he shouted, "Run!"


    They bolted in the opposite direction of Manny.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Tsk! Looks like I need to teach you a lesson for not listening to me. You should always listen to the grown-ups!"


    They had been running for so long that they were both exhausted. Even Lucas was running out of steam. However, Manny was fast, and udia could feel the rush of wind he stirred up as he closed in behind her. She resisted the urge to look back, focusing instead on running as fast as she could.


    ''Why hasn''t anyonee to rescue us yet?'' thought udia. Oh, how she hoped that they would appear before them in the next moment!


    "Hey kids, I might go easy on you if you stop now and surrender quietly! Otherwise, once I catch you two, it won''t be so pleasant." Manny''s voice echoed like a ghost around them.


    Even as their speed slowed, they dared not stop. They knew that if they stopped, they would never escape. They were getting closer to the main road, the glimmer of hope just ahead. Both of them bit their lips tightly. udia even tasted a hint of blood as she bit through her lips.


    "Hurry!"


    Manny sneered disdainfully, clearly


    amused by their defiance.


    Disobedient kids needed to be taught a lesson, and he increased his speed. Just as Manny was about to grab udia, another car stopped in front of them.


    This was thest straw for udia. Tears streamed down her cheeks like pearls. Why, just when they were about to see hope, were they


    blocked again? Why was fate ne


    cruel to her? Her father was already...


    udia felt nothing but despair.


    However, Lucas seemed even more exhausted. He even stopped in his tracks, and udia was jerked back by the abrupt halt.


    "What are you doing? Are you crazy? How can you stop? Keep running!" eximed udia.


    A hint of a smile appeared on Lucas'' face, making udia think he had lost his mind.


    "Lucas! udia!"


    udia could not believe her ears. Was she hallucinating? Upon closer listening, she recognized her sister''s voice!


    "Grandma, Grandpa..."


    Lucas had been trying hard to contain his emotions, but when he was embraced by Beatrice, he could not help but choke up. It had been an exhausting day.