Facade of Love

Chapter 51 The man from five years ago reappeared
With that, the man landed a kick squarely on her chest. The woman, who was already frail, was sent sprawling backward in a
heap of limbs.
Despite the blow, she made no protest. Instead, she picked herself up and continued her plea, “Alex, please, have some mercy.
Just a little bit, I promise I’ll leave right away, I won’t be a bother.”
With that, she crawled towards him again.
Disgusted, the man drew a knife from his pocket, pointing it menacingly at her. “You don’t plan on leaving, do you?”
At the sight of the knife, the woman recoiled, scrambling to her feet and stumbling away.
Surveying the scene, I had no intention of lingering. I was ready to find an exit and leave. As I was about to look away, my eyes
caught the snake pattern on the knife in the man’s hand.
My mind buzzed, and a flood of familiar memories surged forward.
I knew that knife. Five years ago, in a Mandala hotel, that man had pressed it against my throat, threatening to slit my veins and
make me bleed out if I dared to scream.
The snake pattern on the knife handle was etched into my memory. It was something I would never forget, not even in death.
Pushing down the wave of emotions, I watched as the shoe–shiner put away the knife, glanced around, picked up his tools, and
headed towards an alley on his right.
That face, I saw it clearly. That dark, indistinct face. It was him!
Alex Martinez.
I would never forget. It was this man who had pushed me into hell, nearly killed me at the border, and made it impossible for me
to return to my old life.
I had been searching for him for five years, dreaming of the day I would find him. I wanted him to explain, word by word, to
everyone what had happened that year.
I wanted him to tell my father himself that I had never been reckless.

Five years, and by some divine twist of fate, I saw him here. This time, I would not let him escape, even if it cost me my life. With
that thought, I started to follow him, but after only a few steps, I was yanked into a nearby alley.
I thought I was being followed and almost screamed, but looking up, I saw it was Idris.
Seeing him, I did not bother with pleasantries. I pushed him away and tried to continue my pursuit.
He held me back, his voice low. “Yvette, are you trying to get yourself killed chasing a fugitive?”
I paused, looking at him. “How do you know he’s a fugitive?”
He glanced in the direction where the man had vanished before he let go of me. “He’s armed with a knife, and that shoebox is
filled with opium. Why are you tailing someone like him?”
I had not noticed what was in the shoebox, but Idris’s reminder brought it back to me. Alex had been involved in illegal activities
inland, including abducting young girls and smuggling
He was knee–deep in all of it.
The woman who had been begging him on her knees must have been an addict.
That explained her skeletal appearance.
Even so, what did it matter? I had spent five years searching for him, and now that I had finally found him, I was not ready to let
him sl*p away.
Chapter 51. The man from five years ago reappeared
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With that thought, I pushed Idris away and said icily, “My affairs are none of your business.”
With that, I continued in the direction Alex had gone.
Idris caught hold of me, his handsome face creased with worry. “He’s likely a regular around here. If you follow him now, you
might spook him.”

I pressed my l*ps together, glancing at him. He calmly suggested, “I’ll accompany you to the police station. We’ll file a report, and
the police will stake out the area. It’s safer than you tailing him.”
He had a point. I stopped my pursuit.
We went to the police station, where I relayed the events from five years ago and voiced my suspicions about Alex’s smuggling
activities.
The police were quick to grasp the situation. They immediately summoned Officer Jackson, who had handled my case five years
ago. Seeing me, he looked surprised. “Ms. Scott, what’s this about.”
I explained everything to him. He frowned, nodded, and said, “Alright, we’ll keep an eye on this. But this case involves the drug
enforcement team. I think they might plan to use Alex to catch the bigger fish behind him. Don’t do anything rash that might alert
him.”
I got the message. They were on the hunt for the drug source, and that meant starting with smugglers like Alex. Otherwise, even
if Alex was apprehended, countless others would rise to take his place. Thus, they had to use Alex to dismantle the entire
operation behind him.