Michael let his armor down the moment Carmen told him sweetly, “Here, Daddy, I’ll blow on the mosquito bites for you.” He had planned to sneak out at midnight so that he could secretly return all her newfound pets to their rightful owners, but he was so moved by his daughter’s warm gestures that he found himself relenting instead.

Michael certainly had not expected Carmen to bring a lamb into the courtyard while he was doing the dishes.

“Daddy, can I—”

Michael faltered and screamed inwardly, No, you can’t. You can’t!

He quickly began to dissuade her but alas, his painstaking attempt to do so had convinced Carmen that she wanted two lambs instead.

Once again, Michael was at a loss for words.

By the end of the day, two baby lambs were added to Carmen’s collection of farm animals and Michael let out a dry sob as he heard the lambs bleating in the yard.

But the moment he turned to see his little girl snuggled up against him, he felt all his resentment and frustration dissipate into nothing.

It had been a long day. Flipping over, Michael pulled his sweetheart into his arms and fell asleep shortly after.

At midnight, a few people showed up outside of Michael’s house.

 

“Alright; Dan has already led the guards away. Wait for me here. I’ll be back before you know it!” Sophia instructed quietly as she went over to where Dimon and the others were standing. There was a large bag slung over her shoulder.

Dimon watched as she dashed over to the courtyard, looking clumsy with the heavy bag in tow.

 

Sophia had scoped out the landscape during the day and had taken note of the camera that was positioned by the front entrance. She avoided it and headed over to a hidden part of the courtyard, where she knew the dog hole would be.

When she came upon this dog hole during her stake out earlier that day, Sophia had made sure that she would be able to squeeze through it without being captured by the camera.

Dimon watched as Sophia found the hole and crawled through it. Once she had managed that, she reached out an arm and said, “Dimon, give me the bag.”

Cringing, he handed the bag over to her.

into crawling through

since, seeing as Sophia

the

observed that the camera in the kitchen would be switched off during the night, but the same would not apply to the one in the courtyard. She carefully navigated her way around the latter and

using refrigerators, the villagers would store their food in a little

at the meager supply that had been stored into the cellar. There was nothing left but a quarter of a lotus root,

cooked that

her. She made sure that it still cast its light into the cellar while she rummaged through her bag and began to gingerly stock

pork belly and potatoes—all of which she deemed as essential food items. She had also brought lollipops, jellies, chocolates, a packet of cigarettes and chewing gum.

they would be fresh enough for

its contents

distracted with her own task that she hadn’t even noticed when, at some point, a figure appeared behind her. He stayed hidden in the shadows as he watched her

unaware as she happily piled junk food into the

watched her stock up the cellar, which was already running out

she laid a packet of pig feed on top of the stockpile.

a study in enigma, like a rare flower whose heady

was a deep hunger within him that he could no

heated passion and he only had one

grabbed Sophia and

bag when someone suddenly swept her up and pinned himself against her. A large pair of hands clasped over her small

whispered softly into her ear, his breath stirring

relaxed upon realizing that

called out gently, reaching her arms

she could only cling onto Michael by reaching around his torso and placing

he hungrily kissed her cheeks and earlobes. Sophia could feel her body

out, feeling for the stove. He had removed all the firewood after cooking and the heat of the stove had since died down, so he knew it

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