The Queen Back From Hell - Chapter 85: Chapter 85

The next afternoon, Arielle arrived at Vanna's villa as promised.
Vanna had been staying home with Eve the whole time.
Eve was in poor condition, and Vanna barely left her side. Eve was desperately lacking a sense of security.
Last night, Eve was plagued by nightmares and had restless sleep, waking up multiple times.
Perhaps it was the sudden change of environment, she hadn't fully adjusted yet and was still haunted by her past.
It would take time for her to heal, little by little.
Arielle sat down, took out a note from her bag, and handed it to Vanna. "I need you to send someone to protect those written here," she said, her tone serious.
Puzzled, Vanna took the note and unfolded it.
The note contained an address and two names.
"Protect these two? That's it?" Vanna asked, a bit unsure.
She thought to herself, 'Seriously? I expected her conditions to be much harder to meet. That's it?
'That's hardly a condition. It's just a piece of cake for me.'
Arielle looked Vanna in the eye, her voice grave. "I need them unharmed, not a single scratch. Because of who I am, they could be in real danger. So you must, absolutely must, keep them safe."
The address written on the note was Cloud Town, the place where she had grown up.
After her adoptive parents died, she was orphaned once again. It was only because Kara Ballard's family shared what little food they had with her that she just managed to survive.
After Kara passed away, her daughter, Cassandra Ballard, and son, Phil Ballard, took over this responsibility.
Cassandra was now twenty, while her little brother Phil was only eight, the same age as Eve.
Cassandra always stood protectively in front of Phil and Arielle, never letting anyone bully them. She worked long hours at the factory, and every payday, she'd treat them to a special meal with meat, which was a rare luxury for them.
Despite his young age, Phil would follow Arielle everywhere. Puffing out his chest, he'd declare, "I'm the man of the house now, I've got to protect both my sisters!"
Those were truly happy days.
The three of them were as close as real siblings, sharing simple joys every single day.
Though they often went hungry and lacked warm clothes, that place was filled with warmth and the most precious bonds.
Cassandra's father was a hopeless gambler who gambled away everything.
In her previous life, Cassandra and Phil had been sold by him to pay off gambling debts. After Arielle redeemed them from the human traffickers, she settled them in a house.
Arielle got Cassandra a steady job, and Phil was finally able to attend school, just as he'd always wanted.
After Arielle was imprisoned, the siblings fell into Meredith's clutches.
Right after Arielle got out of prison, Meredith deliberately told her this just to twist the knife.
Their fate was inevitable. Meredith would show them no mercy.
Based on what happened in her old life, they would be sold off in just two days.
She said, "The day after tomorrow, they'll be sold to human traffickers. I need you to step in, buy them back, and make sure they're safe and properly settled.
"I'll transfer the money they need to you, I just can't show my face right now.
"If they refuse to go with you, show them this figurine. That will make them believe you."
As she spoke, Arielle pulled out a small wooden figurine from inside her coat, with the character "Phil" carefully carved on it.
Phil had carved these, one for each of the three of them.
Since he couldn't afford to buy a good luck charm, he carved this little wooden figure himself, declaring with childish pride that his name would watch over her and keep her safe.
Vanna took the wooden figurine and examined it carefully. It looked utterly ordinary.
Vanna was starting to get the picture.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Vanna assured her. She glanced upstairs and lowered her voice. "Eve seems to be awake. Why don't you come up and check on her with me?"
Before Arielle could respond, Vanna took her by the hand and led her upstairs.