"WHAT!?"
The truck almost bounced sideways in a cartoonish manner as everyone gasped and yelled in shock. Lola flinched, looking at everyone who was staring at her in disbelief.
"Boss goddess, what did you say you did?!" The boss—who was supposed to be focused on driving—was looking back at her entirely. His face was pale, his eyes wide and unblinking.
Not just him, but everyone—including the bound Bellemonte n—stared at her. The two of them even had their mouths wide open, unsure whether they should’ve begged her to let them stay behind and get burned alive, because what Lola had just said would almost lead to the sa ending.
"What?" Lola blinked almost innocently. "They’d find out anyway, so why not just announce who took their goods?"
As she said that, she pointed over her shoulders—straight at the bound n—and shrugged.
"Don’t panic," she continued. "It’s not that bad. I an, if they know who they’re dealing with, it’ll buy us ti. Also, look ahead. We’re going to crash."
The boss clenched his teeth and forced himself to look forward, twisting the steering wheel to get the truck back on the right path.
"Just trust , alright?" She smiled at the rest. "Everything’s going to be fine. No one’s gonna get hurt, okay?"
Silence fell inside the cramped truck as everyone continued staring at her. Even the driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. Their expressions clearly said they weren’t reassured, but Lola didn’t seem to care.
Just as the driver debated whether to listen to her or not, he snapped his eyes forward and saw what looked like a checkpoint.
"Or not," he blurted through gritted teeth. "Holy fucking shit!"
Panic crept into his voice as he quickly looked back at Lola. The others followed his gaze forward, their eyes dilating at the traffic piling up ahead.
"Oh, shit," one of the n hissed through clenched teeth.
Almost instinctively, they whipped their heads back toward Lola, their eyes silently asking her if she had seen this coming and what the next plan was.
Lola, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes and looked ahead. She pressed her lips into a thin line, forced a smile, then scanned everyone’s faces.
"On second thought," she smacked her lips. "I spoke too soon."
"You crazy bitch!" one of the n roared—then froze, his breath hitching. He didn’t know whether he was more shocked by what he’d just said or by the fate waiting for them ahead.
"What are we going to do?!" another man ignored him and pleaded with Lola. "Goddess, what are we going to do?"
"Turn back!" the first man shouted in panic. "We’ve got to turn back now!"
"I gotta turn back—" the driver was about to reverse when he spotted a vehicle approaching from behind. "Shit! Shit! Fuck!"
He craned his neck and saw more cars lining up behind them, all slowing down for the checkpoint ahead.
The boss ground his teeth, staring at the road and the vehicles several ters in front of them.
"This is the worst," he breathed out, thoughts racing through everything he had done in his life.
All the grinding he’d done just to gain a bit of recognition and build a group of his own... and now he was going to die. Why? Because he got beaten by a lunatic woman and was forced to obey her every whim.
They all knew—deep in their hearts—that no reason would excuse this.
Even cooperation under force was still a sin.
That was Ravah.
So they truly had no choice but to listen to Lola... or try to remove themselves from the situation entirely.
"Just drive ahead and act casual."
Suddenly, Lola spoke calmly. Her calmness made everyone turn to her.
"I an, panicking won’t change anything... right?"
She said it as if none of this was her fault at all.
But in the end, all they could do was look ahead. Dread was etched on their faces, their hearts beating slowly and heavily against their ribs. The driver tightened his grip on the steering wheel and exhaled shakily.
"My god..." he muttered. "I’ll change for good if I survive this. I’ll swear I’ll be a good person!"
But he knew—once they were deed suspicious, they’d be shot on the spot. No ti to fight back. No ti to escape.
Their panic was justified, considering what Lola had left behind in the abandoned building.
Although she never outright confird she was the notorious thief of Ravah, she told them she copied the thief’s signature. But these n knew better.
She was the real one.
Her actions alone were proof.
There was no need for further confirmation.
Lola casually pulled a folding knife from her pocket and, in one swift motion, slashed the ropes binding the Bellemonte n. As the ties fell away, both n snapped out of their shock.
They stared down at the loosened ropes, then slowly looked up at her.
"You claid your boss might—or might not—kill you, right?" Lola leaned closer, smiling faintly. "You’re right. Your boss will kill you the second he sees you."
The n were rendered speechless at her blatant manipulation. She wasn’t even trying!
"If I get you out of here alive," she continued casually, "you’ll be working for . Not just you—but if I rescue the other guy still in hiding, I guarantee you a... well, a good life?"
"Why do you sound so unsure?" one of the n blurted out, but she ignored him.
"Here’s the plan." She raised her hand to the side of her mouth and whispered like she was sharing a secret.
The two n leaned in instinctively, listening as she spoke. Their brows knitted tighter and tighter until she pulled back, a sly smile on her face.
"Okay?" She raised three fingers in an [OK] gesture.
The others—who were with her by force—stared at her in confusion. One of them finally blurted out,
"Whatever she’s saying, don’t listen to her. She’s gonna get you killed."
"Co on, guys." Lola frowned. "I’m trying to help everyone. I told you."
Her smile stretched until her eyes curved into crescents. "Everything’s gonna be fine."
"And no one will get hurt!" the boss hurriedly added, gasping. "You also said that!"
"Yeah," Lola shrugged, still smiling. "And I also said I spoke too soon. Maybe one or two will get hurt, but no one’s gonna die... I promise."
Everyone: "..."
No one believed her. If anything, their brains translated her words as, ’no one was going to die a horrible death.’
But Lola didn’t dwell on it. She just laughed.
"Just listen to my plan."
And just like that, she leaned forward to share the brilliant strategy her unstable brain had cooked up.
After hearing it, everyone reached the sa conclusion.
Yep, this one’s a psycho.
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