Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling is Multifaceted!-Chapter 277: Smuggling

"Is that so?" Ethan Sterling’s voice was so soft that if the wind had blown through, it might not have reached Nathan Ayers’ ears.

"Young Master Sterling, I can deliver a message inside for you. Is there anything you want to say to the lady?"

Nathan Ayers couldn’t help but choke up. He felt guilty for betraying Young Master Sterling’s trust, but he had no choice. He wouldn’t utter a word of complaint about the punishment to come.

"Then let me call her. As for the timing, I’ll decide." Ethan Sterling rolled the lighter in his hand, gradually slowing down, "Could you also take a box of candies inside? And send in that ugly cat from before, she loves them both."

"Yes, Young Master Sterling."

Nathan Ayers’ nose tingled even more.

If he continued to speak, he might just give in and let Young Master Sterling seize the opportunity to return home.

But he couldn’t. He didn’t know how he would face Young Master Sterling after making this decision, but there was no turning back.

"Alright, I’ll make sure it gets in."

Ethan Sterling didn’t linger; after speaking, he hung up the phone.

The sun was shining brightly, but it couldn’t reach the heart.

One of Ethan Sterling’s trusted men approached him, making sure no one was around before whispering into his ear, "Young Master Sterling, we really have tried every way, but the defenses back home are too strong. We really have no way to return."

They even considered disguises, letting Young Master Sterling assume someone else’s identity to return to the country.

But the preparations there were too thorough, and personnel were intercepted right at security checks.

Later, there was a noticeable increase in airport security, most definitely arranged by Miles Harrington and Nathan Ayers.

Even when they swiftly dealt with the people monitoring them, since being intercepted at the airport, Miles Harrington and the others directly halted flights from Y Nation to Z Nation.

Not only that, but several flights that might have connected elsewhere were also stopped.

Even though such actions would cause great inconvenience to many, they still went ahead, clearly determined to keep them abroad.

"..."

Ethan Sterling had waited twelve hours, idly in the hotel, only to be told by his men that "there was really no way."

Was he disappointed? Undoubtedly, he was.

Ethan Sterling had run out of patience; if he waited any longer, he would surely go mad.

Twelve hours was the utmost he could tolerate.

Ethan Sterling watched the light refracted from the silver lighter in the sunlight, suddenly reminded of the light Seraphina Redgrave once cast into his palm.

"Get me a ship, remember, it needs to be discreet."

"What kind of ship?" The subordinate was visibly puzzled.

Now A Country was like a fortress. Even if it were a ship, it wouldn’t make it out of Y Nation’s domain.

Ethan Sterling looked up, his eyes filled with determination, "A smuggling boat."

Since taking someone else’s identity didn’t work, he would forgo any identity altogether.

Nothing could stop him.

He was determined to return to Z Nation.

Hearing the words "smuggling boat," his subordinate was shocked, standing frozen to digest Ethan Sterling’s intent, trying to gauge if he was serious.

This was smuggling, after all.

In some parts of Y Nation, due to extreme backwardness, the government’s management had become increasingly negligent, causing such tiny places to become impoverished.

As a result, the residents would opt to smuggle themselves to other countries to survive.

Because the smuggled people were of various types, the average person couldn’t truly endure a smuggler’s boat.

On the second day of Seraphina Redgrave’s confinement, Miles Harrington kept his promise and, seeing that she still refused to speak, force-fed her five pills.

If the previous sensation was like having her bones chipped away with a small hammer bit by bit, now it was like putting her into a meat grinder.

She bit her lip hard, bleeding profusely due to the pain.

The pain was trying to take control of her sanity.

Aiming to break down her mental defenses.

When the pain reached its peak, Seraphina Redgrave no longer had the strength to bite her lip; she seemed to see golden lights exploding before her eyes.

Her body convulsed uncontrollably, the entire room reverberating with the sound of the chains connecting her shackles scraping against the floor.

In her dazed state, Seraphina Redgrave felt as though she’d returned to her childhood, when she was still with the Redgrave Family.

On New Year’s Eve, the whole family sat at the dining table for a reunion dinner, while she had no place at the table.

She could only scoop a bowl of white rice and pick some sausages, hiding in her room to eat in secret, then watch the fireworks bought by some household blooming in the sky—a rare moment of joy that year.

Then Mia Redgrave entered the room, carrying a bowl of chicken soup so aromatic it’s mouthwatering, and poured it over her head.

The greasy chicken soup clung sticky to her hair, face, and the new clothes bought the previous year.

Ludicrous and laughable, with Mia’s reckless laughter echoing in her ears.

The next moment, the scene shifted, and she was on Veridian Isle.

She was foraging for berries in the jungle to fill her belly, inadvertently alarming a nearby venomous snake.

It coiled around her ankle, slithering its way up to her upper body. She dared not move, and just as the snake was about to bite into her artery, Seraphina Redgrave awoke with a start.

Her clothes were soaked through, drenched in the sweat seeping from her body.

In front of her, more than a dozen men stood in a row. Seraphina shook her head to clear her vision, realizing there were only three; the pain had reached this extent.

Seraphina Redgrave gasped for breath, still engulfed in the nightmare she hadn’t recovered from.

"Look at you, you’re no longer human nor ghost, why keep holding on? Why not confess and be done with it?" someone advised.

But Seraphina Redgrave no longer had the strength to speak, her head drooping helplessly.

A new round of torment began.

This time, it was as though she was in an icehouse, the cold making her tremble all over, in a room supposedly with controlled temperature, yet her breath was visible in white puffs.

She was especially afraid of the cold; this feeling undoubtedly was driving her to death.

Her mind was a chaotic mess, utterly convinced that she would die in the next moment.

"Miss!"

In and out of consciousness, Seraphina Redgrave heard Nathan Ayers’ voice, thinking it was an illusion, burying her head even further.

Nathan Ayers and Miles Harrington entered, immediately seeing Seraphina Redgrave violently shivering.

Her limbs were pulled apart by chains, her head hanging low, her once seaweed-like hair now resembling a clump of dry grass scattered about.

Scarlet blood dripped, one drop after another, from her mouth, striking the floor and blooming into blood flowers.

Nathan Ayers had never seen Seraphina Redgrave look so miserable—she was a truly harrowing sight.

He couldn’t bear to look any longer, turning his head away, hoping that at least this way, his heart would feel less burdened.

When people experience pain, they instinctively clench their teeth; Seraphina Redgrave must have bitten through her mouth, resulting in so much blood.

"Give her some painkillers," Miles Harrington instructed the interrogators.

"Yes," they promptly prepared the painkillers.