It took the entire day for Sisi to finish everything at home. She was exhausted, but she had a satisfied smile on her face. Not because she was proud of her chores, but because she had managed to steal a few chunks of meat, enough for Jojo to eat tonight.
Since she hadn't seen Mr. Piker since morning, she guessed he was busy or had gone to the nearby town to meet his friends.
Which meant she was free from a beating today!
'Ah, nothing can get better than this!' Sisi cheered silently. A day without being beaten was like a small piece of heaven, and now that she had the little wolf boy by her side, the nights were no longer so lonely or painful.
She headed for the backdoor in the kitchen.
But just as she reached for the handle, the door suddenly swung inward. Sisi froze in place when she saw Mr. Piker standing there, grinning lecherously, his hands hidden behind his back.
"Where are you going, Sisi? It's late at night. You should go back to your room," he said amiably, but Sisi couldn't help feeling her heart tightening.
Her instincts screamed that something was terribly wrong.
"I-I… I will go to the shed, Sir," she said.
"To the shed? But you didn't do anything wrong tonight, did you?" Mr. Piker's grin widened. He looked like a predator waiting for its prey to walk willingly into the trap.
He stepped into the house and kicked the door shut behind him.
The sound made Sisi flinch and take a step back.
"Why are you scared, Sisi? Did I do something to frighten you?" he asked, clearly taunting her. After beating her for an entire month, he had developed a twisted desire to see her afraid. Sisi had never yielded, no matter how withered or bruised she was, her eyes remained clear and defiant. As if she would rather die than submit.
But this time, Sisi was afraid, not of Mr. Piker himself, but because of the cruel smirk on his face.
She feared he knew her secret.
"Anyway, look what I got for you," Mr. Piker said, revealing the object he had been hiding. "I caught it hiding in the horse shed. This pesky little pest must've been eating well these days, huh?"
Sisi's heart dropped when she saw the white wolf cub trapped in a tiny cage. He didn't seem injured, but he looked terrified, whimpering as he stared at her pitifully.
"Jojo!" she cried instinctively.
"Jojo? Ohh… I see. So this white wolf is your pet? You even gave it a name," Mr. Piker sneered. "Why didn't you tell me you were keeping an exotic animal in my shed? Had you told me sooner, I would've brought it into the house and fed it until it was fat enough to sell to a rich collector in the city!"
"No, he's not—" Sisi stopped herself.
She realized the more she tried to defend or protect Jojo, the more twisted Mr. Piker would become.
So she shut her mouth and glared at him hatefully.
Meanwhile, Jojo listened to everything, his tiny heart turning cold.
At first, he thought Mr. Piker and his savior had been working together to trap him, planning to sell him to humans as a pet.
But when he lifted his head and looked at his savior, he saw the truth. She was furious, glaring at the evil fat man with pure hatred. Her fists were clenched, and her eyes were rimmed red.
But she was powerless.
'Mmm… she still cares about me…' Jojo felt strangely happy about that thought. He didn't even mind the idea of being sold, enslaved, or kept as a pet—if it meant his savior would remain safe.
His father had always taught him to repay kindness and debts, whether good or bad.
But Sisi had very different thoughts.
She desperately racked her brain, searching for a way to free Jojo and send him into the forest.
Even if the forest was dangerous, it was far better than becoming a pet.
Sisi knew that if a rare white wolf with shiny fur was sold, he would be fed until he couldn't move, then killed once he grew older, because his fur alone was worth a fortune.
Mr. Piker observed Sisi's shifting expressions; fear, shock, anger, contemplation.
Clearly, she was thinking of a way to free the wolf.
His gaze drifted downward, from her chest to her waist, then paused when he noticed the bulge in her skirt pocket. His expression darkened.
"You thieving bitch! How dare you steal my food for a little pest!" he shouted.
Now that she had been discovered, Sisi stopped hiding it. She lifted her head and met his gaze without fear.
"That white wolf is not my pet. His name is Jojo, and he is…" Sisi looked at the wolf cub for a second, then said firmly, "He is my friend. And I will not let you harm him."
"Friend? Bahahahaha!" Mr. Piker burst into laughter as if she had told the funniest joke in the world. "You're so fucking hilarious, Sisi. Because you're a lonely bitch who has no friends, now you're befriending a wolf? What's next? Will you befriend the chickens and cows? I never knew I'd been living with a lunatic for so long!"