Kreene was a city that Olivia had heard a lot of rumors about.
She knew that this was Wayne's hometown from the information she read about him.
She only realized how segregated the city was when she saw it with her own eyes.
The city was very prosperous. The roads led to all corners of the city, and the streets were busy. But there was such a rundown area in this city.
It was like the difference between heaven and hell.
Olivia had been to many cities. She had met many refugees as well. It was her first time seeing such a place.
It looked so prosperous, especially the airport. It was better than a lot of the cities in Arlandia.
The refugees from other places appeared because their entire city was destroyed.
Olivia was shocked that there was such a slum in such a nice city.
How poor were the people here?
There were some people that lived under bridges in some other cities, but there were whole families living in graveyards in Kreene.
The children's faces were covered in dirt. They gazed at strangers cautiously.
On a street not far away, there were some barefooted kids in rags.
They were carrying a sack of stuff that they had just stolen. Some adults were chasing after them, yelling profanities.
Before Olivia could react, a boy ran into her. The boy rubbed his hands together and apologized.
"I'm sorry, miss. I didn't mean to run into you."
Olivia grabbed his hand.
"Did you want to pick my pockets? Unfortunately, people rarely carry cash around these days. I'll give you some advice."
She pointed at Wayne and said, "He has more money. Go steal from him."
The boy looked toward Wayne's direction.
Wayne didn't say anything, but he had a scary expression on his face. It was like he saw himself apologizing.
Wayne put his hand into his pocket. The boy immediately got on his knees. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please don't kill me!"
In this part of town, human life was the cheapest thing there was.
Wayne was stunned by her smile. "You shouldn't smile at me like that if you don't want me to be hopelessly in love with you."
Olivia was rendered speechless.
Wayne added, "I just felt like a princess like you who had been pampered all your life wouldn't be able to understand the lives of people like me. I was surprised that you didn't show any disdain and said those kind words."
"Wayne, I might've been born into a rich family, but that doesn't mean I'm spoiled. I was just stating facts.
"You must've sacrificed a lot to get to where you are today. I'm impressed by your achievements.
"But I still think you're despicable for kidnapping me. These two are separate things."
"This is what I like about this straightforward personality of yours."
Wayne grabbed her wrist.
Olivia frowned. "Let me go."
"A single woman like you would be targeted if you don't have a man with you in a place like this."
Ike, who was following behind them, grunted. "How pitiful. Smiling despite getting scolded."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Even After Death Novel (Olivia)