CHAPTER 7: THE RECOVERY

"Run, Host!" the system shouted. "Now!"

I didn't look back. I pushed the baby cycle down the alley with both hands. Behind me, I could hear the heavy footsteps of the men chasing us.

"There she is!"

"Grab the babies!"

"Mrs. Sterling wants them back unharmed!"

"Then she should have been kinder!" I screamed.

The wide street opened up in front of me. There were cars, loud horns, and a yellow taxi parked by the roadside.

"That one," the system said. "It's stopping."

The taxi's back door opened before I reached it. The driver leaned out, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Lady, are those five babies?"

"Yes! Please, drive!"

"Where to?"

"Anywhere!"

"Cedar Lane, Brooklyn," the system said. "Tell him."

"Cedar Lane, Brooklyn!" I shouted.

I lifted my daughters two at a time and placed them on the back seat. Then I folded the baby cycle and pushed it into the trunk.

"Please, hurry!"

The driver looked at me through the mirror and swore under his breath.

"Those men in black. Are they chasing you?"

"My mother-in-law sent them."

"Say no more."

He stepped on the gas, and the taxi sped away.

"Should I call the police?" he asked.

"No. Please don't."

A black hand slapped against the back window as we pulled away. I caught a glimpse of an angry face, then a street sign, and then nothing.

"They are following us," the system said. "Take the second left."

"Second left!" I shouted to the driver.

He turned so sharply that the babies slid against me. Aria let out a small cry.

"Easy, my princess. I've got you."

A minute later, the driver checked the mirror again.

"I think we lost them."

He looked at me through the mirror.

"Are you okay, ma'am? You don't look well."

"I'm fine."

"You're as white as a sheet."

"I said I'm fine."

But I wasn't fine.

The edges of my vision were turning gray. My hands felt like ice, and something warm and wet was spreading through my hospital gown.

"Host," the system said quietly. "Your blood loss is serious."

"Not now."

"Yes, now. Your body has run farther than it should."

The taxi stopped in front of a narrow brick house with a green door and a small iron gate. A sign that read "For Rent" hung on the fence.

"Cedar Lane," the driver said. "That will be forty dollars."

With a shaking hand, I paid him and added another hundred dollars.

"Lady, that's too much."

"Keep it. You didn't ask questions."

The driver looked at me for a moment.

"Good luck," he said. "To all six of you."

Then he drove away.

I stood on the sidewalk, holding my five babies, with nowhere else to go.

"Is this the house?" I whispered.

"Furnished and available now. I have transferred the first year's rent from your account. The code to the lockbox is four, eight, two, one."

"You rented a house without asking me?"

"You were busy bleeding."

"Fine," I said weakly. "Thank you."

I entered the code into the lockbox. It opened, and a key dropped into my palm.

"Will Margaret's men find us tonight?" I asked.

"No. They lost the taxi two streets back."

I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The house was small but clean. There was a sofa, a kitchen, a staircase, and a large bed in the first room. The air smelled like fresh paint.

"Put them on the bed," the system said. "Surround them with pillows."

"They will wake up hungry."

"Rest first. Your recovery will give your body what they need."

"What recovery?"

"You will see."

I carried my daughters to the bed and laid them down one by one.

Aria. Ariella. Arianna. Alabella. Aurelia.

I placed a pillow along each side of them to stop them from rolling off the bed.

"There," I whispered. "Safe."

Then my knees gave way.

"Host!"

The floor rushed toward me. I reached for the edge of the bed but missed it. My shoulder hit the wooden frame, and the room began to spin.

"Don't close your eyes," the system said. "Stay with me."

"I'm so tired."

"I know. Stay anyway."

"My babies..."

"They are asleep. They are safe. Look at me, Host."

"You don't have a face."

"Then listen to me."

I tried to keep my eyes open, but my eyelids felt too heavy. The blood on the floor was spreading.

"Clara," the system said.

It was the first time it had called me by my name.

"Don't give up now. You have come too far."

"You said my name," I whispered.

"You needed it."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. You are a mother."

Those words broke through the fog in my mind.

I looked at the bed. Five tiny faces stared back at me through the darkness. Five tiny fists moved as my daughters slept.

"Help me," I whispered. "I will not fail them."

"I know."

"Mission Three is complete," the system announced. "You found a safe home for your lucky stars. Reward: one million dollars. And full recovery."

A soft white light appeared in front of me. It spread over my hands, then my arms, and finally my chest.

The cold slowly disappeared.

The pain was gone. The bleeding stopped. Warmth spread through my muscles, and my mind became clear like a window wiped clean.

I slowly sat up.

"What just happened?"

"The Super Mom System has restored your body," it said. "You will not collapse again."

I touched my stomach. Just a few hours ago, it had felt torn apart. Now my body felt strong again.

"Is this real?"

"Check your account."

I picked up my phone and opened my account.

A new amount appeared at the top of the screen.

One million dollars had been added.

"Seven million seven hundred and eighty thousand," I read aloud. "And three hundred thousand on the card."

"Over eight million dollars in total," the system said. "You are no longer poor, Host."

"Eight million dollars," I whispered. "And this morning, I was bleeding on a hospital bed."

I laughed.

Then the laughter turned into tears, and I sat on the floor with my face in my hands.

"Ethan threw a card at me and thought that was the end of me," I whispered.

"He was wrong."

"He called them useless."

"Then make him pay."

I wiped my eyes and looked at my daughters. They were sleeping peacefully, all five of them breathing together.

"How?" I asked.

"Mission Four," the system replied. "Build your own company."

"A company? Me?"

"Your lucky stars will need an empire one day. You will start building it tonight."

"With what name?"

"Lucky Stars Group. No Sterling name. No trace of Ethan."

For the first time, I smiled without feeling any pain.

"Lucky Stars Group," I repeated. "I like it."

"What kind of company?"

"One he cannot ignore."

"Reward for completion: another revenge point."

"Revenge point?"

"The Regret Meter has moved from one percent to three percent."

"Three percent? Why?"

"Because of the doubt on Ethan's face when he watched you leave. He is beginning to wonder what he lost."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"Then let's start before they wake up."

But then the system's voice changed. It became quiet and careful, like someone who had just found a crack in the wall.

"Host, there is a problem."

My smile disappeared.

"What problem?"

"Someone is replaying the mall footage right now."

"The mall footage?"

"The footage of you talking to me. He is watching every second."

"Who?"

"He is standing in his office, looking at the camera as if he can hear me too."

"He can't hear you."

"He is trying."

"What is he doing now?"

"He has just ordered every man he controls to find you."

"Ding!"

"Warning, Host. Ethan is not only looking for you. He is looking for me."