The Inheritance

-6-

Chapter 251

Richard gave her his word instantly.

He knew that the Fenderson family was still out looking for Xara. He of course, was no fool and did not wish to create unnecessary trouble for himself.  

But, at the same time, Richard was pretty curious about what happened between Xara and her own family all those years ago.

He wanted to know in what way he was related to Queta.  

Realizing that Richard was asking her about it, Xara became quite frank, and she started spilling out the truth without holding back.  

Turns out it’s something along the lines of this.

Peter Crawford, who Xara mentioned, was the second young master from the Crawford family back then. He was young and handsome. He was also Queta’s father.  

‘Through logical deduction, the man named Peter should be my uncle who my dad talked about when I was young.’

‘Back then, he’d always tell me that my uncle was working out of town, so he rarely visited home.’

‘No wonder there was a sense of familiarity when I met Queta for the first time.’  

‘It turns out that Queta is my cousin.’  

But clearly, the grudge between the Crawford family and the Fenderson family was not that simple.

From what Xara said, it sounded like the Crawford family wanted to obtain something from the Fenderson family, which is supposedly why the grudge between them still exists after so many years.  

Twenty years ago, the Crawford family sent Peter over as a spy in order to approach the Fenderson family and gain the object that they wanted.

Xara wore a sweet smile when she started describing that part.

She was as lovely as a flower and devastatingly beautiful two decades ago. She was also the president of a large listed corporation under the Fenderson family. She was certainly a strong and independent woman.

And Peter had to invest much effort, just to approach Xara.  

Firstly, he entered the marketing department of the company.  

After that, he was appointed the general manager of the company because of how extremely capable he was.

In two years’ time, he grew very close to Xara.  

Peter was dashingly handsome. His working capabilities were extremely strong too. These were the two probable factors that made Xara fall for him.

But the Fenderson family had strict family rules. From time to time, Xara would feel a spark of love between them, but due to said rules, she quickly erased these feelings and denied their existence.  

That was until a later incident.

After the company’s annual party, Xara was driving home alone.  

On her way home, she was ambushed by her business rivals. There were around twenty people who surrounded Xara’s car, and they wanted to kidnap her.  

Luckily, Peter rushed to her rescue in the nick of time. Not only was he smart when it came to work, but he also had a great EQ as well. To add to that, he was extremely proficient in martial arts.  

Despite sustaining injuries, he still managed to defeat all twenty of Xara’s assailants.  

He then picked her up and ran off with her.

That was the classic tale of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress.

At that moment, Xara thought she had finally found the man whom she could rely on  

for the rest of her life.  

After that, they recognized the feelings they had for each other, and they started seeing each other.  

That was part of the reason why the resentment between the Crawford family and the Fenderson family worsened. It also led to unthinkable incidents where Queta was abandoned, Xara being booted out of the Fenderson family, and the sudden disappearance of Peter Crawford.  

At first, Xara wanted to keep it a secret when she found out that she was pregnant. But how long could one hide away from that fact?

On that day, the truth was revealed and an uproar happened.  

Peter’s identity was exposed. Angered by this incident, the patriarch of the Fenderson family ordered his subordinates to kill Peter Crawford for the wrong he had committed against his family.

In order to save Peter, Xara did not hesitate to set things clear with the old patriarch and renounce her membership in her family. After that, she stormed out of the Fenderson family, bringing along only her personal maid with her.

Richard listened to what Xara said intently.

He wasn’t feeling great. He realized that what he was doing currently was more or less the same as what his uncle did in the past.  

Unfortunately, his uncle was a passionate lover and a self-willed man. Too bad he had to fall in love with the young lady from their mortal rivals.  

Their love was destined to fail, no matter how much one struggled.  

“What happened after that? If only it involved you and me…and Peter Crawford, I’m sure the hatred between the Crawford family and the Fenderson family would never be so complex. No?”  

Richard asked curiously.

—

Something inside Richard told him that this was still not the time to reveal his identity as the young master of the Crawford family.

“That’s right. If only that was the case, then Dylan would not have attacked the Fenderson family in such a crazy manner!”  

Xara said.  

Dylan was the name of Richard’s father.  

Richard’s heart skipped a beat when he heard her mention his father’s name. He said nothing and listened to Xara quietly.  

“It was because something else happened after that incident…”

“After that, the master of the Crawford family—Dylan put Peter under house arrest. But Peter was worried sick about me and my daughter. So, one night, he said that he wanted to elope with me. Queta was already born at that time and we were supposed to lay low at someplace where no one could find us and where we would lead a proper life!”  

Xara said...

It was the night when Xara brought her maid—Xenia to go and find a hotel room in a hurry.  

Although she had nothing to do with the Fenderson family following her self-imposed exile, the Fenderson family still hired somebody to keep an eye on her because of some complicated issue.  

It was raining heavily that night. Xara was still holding her daughter, and she went to meet Peter according to the route which they had planned out.  

After all, they needed to hide from the Fenderson family.  

They left in a hurry. That was when Xara left her jade pendant as collateral for the stay at the hotel since she had no cash on her.  

And the person who sent the money over the next day was the personal driver who Peter sent over.  

At first, everything went according to plan. The next step in their plan was to meet each other in Merry

City.  

But unexpectedly, an accident happened on their way there.

Something happened to Peter.  

He disappeared from the radar following that unknown incident.  

The driver confirmed that Peter did arrive at Merry City. But she failed to contact him nonetheless.

Peter went missing just like that.  

Dylan thought that the Fenderson family was behind his younger brother’s sudden disappearance. Hence, he started a campaign to seek revenge on the Fenderson family. The already bitter relationship between the two families became even worse. Since then, they started plotting against each other secretly.  

Xara on the other hand thought that Dylan had captured Peter deliberately just to ruin the Fenderson family.  

But she denied having such thoughts later on.  

Although the master of the Crawford family—Dylan was rather cunning, he loved his younger brother— Peter tremendously. He would never launch such vicious attacks on the Fenderson family without first facing opposition from Peter.

Something must’ve happened to Peter then.

“A great ruckus was caused during those years. The Fenderson family did not pale in comparison to the Crawford family when it came to influence and power. Despite suffering such great losses, they were still far better off than your typical upper-class family. There would even be times when the two seemed to be on equal footing when they clashed.”

“It was amid their clashes that my brother and his wife passed away due to an accident.”

“Richard, you’re the descendant of the Crawford family. I’m sure that you’re aware that the descendants of the Fenderson family aren’t allowed to leave their house, and every person from every generation is grounded within the confines of their property. On the other hand, the descendants of the Crawford family lack the fame most families enjoy, and every person from every generation is raised poor. You’re aware of these things, aren’t you?  

“It’s related to the feud between the Crawford family and the Fenderson family that has been going on for ages, but the disputes worsened because of the affair between Peter and me.”  

Richard nodded.  

It was only till this point that he started to understand what was going on around him.

No wonder his father kept telling him to be humble and keep a low profile. If not, he would be brought home to the Crawford family immediately.  

Turns out the Crawford family had their enemies too.  

However, Richard did not know how the feud between the Crawford family and the Fenderson family came about in the first place.  

It became clear that Xara wasn’t going to dwell on it as well.

She started describing the events that followed her expulsion from the family. She asked Xenia to find a place to stay. After that, she brought Queta to an orphanage in Mayberry and put her there in order to spare her a life full of misery and homelessness that she herself was going to experience.  

She then returned to Salford Province alone.  

“Richard, could you please let me meet Queta? I’m begging you!”  

It appears that Xara still cared deeply for Queta.  

Of course, Richard wanted to grant her wish. He nodded. “Sure, Auntie Fenderson. Come with me!”

—

“Wait a moment!”  

Suddenly, Xara said.  

“Richard, I’m so repulsive now. Do you think that I’ll frighten Queta if I go there unannounced to meet her? Besides, I’ve never been by her side after so many years. I’ve even abandoned her. Will she hate me? Will she hate seeing such an extremely ugly mother?”  

Xara’s fear was evident in her voice.  

“She’ll definitely refuse to recognize me as her mother since I’m such a cruel and ugly woman!

“Besides, it’s way too sudden. Will Queta be able to accept it?”  

Xara touched her face as she spoke.  

Richard scratched his head. “If I tell Queta that you’re her mother, she’ll definitely be very excited. I guess you just don’t know her that well but, she’s a very kind young lady!”  

“That won’t do. Richard, how about this? Just make some arrangements for me to go and be a nanny for Queta. I know that there’s a chance that she’ll despise me as her nanny, but I just want to do something for Queta! I’m willing to do anything for her! Anything!”  

Xara said.  

“Alright, I’ll make the necessary arrangements then. We’ll only tell Queta the truth if the chance presents itself in the future.”  

This was the most he could do, for now at least.

Jasmine had already left with Mindy. Marven and the others were waiting with the car outside for Richard to return.  

Richard did not ask them to stay behind in the house, so they did not dare to do so.  

It would indeed be inconvenient if Xara tagged along with them. Hence, he asked Stella to leave with Marven and the rest of the group first.  

After that, Richard got another car and brought Xara to the villa where he was currently staying.

“Let’s go, Auntie Fenderson. It’s right here!”

When they reached the door of the villa, Richard smiled bitterly when he saw Xara standing there, completely frozen.  

“Oh, right!”

The door was opened.  

“Queta! Queta?”  

Richard shouted twice.  

There was no one at home.  

He assumed that Queta must have gone out to buy things.  

“She’s not around. Auntie Fenderson, please wait for a moment.”  

Xara nodded slightly. “Richard, I want to go to Queta’s room and take a look. Would that be an inconvenience?” she asked.

“No! Not at all! Let me bring you there!”  

Richard then opened the door of Queta’s room.  

However, he did not enter the room.  

It was Xara who entered the room with red, tear-filled eyes.  

The room was tidied with not a single thing out of place. There was not even a speck of dust in her room, not even in the corners, and it was as clean as a new pin.  

In the closet, Queta’s clothes which she usually wore were arranged in a tidy manner.  

She then walked toward Queta’s desk.  

There was a photo frame on the desk, and it contained a photo of Queta.

Xara could no longer hold her tears back upon seeing the photo of her baby girl.

In the photograph, Queta almost looked exactly like her when she was young.  

‘Daughter! She’s really my daughter!

‘She looks exactly like me!’  

Nothing made her happier than being reunited with her own daughter.  

She realized that God still loved her.  

She pressed the photo frame against her chest and continued sobbing for a while.

Suddenly, she glanced at the desk and saw that there was a notebook on it.  

She opened it and took a look.  

It was filled with Queta’s neat and beautiful handwriting.

Chapter 252

That was Queta’s diary.  

All these years, she had always had the habit of keeping a diary.

Xara flipped over the first page, and it was from the time before Queta met Richard.  

“I became a kindergarten teacher today. I’m quite satisfied since I get to see the children being happy and cheerful every day. I’ve never had a mother since I was young after all. Maybe I won’t feel so lonely by being with this group of overjoyed, bubbly kids.”  

“Today, I overheard a colleague talking about me behind my back. That teacher said that I grew up in an orphanage and that I was abandoned by my parents when I was young. I pretended as if I didn’t hear it, but I was so sad and upset. I hope I can meet my parents one day, so I can ask them why they abandoned me. Why couldn’t they give me a beautiful and happy childhood? Why?”  

“…”

“I work in a restaurant now. I made some mistakes, so I was scolded by my superior. A rich young man helped me. For some reason, I knew that he had a kind soul the moment I saw him.”  

“I met him again, and he helped me, again. But I get nervous every time I see him. It’s because he’s rich, and I’m just a poor girl. However, he told me that he had the same experience as me. I don’t know why but I still have the feeling that he’s a kind and friendly guy. I feel a sense of security every time I’m by his side!”

“I miss seeing him so much. I want to meet him again. Today, I met him again. I want to stay with him and take care of him. I want to take care of him in every way possible. But I know that he has a girl he loves. That girl is very beautiful and generous. Richard probably won’t fall in love with me. But I’m still willing to do anything for him.”  

“If I have my own family, I would tell Richard that I like him. But I have nothing now. I’m an orphan. I don’t even have a family, so I doubt that I even deserve love.”  

…

Xara flipped through the diary her poor little daughter had been keeping. Unknown to her, every page of the diary became soaked with Xara’s tears.  

“It’s been more than twenty years. I don’t even know what kind of grievances and bitterness my daughter has been through. She’s too young to be facing such misery.”  

Xara held the diary and cried.  

“Richard, you’re back! I went out to buy some vegetables. I’ll go whip up something tasty now!”  

Suddenly, Xara heard the clear voice of a girl.  

Xara was stunned when she heard that female voice.  

She ran out of the room hastily.

It was Queta who stood before her.  

“You… are?”  

Queta asked the question the moment she saw a stranger walk out of her bedroom.

“I’m…”

Both of Xara’s hands were shaking.  

“Queta, she’s Auntie Fenderson. She’ll cook for us in our home from now on. You can go to buy vegetables and cook with her in the kitchen from now on!”  

Richard replied immediately.  

Xara nodded slightly.  

Suddenly, Queta wore a compassionate expression when she saw Xara’s face which was filled with scars.  

She also started having a peculiar feeling the moment she saw Xara. It was a sense of familiarity which she had not felt for a long time.  

Queta smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Auntie Fenderson. I’m Queta Smith! We’ll be in charge of Richard’s meals and daily life from now on!”  

Actually, Richard would never let Queta serve him.  

But Queta was a person who refused to have a life without toil. After a long period of trying to persuade her, Richard decided it was futile to stop her from working for him.

Xara was his actual aunt, meaning it would be impudent to make her serve him.

But at that moment, Richard did not say much.

After that, Xara and Queta went into the kitchen to start prepping the next meal.  

Richard was delighted.

But at the climax of emotions, Marven decided to call him.

“Richard, something’s wrong!” he said.

“Yeah, something’s wrong with you that’s for sure! What happened?” Richard asked.  

“F*ck! You really shouldn't have let a girl drive! My goodness! We just had a near-death experience!”  

Marven was so scared that he began sobbing.  

‘Hmm…’

Richard was quite helpless. It was true that Stella was the only one from the group who had a driving license. Besides, it would have been inconvenient for him to explain to them why Xara was coming along. That was why he asked Stella to take the wheel and go back by themselves.  

“Are you alright?”  

“Yes, we’re alright. But we had a rear-end collision with a car. Now, that crazy woman’s freaking out. She won’t let us leave no matter what we tell her. Apparently, she wants the owner of the car to come over!”

—

“Let me tell you. My car is a Mercedes-Benz too. It’s much, much more expensive than your stupid MPV!

I won’t let this incident slide unless you cough up forty-five grand for me to fix my goddamn car!”  

“Also, forty-five thousand dollars are just the fees for repairing my car. You still need to provide compensation for the mental anguish you have caused me! I was rushing to attend a function today. Now that I’ve missed it, have you any idea how much I’ve truly lost? It’s far greater than thirty thousand dollars that’s for sure. Hmph!”  

That woman looked young, as young as Marven and the rest of his group.  

She was overreacting probably because of how rich she was.

Marven and the others said nothing to refute her claims.

“It was just a simple accident. Do you really have to ask for such a great amount for compensation? How are we even going to cough up that sum?”  

Stella asked anxiously.

Seventy-five thousand dollars was no small change.

Stella was rather paranoid when it came to driving. She accidentally bumped into the woman’s car when she was trying to dodge a larger vehicle.  

“Hmph! I didn’t ask you for the money. Didn’t you say that you’re driving someone else’s car? You don’t have money but the owner of the car should have it! I’ll wait for him to come. Until then, you’re prohibited to leave!”  

That woman warned.  

At that moment, that woman’s friend, who was also a young lady, emerged from the car. “Let’s forget about it. We came out to have fun today. Maybe you can just let it slide after they pay a bit of compensation?”

“Forget about it? No way! I’ve been down on my luck for the past two days. Like hell, I’m gonna let this slide! Finally, I bumped into a stupid Mister Moneybags and you think I’m gonna let him go? I need to ask for great compensation before that happens!”  

The woman whispered to her friend.

After that, she stood at the side of the road and called someone on her phone.

“Marven, did you call Richard?”

Stella asked Marven.  

“Yes, I did. We’re pretty close to his house. He said that he’ll come right away. Damn woman! You’re pretty pesky, aren’t you? We’re almost at his house so quit the anxious yappin’ alright?”  

Marven scolded Stella.  

“I told you that I didn’t do it on purpose. How could you yell at me for that?”  

Stella said with teary eyes.  

“A good-for-nothing trash bag you are!”  

Marven stopped talking after he was satisfied with venting out his anger on Stella.

He squatted by the road and waited patiently for Richard’s arrival.

Suddenly, a sizable crowd had formed around the collision site.

“Hey! Looks like a pretty serious collision! What a beauty of a car too! Tsk tsk tsk! What a pity, young lady!”  

The male observers noticed how beautiful the driver of the car who got rear-ended was. She had a naturally seductive face, which men tended to gravitate towards.

They knew from just a glance that she was the kind of rich lady who enjoyed her life vehemently.  

Lightbulbs started appearing above their heads. They then approached the woman, perhaps in an attempt to butter her up.  

And that woman hung up her call. “That’s right. I just bought this car a while ago. I’m gonna need fortyfive grand to fix up the car, and a further thirty thousand for the mental stress they’ve put me through! It’s a small sum anyway. Can’t you see how new my car is!? By the way, is the car owner even here yet?

Didn’t you say that he lives nearby? Shouldn’t he be here by now!?”  

“He’ll be here soon!”  

Marven replied.  

“Miss, could it be that they’re lying to you?”  

At that moment, the passer-by said.  

“Ah? What do you mean?”  

The woman was baffled.  

“We’re in the most affluent neighborhood in Salford Province, where most of the billionaires live! How do I put this properly? Well, the people who live here are worth at least a hundred and fifty million dollars. If not for how beautiful the scenery is at the local park here, we wouldn’t be hanging around here at all! The math just doesn’t add up! Ain’t no way someone from this neighborhood owns such a crappy car like theirs! That car looks like it costs only sixty or seventy grand, tops!”  

The passer-by said.  

“That’s true. Maybe they really are fooling me? Hmph! Let me ask you! Is your boss really from around here?”  

The woman asked.  

“Yeah, he’s staying at Glorious Moment Villa in County Salford.”  

Marven replied.

—

“Hahaha! D*mn! Get a load of this guy! Glorious Moment Villa is the most expensive property throughout Salford County. A place like that costs around twelve million dollars. Like hell the owner of that place would even consider owning a stupid little Merc!”  

“Ah, I see it now. Miss, I’m guessing these guys are just trying to frighten you! After all, someone who lives in Glorious Moment Villa is not to be trifled with!”  

The few passersby broke into laughter.  

The woman, of course, heard them mention Glorious Moment Villa as well. She lashed out at them angrily, “Are you out of your mind? Let me tell you. The more you waste my time, the more compensation you’re going to have to pay me for my emotional distress. How dare you even think about frightening me! My boyfriend knows some of the people who stay in Glorious Moment Villa. Who is your boss? I guess we’ll find out after I make some phone calls to ask about it!”  

Marven was deeply angered by her statement.

However, in the next moment, he stood up excitedly. He then pointed in a seemingly random direction as he said, “He’s here.”  

The woman and the nosy passersby peered in the direction he was pointing towards.  

“Are you lying? Which one is your boss?”  

The woman asked provocatively.  

“The one with the cap, on the electric tricycle!”  

Marven said with his face all twisted up.

He cursed out loud in his own mind. ‘Why did Richard have to ride on an electrical tricycle here?’  

“D*mn! Is that your boss? You’ve got to be kidding me right?”  

The woman flew into a fit of rage.  

The surrounding people burst into laughter.  

Richard, on his silly little electric tricycle, approached the commotion. He saw the people standing there, laughing with their hands on their bellies. It seemed rather lively to him.  

It wasn’t like he could help it either.  

He did not drive his own car there. He always had cars waiting for him whenever he wanted to venture out of his property.

However, what happened was way too sudden. What’s more, the scene of the supposed “accident” was just a stone’s throw away from his house.  

He thought that it would be impudent of him to call his driver to come and take him on such a short trip, one which he could easily complete himself.  

Thankfully, there was an old couple staying in the villa next to his.  

They were quite close with Richard too.  

The old man moved out of his hometown to help look after his son’s villa. However, being from the rural countryside, he had long grown used to riding electric tricycles. Thus, his son bought him a new one, even though they were living in the middle of an upscale neighborhood.  

Richard had to deal with something nearby, so he went and borrowed the vehicle from that old man.  

Besides, the electrical tricycle was pretty powerful anyway.  

Richard rolled to a stop at the scene of the car accident.  

He then took off the cap which he was wearing.  

The woman, whose car was rear-ended by Richard’s friends, thought that she had finally stumbled upon easy meat. She suddenly felt the urge to bully the man on the tricycle.  

But she recognized Richard’s face seconds later.

She was stunned all of a sudden. “D*mn! Richard? It’s you!”  

“Richard?”  

Her other friend, who advised her to back down just now yelled out in surprise as well.  

“Vincy, Xyla. It’s you again.”  

Richard was stunned too.  

It did not occur to him that Stella had crashed into Xyla’s car. What a small world!

Xyla was excited to see Richard.

She thought that the chance had finally arrived for her to approach Richard. The fact that he was riding an electric tricycle confirmed the suspicion she had the other day.  

“Hmph! Richard! Although we’re acquaintances, this luxury car belongs to my boyfriend! It’s pretty expensive, as you can see. I might not make a big deal out of this if this was my car, but that is not the case! I’m sorry, but according to my calculations, I’m gonna need seventy-five grand to make up for this accident! No more, and certainly no less!”  

“Hey, Xyla, what are you doing? Did you forget that Richard was our classmate!?” Vincy was quick to dissuade her friend from making such outrageous claims.

“I don’t care. He’s gotta cough it up since it’s his car that bumped into mine! Hmph! Besides, who Richard is? Even Chairman Gordon had to give him a toast back during that party. Did you forget that his childhood friends working in the automobile industry? How awesome is that? I doubt that he’ll even hesitate to pay us the money! Now, aren’t I right, Richard?”

Xyla mocked and said, “Besides, his friend did say that Richard lives in Glorious Moment Villa. Do you even understand what that implies?”  

Xyla talked like a broken chatterbox. Richard was rather helpless when he saw her acting in that manner. Suddenly, his phone rang...

Chapter 253

“Hello, Mr. Crawford. I’m Xavion!”  

Xavion was Chairman Gordon. Richard met him at the extravagant marketing party for the Mountain Top Villa in Howard County the other day. They had exchanged numbers during their brief interaction there.

“Nice to hear from you again, Chairman Gordon. Is there anything I can help you with?”  

Richard smiled and said.  

“Yes, there’s something I’d like to discuss. We’re organizing a banquet, and we’ve invited rich businessmen from various places to attend the event. At first, we didn't dare to invite you since we’re just mere businessmen, and it might be more of an inconvenience for you to attend our banquet. But the response we’ve received is astounding. Rich businessmen and distinguished members of Mayberry’s society have agreed to come. Those presidents said that they’re your subordinates. So, I was calling to ask if you’re free to attend our humble little feast.”

Xavion said.  

Doing actual business and earning money were only side-quests when one reached the level of Xavion in the business world. For people like him, connections were equal to business.

It was much wiser to maintain and develop connections than compared to developing a project.  

That was why affluent businessmen loved to hold functions where they could mingle together.  

It was because they might get acquainted with the presidents of other companies. There, they would then make new connections, and new connections meant new opportunities.  

Richard was no exception to having this habit of attending functions regularly.

Richard found it hard to refuse Xavion’s hospitality.  

But now, he really had no time given the current circumstances he found himself in.

He reluctantly turned down the invitation that Mr. Xavion had extended to him.

He hung up the phone afterward.

It seemed that Xyla was actively eavesdropping on the conversation Richard had over the phone.

“Hmph! Who’s going to treat you to a meal this time? Which Chairman Gordon is it? Could it be

Chairman Gordon from back then?”  

Xyla asked curiously.  

After all, Xyla hated the idea of Richard becoming close to Chairman Gordon.  

“It’s nobody!”  

Richard smiled bitterly. “I saw the damage to the rear of your car just now. Xyla, isn’t it too much to ask for seventy-five thousand dollars?”  

Richard was rich, but he was no fool.

“Isn’t it too much? F*ck! The men from the garage will come and assess the damage soon! You’ll see it then. Maybe it’ll cost even more than my estimated amount! You’re just making up excuses since you can’t even pay for what I’m asking!”  

Xyla said.  

After that, she crossed her arms across her chest and waited for the vehicle damage assessors to arrive.  

Just yesterday, she was worried that Richard would strike gold after becoming acquainted with Chairman Gordon during the party.  

That explained why she was in such a foul mood today.

But Xyla’s worries faded away the moment she saw Richard arriving on his silly little electric tricycle. To think that he’s so broke that he even needs to bargain over seventy-five grand!

After a short while, the vehicle damage assessors from the garage arrived to check the damage on Xyla’s car.

After checking around the car, they whispered to each other. Then, they grabbed their tools and stood up.  

“How is it? How much do we need for the repairs? I’m sure it’s at least seventy-five grand.”  

Xyla said with her arms crossed.

“Yes. If we’re going to repair all the damage, our estimate is that everything will probably cost around seventy thousand dollars.”  

One of the assessors replied.

“D*mn! Seventy thousand dollars?”  

“That’s too cruel!”  

The crowd shouted in surprise.  

Xyla was plenty surprised herself, as she stuck her tongue out at Richard. She asked for forty-five thousand dollars entirely based on her own experience. To think that the cost would be nearly twice that amount!

She was still that young girl. The influence and power she possessed came entirely from her boyfriend’s hard work. She herself did not have much experience with luxury cars.  

Initially, she even thought that it would only cost around thirty thousand dollars.  

She then smiled smugly and said, “Haha! Richard, did you hear that? The car repair fee is around seventy thousand dollars. Besides that, there’s still compensation for my emotional distress since you’ve wasted my time. Just do the calculation yourself and see. Let me tell you. It definitely won’t be resolved even with seventy-five thousand dollars!”  

‘I asked for seventy-five thousand dollars just now. Now, it definitely won’t do with only seventy-five thousand dollars.’

‘I don’t want to make you look too bad, but you’re the one who refused my kindness. Hmph! Go and cry in the corner then!’  

Richard could only shrug his shoulders wordlessly in resignation.  

“That’s fine. Thank you for your hard work. Write me a quotation for the car repair fee. You can leave after that. Here, a tip as well!”  

As Xyla was saying that, she took a few ten-dollar bills from her purse and shoved them towards the vehicle damage assessors.

But they shook their heads, refusing to take the money.  

“Madam, please listen to me first. Just put aside the money for the car repair fee. What we want to say is that this car isn’t ours.”

—

The assessors said.  

“Nonsense! This is an imported car. My boyfriend’s father asked his friends to buy it for them. Of course it’s not yours!”  

“I think you’ve misunderstood what we’re trying to say here. What I meant is that this vehicle isn’t the model that can be found in our inventory. It’s not even supposed to be sold here in Weston. Only one batch of it was ever produced, which was discontinued a long time ago. But, recently, there have been counterfeits of this model circulating around the domestic market. I’m sure you know through what method this vehicle was procured without me having to say much,” the assessor explained.

“D*mn! So you’re trying to say that we smuggled this vehicle? What a load of horse crap!”

Xyla sounded audibly panicked.

The assessors were helpless. He could only show her the official statement they received from headquarters about these cars. In addition to that, all known counterfeited vehicles had their own reports and related files.  

“Get lost! What kind of nonsense is this? I just wanted you to assess the damage. Why did you create so much unnecessary trouble? You know what, I don’t think I want you to assess the damage now, will that be okay?”  

Xyla was slightly concerned after taking a good look at the official statement.

After all, that was her boyfriend’s car, not her’s.

She felt a sense of guilt for creating such a mess.  

“Miss, I told you just now. This car is included in our records. Our team will come and tow it away in a moment. I hope that you’ll give us your full cooperation in the following investigation. If you’re not the owner of this vehicle, could you ask the owner to come over instead?”  

One of the assessors had already hung up his call.

“D*mn! What are you doing?”  

Xyla became anxious.

She was no longer in the mood to demand payment from Richard.

She was so scared that she called her boyfriend—Leon immediately.  

As for Richard, it did not occur to him that things would turn out like that.  

Observing the whole process unfold before him, he could only shake his head and laugh bitterly.

Karma’s a b*tch.

It was at this moment that Xyla saw Richard laughing at her predicament.

Since she was on the phone, she took off one of her high heels and threw it at Richard.  

But Richard managed to dodge the incoming projectile.  

“B*stard! How dare you take pleasure in my misfortune? You’re gonna compensate me no matter what. No more, no less than the amount I specified! It’s your fault. I want a hundred thousand dollars! You won’t be able to escape!”  

Xyla said crazily.  

“You’re crazy!”  

Richard shook his head in resignation.  

The young lady was already in plenty of trouble. How could Richard kick someone who was already down, like her?

“Sir, I’ve checked and your car is from our store. I’ve arranged for two tow trucks to come here.  These two vehicles will be towed away together!”  

The vehicle damage assessor said.  

“Alright!”  

Richard nodded and agreed.  

After that, the man went ahead and continued pestering Xyla with an unending amount of questions.  

Seeing that there was nothing else for them to do here, Richard was about to ask Stella and the others to leave first.  

He could deal with the issue here himself.

Xyla probably had been given an earful from her boyfriend over the phone. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she hid from Richard’s view while sobbing into the phone.  

Vincy glanced at Richard, and he did the same thing at the same time.

Both of them laughed awkwardly at each other.

“Vincy, where were you two headed originally? I’m really sorry for delaying your journey. Or, perhaps I could take you to your destination!”  

Richard offered.

“Fine. We were supposed to attend a gathering. Xyla asked me to keep her company, so that was the reason I came!”  

Vincy said.  

“Hmph! If you have anything else to ask about, go and meet my boyfriend tomorrow. He’ll contact you tomorrow!”  

“Alright, miss.”  

At that moment, it appeared that Xyla had concluded her negotiations with the assessors.

After that, she walked over and said, “Vincy, we’re running out of time! Let’s go there first. D*mn it! I really wanted to attend that gathering in this car!”  

Xyla said angrily before issuing yet another warning to Richard.

“Xyla, it’s better if we go there first. You won’t be able to handle this issue by yourself either. Besides,

Richard just offered to drop us off at the venue.”  

Vincy said.  

“What? Do you want him to give us a ride on that pathetic little electric tricycle? Vincy, are you out of your mind?”

—

“Don’t say that Xyla! Not in front of him at least!”  

Vincy said.  

Although she too, felt that it would be rather embarrassing to arrive on nothing but an electric tricycle, her fear was whittled away by the sight of Richard riding the vehicle unapologetically. If he himself didn’t feel embarrassed, why should she?  

Xyla on the other hand felt the complete opposite. “Maybe you’ve gone drunk! If you want to ride on that thing, go ahead and knock yourself out! Like hell, I’m gonna go in with you though. I’ll be waiting for you outside the venue. And you! Don’t you forget what happened today, Richard!”  

After that, Xyla hailed a taxi and left for the venue in a hurry. After all, she needed to be where her boyfriend was as soon as possible.  

“I think it’s better if you don’t go. Listen, my little sister’s whipping up a real good meal. Why don’t you come over to my place and have a meal together? It’s on my tab!” Richard offered.

After all, Richard and Vincy still had the kind of friendship ex-classmates shared.

“No, I don’t think I’ll do that. I have to keep her company, Richard. I fear that if I let her go there herself, she’d suffer from a tremendous loss!”  

Despite how vile her friend is, Vincy remains a kind-hearted girl.

But Vincy felt secretly embarrassed when she imagined the scene where she arrived at the venue on Richard’s little tricycle.

Even though Vincy had a very good disposition and manners, it was an undeniable fact that every girl loved flashy things.  

If she refused Richard now, she might hurt Richard’s pride and dignity.  

She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

However, there was no way out. Hence, she said, “Alright, Richard. You can just drop me off at the entrance!”  

“Sure! This electrical tricycle is plenty powerful! We’ll arrive there soon!”  

As he said that, he got on the electrical tricycle.  

Beep! Beep!

He even honked twice to prompt Vincy to get on the tricycle.

Vincy tidied up her hair with her fingers. There were a lot of people looking at them, which made her blush deeply.  

But at last, she still got onto Richard’s electrical tricycle.  

“Go faster! Xyla might have reached that place now!”  

Vincy said softly. She lowered her head, perhaps in an effort to shield her face from people who might know her, as they zoomed past the tricycle on the freeway.  

On the other hand, Richard said nothing when he saw Vincy, whose face had now turned beet red from all the blushing.  

After all, Richard never felt that a person who drove a four-wheel vehicle was much more respectable than those people who rode on two, or three wheels.

He stepped on the gas pedal and zoomed towards their destination.

The chosen venue was a large hotel in County Salford.  

The interior of the grand hotel was hung with red and long draperies, and it was lined with a seemingly unending row of expensive-looking confetti tubes.

There was also a red carpet from the lobby of the hotel which led up to the entrance at the outer courtyard of the hotel.  

There were a lot of distinguished people and rich businessmen to be found in the hall.  

On the other hand, the organizers of the event were waiting outside to greet and welcome the guests. Some of them were also snapping away with their cameras.

It seems like they were going to hold a small ceremony outside of the hotel first.  

There was a crowd that had formed outside.

“Vincy, is it here?”  

Richard said.  

In front of them was a couple of rich young men smoking their cigarettes.  

They did not even feel obliged to give way to Richard’s vehicle.

Beep! Beep!

Richard honked twice to get their attention.  

It made that group of rich young men turn and look at them. When they looked over, they saw Richard, who was riding on an electric tricycle. Behind him was a young lady. The men started whispering to each other before they burst out laughing.

“That’s enough, Richard. Just put me down here!”

Vincy was deeply embarrassed.  

She regretted her decision of agreeing to let Richard send her here.

It embarrassed her so much as these young men were in the same age group as herself, and they were now giving her weird looks. Truly the nightmare of a young maiden!  

“Sure!”  

Richard stepped on the brakes and the tricycle rolled to a stop right before the entrance of the hotel.

And coincidentally, Xyla came out to fetch Vincy.  

Her eyes bulged when she saw that Vincy really did arrive at the hotel on Richard’s stupid little tricycle.  

“D*mn! Vincy, are you out of your mind? How could you ask him to send you here on his electric tricycle?”  

Xyla’s face turned as red as a tomato as soon as she saw Richard’s vehicle.

“Xyla, stop talking about that now. Richard, why don’t you go home first? I’ll treat you to a meal next time!”  

Vincy quickly shoo-ed Richard away when she noticed how much attention they were garnering.

“Sure thing!”  

Richard nodded.

“Chairman Larson and his convoy have arrived!”

Chapter 254

The security guards, who were standing at the entrance shouted out to the businessmen who were standing out in the courtyard.

The rich folks then hastily, but excitedly rushed forwards to welcome the newly-arrived guest.

“D*mn! Why is there an electric tricycle parked at the entrance? What are you doing? Get lost kid!”  

The security guard came over and shoved Richard aside forcefully.  

“Oh God, how embarrassing!”  

Feeling humiliated, Xyla covered her eyes.  

“If there’s anything you’d like to say, say it nicely. Why did you push me around? I’ll leave now, alright!?”  

Richard stepped on the gas pedal and left.  

After the convoy rolled to a stop, a couple of middle-aged businessmen got out of the vehicles. There were their rich daughters and sons too. It quickly became clear that these were their most distinguished guests today.

The other presidents lined up to welcome them. Pleasantries and greetings were exchanged.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for giving me the honor to attend the party this time around. But it’s a slight misfortune that we failed to invite a very distinguished guest today. We cannot express how regretful we are in relation to this situation!”  

All of them stood along the side of the red carpet and listened to the president who appeared to be the organizer as he spoke.  

There was a lot of discussion going on among the crowd. “Who is that?”  

“Who’s that big shot? Chairman Gordon!”  

The others asked.  

Vincy had already been led into the hall of the hotel by Xyla.  

At that moment, they looked at Chairman Gordon, who was standing on the stage.

Subconsciously, fear had started taking hold of her heart.

She was slightly anxious as she tugged at her boyfriend—Leon’s arm, who was standing next to her.

“Leon, who is the guy that he said he wanted to invite?”  

“How would I know? Didn’t you see how clueless we all were?”  

Leon was not being nice. After all, his father had already been informed of the mess which Xyla had stirred up.  

Xyla felt bad for it, so she shut her mouth up immediately.  

Prior to that accident, she was excited to be able to attend such a grand occasion. She thought that she’d get to know lots of rich people.  

But deep down, she was feeling slightly insecure about herself.

It was because Richard seemed to have answered a call just now, and the one who called him was also a person named “Chairman Gordon”.

She wondered if it was the same person.  

But the more she thought about it, the less plausible it became.  

Who was Richard? At most, the only explanation she could come up with was that his childhood friend had introduced him to Chairman Gordon. Without that friend, he was just another nobody!

Xyla felt secure and relieved when she thought of that.

“Heh heh! There are a whole lotta things we can talk about when it comes to this ‘big shot’. Our distinguished guest—Chairman Larson, who came here all the way from Mayberry, and his daughter happen to be close friends of his!”

Chairman Gordon said with a smile.

Chairman Larson responded with a proud smile of his own.

The facial expression of his daughter changed too. She started smiling but with hints of excitement and anxiousness.

“Ah! Chairman Gordon, don’t keep us guessing. Hurry up and tell us who that big shot is!”  

Some of the more curious ones have noticed how mysterious Chairman Gordon was acting.

“How about this? Let me give you a hint, maybe then, you’ll figure out who he is! He’s the owner of the most luxurious villa in Mayberry—Mountain Top Villa. Besides that, he’s also a millionaire in Sunnydale Province and the president of the most powerful group in Mayberry!”  

Chairman Gordon said enthusiastically.  

“Ah!”  

Everyone below the stage was shocked when they heard what Chairman Gordon said.

“Oh gosh! I know who he’s talking about now! Is it Mr. Crawford from Mayberry?”  

“How is that even possible? Has Mr. Crawford of Mayberry finally come to Salford Province?”  

“As powerful and capable as Chairman Gordon is, it’s preposterous to think that he’s able to invite Mr.

Crawford all the way from Mayberry to attend this event.”  

Their discussion was ceaseless.

The majority of the businessmen gathered here today thought that Chairman Gordon was just tooting his horn.  

They thought that Chairman Gordon didn’t even have Mr. Crawford’s contact number, never mind being able to invite him.  

“Aren’t you just trying to use the name of Mr. Crawford to your advantage, and did you rely on the

Larson family from Mayberry to get to know the man himself?”  

At that moment, Fabian, who was under the stage, put forth his brainy deduction.  

“But I heard that Chairman Gordon has undertaken a few projects of Mr. Crawford’s in Mayberry. Could it be that he’s actually well-acquainted with Mr. Crawford?”  

A few rich heirs had come to Leon’s side and started discussing.  

“Xyla, Vincy, aren’t the two of you from Mayberry? You should know about Mr. Crawford of Mayberry well, right?”  

Out in public, Fabian treated Xyla decently.  

Both Xyla and Vincy shook their heads and said, “We only heard of him from our classmates. He’s very powerful and influential. Everyone in Mayberry knows about him. But we don’t know any more than that!”

“Vincy, why don’t you ask our ex-classmates? I was so anxious just now that I almost smashed my phone!”  

Since the rich heirs had started talking about Mr. Crawford, it would be inappropriate of her and mighty awkward if she didn’t participate in the discussion, since she was from Mayberry as well.

Vincy nodded.

She reached down to fumble for her phone in her bag but she froze up seconds later. “Oh no, I think I might have left my bag on Richard’s tricycle…”

—

Since there were so many people present earlier and she was already feeling so uncomfortable back then, Vincy had gotten off the electric tricycle in a hurry. She must’ve forgotten to take her bag along with her at that moment!

“Oh no, how careless of you! Did you have a lot of cash in it?” asked Xyla.

“Having my money stolen is the last thing I’m worried about! I just hope that Richard eventually notices it! If it gets left behind, my cell phone, identity card, and bank cards will all be gone!” replied Vincy.

“Hey! Why are you doing back here? Does this look like a car park to you?”

At that moment, a commotion could be heard from the entrance. Upon closer inspection, a few security guards seemed to be trying to prevent a young man from entering the area.

“My friend’s forgotten her bag! I just want to pass it to her!”

The young man in question was none other than Richard!

“Have a good look at what kind of place this is! Do you think that anyone can just enter this place all willy-nilly? Scram!” shouted the security personnel as they began pushing Richard away.

Since Xyla and Vincy had both been so close to the entrance when that scene happened, they were able to witness the entire thing.

“Good god! Just look at how embarrassing that guy is! Hurry up and take your bag so that we can make him leave already!” replied Xyla anxiously.

Her anxiety stemmed from the fact that a few rich-looking young men were also looking at Richard. All of them seemed to be ridiculing him as though he was nothing but a joke.

It was natural for people to want to be prideful before their peers. If her peers ever found out that she was acquainted with such a worthless person as Richard, then she’d definitely be made fun of as well!

Hearing Xyla’s words, Vincy immediately ran toward Richard before saying, “I’m here, Richard! You can hand my bag over to me now!”

While she also wanted to thank Richard, somehow, the words just never came.

The situation was similar to her high school days. After all, Vincy had slight feelings for Richard back then. However, she never ended up telling him about it since she wanted to keep her face.

It was at that moment when Vincy realized that not much had changed since then.

Instead of stating her appreciation, she simply said that she needed to go back inside before turning around again.

“Richard!” shouted a high-pitched female voice out of the blue. It seemed to have come from the stage area.

Finding the voice familiar, Richard scanned through the crowd and saw that it had come from the young lady of the Larson family, Elena! She and her father had come from Mayberry city, and both of them were standing among what seemed to be a few chairmen who worked under her father’s group.

“Is that really you, Richard? On our way here, I saw someone riding an electric tricycle who's back looked similar to yours! I told my father about it but he said it was simply preposterous to think that you’d ride an electric tricycle! To think that my initial guess was right!” said Elena rather excitedly.

Everyone was utterly shocked when they heard that. The young lady of the Larson family actually had a friend who rode on electric tricycles?

“Who is that guy? Isn’t Miss Larson treating him quite well?”

“Indeed! Maybe he’s one of her classmates?”

As the guests discussed among themselves in surprise, Xyla herself was breathing quite heavily at that moment.

‘Elena actually knew Richard? How on earth did Richard know so many people?’

“Oh? Elena and Mr. Larson! You’re both here too?” replied Richard as his gaze momentarily wandered to the front of the stage.

Who he saw, however, surprised him. Standing before the stage, was Xavion!

It was at that moment when Richard remembered that Xavion had earlier given him a call, inviting him to a party. However, since he was confronting Xyla when Xavion had called, Richard had turned down the invitation.

Little did he know that the party Xyla and Vincy were attending was the one he was invited to!

“‘You’re both here too’? This kid is really something else! Doesn’t he know how to speak respectfully at all?”

“I know right? Referring to Mr. Larson and his daughter as ‘all of you’… How  preposterous!”

“Agreed!”

“Say, Xyla? Vincy? Isn’t he your classmate?” asked Leon out of the blue as he shook his head with a wry smile on his face.

“We don’t know him at all!” replied Xyla instantly.

—

Vincy herself simply lowered her head without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Xavion finally realized that Richard was present and when he did, he became so excited that his lips began trembling.

“M-Mr. Crawford! You’re here!”

Assuming that Richard hadn’t wanted to attend the party since he looked down on all the ordinary rich people who were attending, Xavion didn’t continue pestering him after that call. Yet here he was, standing before him right now!

“Greetings, Mr. Crawford!” said Mr. Larson and his group, replying to Richard’s earlier greeting as they took a step forward before bowing slightly before him.

At that moment, silence enveloped the entire area. Many of the guests were so surprised that their jaws were now hanging wide.

Why were all these wealthy and powerful figures bowing down to this young man who had arrived on an electric tricycle?

What more, Chairman Gordon appeared to be trembling earlier as he spoke!

Xyla’s breathing was growing heavier by the minute. Her mind was completely blank and her mouth was so wide open that one could stuff an entire hard boiled egg into it.

“M-Mr. Crawford?! Did… Did they actually just refer to Richard as Mr. Crawford?! How could that be possible?!”

Vincy was too shocked to even think of a reply. She had no idea what was going on anymore.

“Is… Is he really Mr. Crawford of Mayberry?!”

It was a brief moment later when the crowd of people began getting noisy again as they exchanged gazes with each other in shock.

“Chairman Gordon and Chairman Larson! You’re being way too polite. I honestly hadn’t expected you to be organizing this event!” replied Richard, feeling slightly embarrassed.

His embarrassment was warranted since he could now feel people staring at him both left and right. Everyone seemed to be experiencing complicated emotions as they continued looking at Richard.

Though he felt awkward, Richard simply walked into the hotel in a naturally poised manner.

Xyla could only stare in astonishment as Richard walked past her and headed straight for the stage.

Realizing that Richard was coming closer, Chairman Gordon immediately stood up from the middle seat and gestured for Richard to take it as he said, “Please, have this seat, Mr. Crawford!”

After saying then, he then looked at the rest of the guests before saying, “Everyone, we have a very distinguished guest today! This is Mr. Crawford from Mayberry, an extremely wealthy and powerful figure who also owns Mountain Top Villa!”

As the audience went wild from the confirmation that Richard truly was the one and only, Mr. Crawford, sudden laughter akin to a madwoman’s pierced through all the noise.

Everyone then turned to stare at the girl who had made such a crazed laugh.

“What are you laughing at, Xyla?” asked Leon who had also been taken aback by her maniacal laughter.

“Haha! What do you mean what am I laughing at? I’m laughing at Richard, of course! How incredible of him to have deceived so many people! But what’s even more unbelievable is the fact that everyone here actually believes that he’s Mr. Crawford! Don’t any of you find that to be a rather ridiculous claim?” replied Xyla as she walked forward, continuing to laugh.

Upon hearing what she had to say, several of the wealthy businessmen on stage began frowning. This was especially so for Chairman Gordon as he glared at Xyla.

“What do you even think you’re saying? Men! Toss her out of this place immediately!” shouted Xavion angrily.

“Don’t get me wrong, Chairman Gordon. I have no intention of offending you at all! I just hope that you won’t continue being fooled by that guy. After all, I was his high school classmate! I know all about his past and his living conditions very well! Vincy is aware of it too! He’s nothing more than a pauper who can’t even afford to pay for his own meals!”

Once the audience heard that, everyone simultaneously heaved secret sighs of relief. Could this be a fake Mr. Crawford after all?

Seeing how everyone seemed to believe her now, Xyla grew even cockier than before. If everything continued going well, then she would be able to successfully show off in front of all these influential business people!  

Claiming that Richard was actually Mr. Crawford? What a joke! It was simply impossible!

Xyla then turned to look at Richard, a look of contempt on her face as she laughed before saying, “I bet you didn’t expect this, right, Richard? I’m here today so that you won’t be able to continue fooling Chairman Gordon and the others!”

Under no circumstances would she ever willingly believe that he was actually Mr. Crawford!

In response, Richard simply shook his head with a wry smile on his face.

Xavion expressed a similarly wry smile as he said, “Hahaha! Really now… It seems that this young lady has had a huge misunderstanding about Mr. Crawford…”

“He really is Mr. Crawford! The one and only owner of the Dream Investment Group!”

Chapter 255

Hearing Chairman Gordon’s stern voice, Xyla could no longer bring herself to laugh out loud anymore.

…Was… Was it really true?

Even from back then, Xyla had always hated it whenever she saw Richard’s desperate face. She just couldn’t ever take him seriously.

It had just been a few years since they had last met… Had Richard really changed that much?

Why were so many wealthy and influential figures being so respectful and courteous to him?

How could any of this truly be?

As all these questions echoed in Xavia’s mind, Richard simply ignored her, opting instead to continue talking with Chairman Gordon and the others.

The event then resumed for about half an hour before Richard bid farewell to Chairman Gordon and the rest. He had honestly wanted to leave for quite a while now.

As he left the hotel, a large group of people followed to see him off.

Before he was able to leave, Elena whispered something into her father’s ear before sticking her tongue out. She wanted to leave together with Richard and her father naturally agreed.

Xyla herself was feeling extremely anxious as she exited the hotel together with Vincy to see Richard off.

When they finally caught sight of him again, Richard had just gotten on his electric tricycle. This time, however, Elena was sitting behind him.

While Vincy had earlier felt embarrassed about Richard riding an electric tricycle, she found it strange that she no longer felt the same.  

After all, even though Elena was such a beautiful young lady, she actually seemed happy sitting behind an electric tricycle. Vincy wouldn’t mind sitting there herself now!

She deduced that these complex emotions had stemmed from the moment she realized who Richard really was. Vincy was honestly also feeling quite shocked and frightened by the wild turn of events.

It was almost as though she was in a dream.

Xyla, on the other hand, was so anxious that she eventually burst into tears as she continued looking at Richard.

He was still dressed the same way, still bore the same appearance, and still had the same demeanor.

That combination had made him look extremely pathetic earlier.

Yet why did she feel that he was now much more awe-inspiring and intimidating at the same time? It just didn’t make any sense!

Richard himself began pedaling his electric tricycle—with Elena seated behind him—as he headed straight back to his place for dinner.

He was currently in a pretty good mood since his trip this time hadn’t been in vain. After all, not only had he successfully completed his task, but he had also helped Queta find and get acknowledged by her biological mother and cousin sister.

A lot had really been achieved this time around.

However, whenever there were happy people, there would always be depressed people as well.

At that moment, the sound of a teacup shattering echoed across a villa.

“Garbage! Every single one of you! How could you actually lose a person whom you had already gotten a hold of?!” yelled Yael at several of his foreign subordinates. They were all inside his villa now.

Yunus himself was present, an ugly expression plastered on his face. After all, he had sung high praises about this group of men before. Yet here they were, unable to even capture a few students!

As Yael continued yelling at the group, Yunus knew for a fact that he was indirectly cursing at him as well. Knowing this made Yunus extremely angry.

“Mr. Schuyler, Mr. Long, we were completely surrounded that time! We may have accidentally alarmed the local armed forces back then! Please give us another chance! Give us Jasmine’s location and we’ll definitely bring her back this time!” said the leader of the group.

“Too late! It’s far too late for that! Do you honestly think that it’s that easy to make a move on the Fendersons? There was only a chance to kidnap Jasmine this time since the family is currently

undergoing a sensitive period! Because of that, my father and I didn’t actively need to know what all the Fendersons were planning! Yet to think that your group would actually act so rashly and alert the enemy! I can only pray that the Fendersons won’t suspect that I’m involved! I’ll already be thankful as long as they don’t end up doubting me!” growled Yael, his anxiety apparent in his voice.

He was honestly extremely afraid that the failed kidnapping would instantly lead to bad consequences. If this ended up affecting his family’s major event, then the losses would definitely outweigh the gains.

Yunus then turned to look at his dispirited subordinates before asking, “I’m curious about something, however. There was no reason for the helicopters to have arrived so quickly and quite frankly, there was no way the local armed forces would’ve been alerted that easily. Explain what happened in detail.”

Hearing that, the subordinates then began detailing everything that had happened to them.

“…Hmm? Could it really be him…?” replied Yunus as he frowned after listening to their explanation.

“Him?” asked Yael.

—

Ignoring Yael’s question for the moment, Yunus then asked, “Didn’t you secretly take several photos?

Let me see who else was there!”

After being handed the photos, Yunus individually scanned through them before slamming his hands on the table in anger. He had found the perpetrator!

“D*mn it all! It really is Richard! It’s that god d*mned Mr. Crawford again!”

Not only had Yunus been repeatedly humiliated by Richard on his birthday, he had also been grounded the moment he returned that day! All the prestige he had accumulated over the years was gone. Just like that.

Yunus hated that person to the core.

“He’s Mr. Crawford from Mayberry?” asked Yael who had obviously heard about Richard before.

Hearing Yael’s question, Yunus took the opportunity to detail all his grudges and grievances against Richard to him.

“Hahaha! No wonder everything seemed to be running so smoothly for Jasmine despite not even utilizing any of the men from the Fenderson family! She had such a powerful person helping her all this time! It’s no wonder why Jasmine doesn’t take you seriously at all even after you’ve treated her so well, Mr. Schuyler!” deducted Yunus.

Upon hearing all that, Yael took in a deep breath.

“…Regardless of who it is, as long as he goes against me, I won’t let him off that easily! Especially since he’s in Salford County! Come along, men!” yelled Yael angrily as he began instructing his men to start taking the next course of action.

“Please, refrain from continuing to act impulsively, Mr. Schuyler!” replied Yunus as he held on to Yael’s shoulder.

“I’ve dealt with him before and he’s much more powerful than what you and I could ever imagine. Acting impulsively will only get us into more trouble! Just so you know, his sister was the one who had chased the Long family out of Mayberry city!” persuaded Yunus.

What more, if they directly targeted Richard, that action could tantamount to turning a simple matter into an extremely complicated one.

It wasn’t as though Yael couldn’t understand where Yunus was coming from. However, he simply couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous now that he knew she had Richard on her side. After all, that could very well have been the reason why Jasmine was ignoring him and why she had slapped him as well!

Eventually, he managed to calm himself down and once that happened, he felt much better.

“Then do you have a better idea, Yunus? Should I simply allow him to continue showing off and using his power to intimidate others in Salford County then?”

In response, Yunus sneered coldly before saying, “Of course not! In fact, I’d love for him to remain here forever so that I can personally continue having my revenge on him after all I’ve suffered through! Speaking of which, could you lend me some of your men, Mr. Schuyler? I need to do an investigation on which of Richard’s men he brought along with him here.”