Shawn winced, clutching his forehead, then shot a look at Kyle, who was still rubbing his own head.
Sure, the book had smacked Kyle, but somehow it hurt Shawn just as much.
"Dude, are you trying to murder your own brother or what?" he grumbled.
Xander shot him a sharp re. "You heard about Finley Yoder nearly turning into a jerky stick out in the Mojave Desert, right?"
Shawn froze. Uhh...
Yeah, that was a topic he''d rather not touch with a ten-foot pole.
Xander continued, "If you can''t say anything smart, just shut your mouth. No social skills? Go learn some."
Shawn pouted. Wasn''t emotional intelligence something you were born with? Where the heck was he supposed to learn that?
Xander snorted, "Correction: you don''tck social skills-youck brains."
Shawn''s jaw dropped. This was getting out of hand, but he didn''t dare talk back.
"Fine, I''ll shut up, okay?" he mumbled, feeling utterly wronged.
He honestly couldn''t remember what he''d said to piss Xander off so badly.
Xander fixed him with another icy stare, and Shawn zipped his lips for real this time.
Lighting a cigarette, Xander turned to Kyle. "Hey, Kyle."
"Yes, Mr. Schultz?"
"I remember ck Gate has a mine called tepeak, right?"
Kyle''s brow twitched. "Yeah, there''s a ce called that. But right now, Lottie''s got her eye on it. She''s demanding it."
"Demanding, huh?" Xander drawled, smoke curling from his lips.
"Yeah. Like, storming in and taking it, no negotiations." Kyle had only just heard the news himself. It was obvious Lottie was pissed about the whole Yvonne thing and taking it out on Dan.<fna61b> For more chapters visit f?ndnovel</fna61b>
tepeak Mines was one of ck Gate''s biggest assets.
Shawn''s lips twitched at "demanding." Poor Dan, he thought. Anyone to cross but Yvonne? Of all the families to mess with, why the Quinns?
Sure, ck Gate held a tangled web of power, butpared to the Quinns, they were small potatoes.
Xander took a drag on his cigarette, eyes narrowing. "Then I guess we''ll take Loutan Lake."
Shawn and Kyle exchanged uneasy nces.
"Bro, are we... splitting up ck Gate''s assets right now?" Shawn asked, frowning.
Everyone knew ck Gate had their
hands on a treasure trove of
resources. But they were so
notorious, no one wanted to poke
that ho''s nest over a few mines. s
Yet here they were. Lottie snatched tepeak and now Xander was going after Loutan Lake?
It really did feel like they were carving up ck Gate''s territory.
Xander exhaled smoke, a chilling smile ying on his lips. "I wonder which piece Mr. Miguel has his eyes on?"
Hull hadn''t made his move yet, but with both Lottie and Xander grabbingnd, he''d get the message soon enough.
Shawn muttered, "So this is about forcing them to hand over Susanna... and splitting the loot?"
No way was this just about Susanna. Not a chance.
Xander just smiled, saying nothing.
Meanwhile, when Hull heard about
1.n
Lottie and Xander targeting ck Gate''s prime spots, his eyes darkened with thought. Hew understood exactly what they were up to.
s
Lottie was out for revenge for Yvonne. Xander was backing her, and wanted Susanna turned over.
And as for Susanna? She was sitting at the side table, sipping cranberry juice and nibbling on a scone,pletely oblivious to the storm brewing around her.
Hull nced at Ss. "Alright, then. Let''s take Westonville."
Ss blinked. "Westonville? That''s... bold."
Westonville was where ck Gate grew their specialty crops-thanks to its unique climate, it was the only ce that could produce the rare ingredients for a powerful anti-aging drug. s
Everyone wanted a shot at living longer. That miracle crop raked in billions every
year for ck Gate. Westonville was a serious goldmine.
With Lottie going after tepeak, Xander after Loutan Lake, and now them targeting Westonville... they were basically gutting ck Gate''s core business.
Barnaby let out a low whistle. "Westonville''s run personally by Derek himself. That says it all. You think he''ll let it go?"