<b>hapter </b><b>567 </b>
(<b>+23 </b>
He tried to get up, but the pain from Bowen’s earlier blows was already drilling into his bones. After what Josephine just did, it was <b>a </b>miracle he <b>was </b><b>even </b>conscious, and one had to <b>give </b>it to him for still being awake
He was about to call out, but the second Bowen shot him a look, he instantly mmed up, not daring to make a sound.
He had no idea if his dad could actually save him once he got inside, but one thing was crystal clear<b>–</b>if these three wanted, they could totally take him out before his old man <b>even </b>set foot in the room.
“Should we open the door?” Aubree nced at Bowen and murmured.
They had nothing to be afraid of<b>, </b>and the only one who really had to worry was Josephine.
Josephine had already steeled herself before she made her move, fully prepared for the vige chief’s family toe after her<b>. </b>She just hadn’t expected them to show up this <b>fast</b>.
“Open the door. It’s fine. Just say I did everything,<b>” </b><b>she </b>said firmly.
She gave Samuel <b>a </b>cold stare and reiterated, “He knows he can’t mess with you, and he wouldn’t dare try anything against you.”
Aubree smiled, having already decided to see this through with Josephine. “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back,” she reassured.
In the worst<b>–</b><b>case </b>scenario, she could get Josephine and her son settled in Rithol City. By then<b>, </b>even if the Frager family wanted to cause trouble, they wouldn’t be able to do it.
Josephine looked at Aubree<b>, </b>who <b>was </b>so young, and figured Aubree must bepletely dependent on that man.
Assuming that Aubree was just <b>a </b>sheltered girl who’d never known real hardship, Josephone nced at Bowen and smiled, “Don’t worry about it.”
<b>It </b>was rare for anyone to tell her not to be afraid or to offer help. A warmth blossomed in her heart<b>, </b>melting away the chill that had haunted her for
years<b>. </b>
The door swung open, and <b>a </b>crafty, slick–looking <b>face </b>appeared.
The vige chief wasn’t very tall; in <b>fact</b>, he was even a bit shorter than Samuel. His <b>eyes </b><b>were </b>full of scheming calction, and he was always sizing people up.
Next to him stood a blond guy with a cocky<b>, </b>streetwise vibe.
Once the two of them stepped inside, the door was shut behind them.
Even though they’d heard the vige chief’s name plenty <b>of </b>times, this was the first time they <b>were </b>actually meeting him. Aubree’s face <b>grew </b>a little
tense.
The vige chief’s gaze paused briefly on Aubree and Bowen, his intentions unreadable.
He nced at Samuel, who was still <b>sprawled </b>on the ground. When he noticed Samuel’s pained movements, a sh of anger crossed his eyes, but he just looked away, <b>clearly </b>not nning to help his son at <b>all</b>.
The chief said, “Josephine, I’m really sorry about this. I noticed my <b>useless </b>son didn’t show up for work today, so <b>I </b>asked around and found out he came over here. I honestly didn’t expect this to happen…
“This whole mess is my son’s doing. Our family owes you an apology.
“Your boy is about the right age to start school, isn’t he? How about this? I will do you a favor and get him into the primary school in town, and we’ll cover all the tuition fees. Let’s <b>just </b>pretend none of this ever happened. How does that sound?
“This youngest son of mine is the most worthless out of all three. I’m getting old, and my older two sons are never home. Only this one sticks around to look after me. I’m still counting on him to take care of me in my old age. Josephine, just do me this favor, alright?”
Josephine wanted to
say,
<b>“</b>No
thanks, I can get my son into school just fine without your family’s help.”
She nervously picked at her fingers, feeling torn inside.
She shot a nce at the blond guy behind the vige chief. She had no clue who Aubree and Bowen really were, but she knew all too well what the vige chief could do. With Aubree’s encouraging look, she managed to squeeze out a smile uglier than crying. She responded, “Sir, what are you talking about? Nothing happened at all.”
“Now that you’re here, why don’t you take Samuel back with you? And make sure you teach him a proper lesson.
<b>3:41 </b>PM
The <b>vige </b>chief grinned in response, “Of course, of course. <b>I </b>always knew <b>you </b>were <b>a </b>sensible girl.”
He told the blond guy to <b>carry </b>Samuel on his <b>back </b>and chided, “<b>What </b><b>a </b>good–for–nothing!”