Chapter 214: The Water Is Poisonous
He tilted his head and looked at Stan Sterling, who was sitting directly opposite him. The kid had a smug look on his face, which, combined with his glowing fair skin and clean, soft features, just made one’s hand itch.
Beside him, Lily Hart answered honestly, "We weren’t doing anything. Didn’t I say I wanted to sell fruit in the online supermarket? I was just discussing a partnership with the owner of the fruit."
"Right, Stan Sterling?" Lily Hart tilted her head, draping one arm over his shoulder. Her hand dangled down, swinging idly as she raised an eyebrow and grinned at him.
Her smile was always radiant. ’Only this time, it’s not for me...’ both men thought simultaneously.
Stan Sterling curved his lips into a smile as well, nodding repeatedly. He was a little unnatural with her sudden touch, his body stiffening as he let her arm rest on him.
Roman Rowe turned, squeezed his butt in between them, and forcefully separated the two. He grinned shamelessly at Stan Sterling. "You don’t mind if I sit here, do you?"
"I do," Stan Sterling glared at him with utter disgust. But there was nothing he could do. ’He knew that in Boss Hart’s eyes, these two were far more important than him.’
Roman Rowe didn’t care whether he minded or not, turning to Lily Hart with a goofy grin. Seeing this, Frost Shaw was still in a bad mood, but it was slightly better than before.
’It could be Roman Rowe, Seth, or Leo Colby, but it absolutely could not be Stan Sterling, that scoundrel!’
Frost Shaw calmly sat down on Lily Hart’s other side. The three men boxed Lily Hart in completely, as if in a silent competition. She was squeezed so tightly that her legs were pressed together.
"WHOOSH—" Lily Hart suddenly spread her legs, propping her elbows on her knees. She looked from side to side at the men. "Alright, tell me, what do you guys think you’re doing?"
Frost Shaw fell silent and sat up ramrod straight, his hands folded in his lap and his eyes fixed forward, looking just like an obedient elementary school student.
Roman Rowe settled down too, though he still wore a cheeky grin.
As for Stan Sterling, ’he’d been sitting properly the whole time. He wasn’t childish like them!’
Lily Hart stood up, patting away non-existent dust from her clothes. "I just thought of a question—" Her gaze fell on Stan Sterling. ’She wondered if she should tell him.’
’Now that he’s one of us, I should tell him what needs to be said. Otherwise, if something happens, he’ll be completely in the dark.’
She continued, "Since The Mysterious Clan has always supplied the major bases with resources, shouldn’t everyone admire them? Why do people like Logan Holland and Yael Lowell detest them?"
Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe exchanged a glance.
Frost Shaw said slowly, "Actually, in Central Command, there are many minions who throw their weight around under the banner of The Mysterious Clan. But no one knows if their backer is really The Mysterious Clan."
Roman Rowe added, "In my memory, The Mysterious Clan has done nothing but evil. Especially that Alex Shaw. He bullies ordinary people for no reason, and even though he clearly has supplies, he still robs others and watches them starve to death!"
"There are many minions like that in all the major bases. They do The Mysterious Clan’s bidding while also using the connection for their own gain! Rather than hating The Mysterious Clan, it’s more that people hate these minions!"
"And when you say they provide supplies, they don’t provide for everyone. Ordinary people get them once a week, and it’s a tiny amount. Superpower users get them once a day, but that’s not much either. It’s not nearly enough."
The two of them sighed in unison, neither holding a favorable opinion of The Mysterious Clan.
Stan Sterling remained silent. His understanding of The Mysterious Clan ran deeper than theirs...
"I see..." Lily Hart said, lost in thought.
’In short, they’re not good people.’
’And now the Shaw Family has it out for me, wants to off me.’
’I still have to look out for myself. Only when I become strong enough will my enemies keep their distance!’
Lily Hart gave herself a pep talk. ’Screw The Mysterious Clan, this family or that family. She’d deal with whatever came her way. The real business was selling her scratch-off tickets.’
After thinking it over, Lily Hart said, "Isn’t it about time for lunch?"
"Oh, yeah! I totally forgot! I came here to ask what you wanted for lunch!" Roman Rowe slapped his forehead, looking as if he’d just had an epiphany.
"I’ll eat whatever you make," Lily Hart said casually.
Roman Rowe shot up with a WHOOSH and headed for the kitchen. Frost Shaw followed to help out.
Stan Sterling sat on the sofa, at a loss for a moment. Their relationship was so harmonious; they could joke and mess around freely. He felt like a superfluous outsider.
He opened his Light Brain, pretending to be busy by randomly swiping through it.
Lily Hart had also followed them into the kitchen to join the fun. In the vast space, it felt like he was the only one left, the clamor of customers outside growing more and more distant.
"Uh... hello?" Seth asked hesitantly.
’Another new guy?’
’The men around Boss Hart are all so handsome, each in their own unique way. It’s a real toss-up.’
Stan Sterling looked up and met his questioning gaze. A subconscious reaction honed over a long time made him introduce himself, "My name is Stan Sterling... I’m Lily Hart’s..."
’He trailed off. What should he say? Friend? Not really. Business partner? Not quite that either.’
Just as the atmosphere was growing more and more awkward, Lily Hart came out. Seeing the two of them—one sitting, one standing—staring at each other, she found the scene inexplicably harmonious and couldn’t help but chuckle.
She walked over to them, pointing to each in turn:
"This is Seth, the boss of my factory. And this is Stan Sterling, the boss of my little vegetable patch. Come on, get acquainted."
She took their hands and naturally brought them together in a handshake. "That’s right, we’re all one big family here. No need to be strangers~"
Then she pushed on Seth’s shoulders, pressing him down onto the sofa. "You two chat."
Lily Hart turned and coolly walked away, leaving the two men to an awkward stare-down.
They didn’t end up eating lunch until two o’clock. Just as Lily Hart was happily eating, another group of people showed up. Without a word, they tried to charge into the RV.
Luckily, the Protective Shield had been left on. They didn’t make it inside; instead, they slammed into the shield and fell flat on their faces.
Lily Hart, holding a fried chicken leg, stood up to watch the show. Her left leg jiggled restlessly, making her look just like one of the gossipy old folks from the village who gather with their rice bowls to watch any commotion.
"Where’s Lily Hart! Get out here!"
The first thing they did after scrambling to their feet was to roar at the RV.
Lily Hart stopped jiggling her leg. She pointed at herself with the chicken leg and said arrogantly, "I’m Lily Hart. You got a problem?"
The leader choked, not expecting her to be so brazen. Her presence alone was more imposing than his group of ten or so men. But he wasn’t a pushover either.
He immediately pulled out a scratch-off ticket and tried to SLAP it on the table, but it didn’t pass through the Protective Shield at all. In fact, the rebound sent him stumbling back several steps.
His imposing air instantly deflated.
He didn’t care anymore. With a burst of resolve, he THREW it on the ground with a thwack, stomped on it several times, raised his left hand, and waved it forcefully. "Bring him up!"
Immediately after, four people carrying a stretcher pushed their way through the crowd.
A man with an ashen face lay on the stretcher. The rise and fall of his chest were so faint that if you didn’t look closely, you’d think he was a corpse.
The leader clapped his hands, and the four stretcher-bearers shouted in unison, "The water from the convenience store is poisoned! Give us back our brother’s life!"
"The water from the convenience store is poisoned! Give us back our brother’s life!"
"The water from the convenience store is poisoned! Give us back our brother’s life!"