Chapter 269: Expulsion
Frank O’Malley was practically drooling. He couldn’t stop sniffing appreciatively, looking like he was about to dive face-first onto the dishes. "It smells so good, so good! What’s this? And what’s that?"
Roman Rowe, sitting beside him, shot him a disdainful glance before recalling that he had been the exact same way at first, like someone who’d never seen anything of the world.
He suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the guy, but still huffed lightly and picked up a large prawn for him with his chopsticks. "Here, eat up. Eat your fill. You won’t be getting this again!"
Frank O’Malley only heard the first two words: "Eat up." He immediately cast everything else aside and started chowing down.
He ate with great concentration, completely oblivious to Ash O’Malley, who was sitting opposite him and glaring. He was already lost in a sea of delicacies.
As Frank O’Malley ate, he started to feel something was different. It was so lively all around. Everyone was eating and chatting, their focus mostly on the conversation rather than the food.
He recalled how meals at his home were always held in dead silence. No one spoke a word. The atmosphere was so lifeless that he always ate as fast as he could, just so he could leave sooner.
At this thought, Frank O’Malley subconsciously slowed his pace. Eating slowly meant he could listen to everyone chat and shoot the breeze for longer.
Ash O’Malley also marveled at the wonderful atmosphere. It was so lively. No matter who said something, someone else would always respond. You never had to worry about a comment falling flat.
Coupled with the delicious food and the endless supply of rice, the two grown men ate four bowls each before they even realized it—one more than even Roman Rowe.
Lily Hart felt an inexplicable surge of pity. ’Poor kids,’ she thought. ’You can tell they don’t get enough to eat at home.’ "Eat more," she said. "There’s plenty for everyone."
Frank O’Malley was already stuffed, but seeing the little bit of food left on the table, he couldn’t resist. He picked up his chopsticks and polished off every last bite.
Ash O’Malley repeatedly tried to stop him, attempting to shoot him a look that conveyed the importance of table manners, but alas, his foolish younger brother wasn’t even looking his way...
By the end of the meal, both brothers were stuffed to bursting. Elder Shaw, too, had a rare appetite, and with his young grandson beside him, he ate quite a lot.
As the two brothers rested on the sofa after the meal, they still felt a bit dazed. ’We just stayed and had a meal, just like that? Such a happy, joyful, and completely stress-free meal.’
Lily Hart also flopped onto a sofa to rest. All three sofas were full. She did a search in the Store for a soundproofing shield and a visual concealment shield.
They weren’t cheap, but the one thing Lily Hart didn’t lack right now was points. ’Buy! Buy them without a second thought!’
Once the items arrived, Lily Hart installed them immediately. The shields were transparent. To an outsider, it would seem like they blinked, and suddenly the RV was empty.
She even scurried out of the RV to look at it from a customer’s perspective. The surrounding tables and the scratch-off tickets on them were still clearly visible.
Of course, Diana Sharp and Tina Jacobs, who were sitting behind the tables, were also visible. Behind them, the interior of the RV—the sofa, dining table, and kitchen—was still visible, but there were no people to be seen.
Like an empty, uninhabited house.
Lily Hart walked a full circle around the RV. It was flawless. From every angle, the view of the interior remained, like a fake backdrop had been put in place.
She thought it was perfect. It wasn’t too jarring, and now they wouldn’t have to worry about being seen or overheard inside.
Satisfied, she was about to head back into the RV when a thought struck her. She walked over to the first spy she had spotted. He was acting like an NPC.
’He doesn’t even have a scratch-off ticket! How outrageous! If you’re going to put on an act, at least put some effort into it...’
The man tensed as he sensed Lily Hart approaching. Meeting her scrutinizing gaze, he croaked, "B-Boss Hart, can I help you with something?"
Lily Hart shook her head, looking at him with an utterly sincere gaze. "Not at all. Are you having trouble getting through the crowd? I can buy a few tickets for you if you’d like. I noticed you’ve been lingering here for a while."
The man refused profusely. "No, no, that’s not necessary. I can get them myself."
"Don’t be a stranger! I’m the boss here; it’s my duty to solve my customers’ problems!" Lily Hart said as she pulled out a few scratch-off tickets and stuffed them into his hands.
After stuffing the tickets into his hands, she held out her own with a perfectly straight face. "There. You can just pay me directly."
Startled, the man took two steps back. "Really, Boss Hart, you don’t have to trouble yourself."
Several nearby customers shot him envious looks. ’This kid doesn’t know how good he has it. Boss Hart is personally handing you scratch-off tickets and you’re turning her down?’
"It’s no problem. You came here to buy scratch-off tickets anyway, right? Isn’t it more convenient if I just give them to you directly?" Lily Hart took another step closer, staring intently into his eyes.
The man retreated again, his back bumping against another customer’s shoulder. There was nowhere left to go. He knew what Boss Hart was saying was a perfectly logical truth.
’But he wasn’t here for scratch-off tickets! His employers weren’t going to reimburse him for this.’
He stammered out a lie, "N-no, I used up all the Crystal Cores I brought for today. I have to go back for more. I’ll—I’ll come back tomorrow." With that, he fled in a panic.
He even dropped the scratch-off tickets Lily Hart had given him.
The surrounding customers looked on, puzzled.
"What was all that running for? If you don’t have the money, you just don’t have the money, right?"
"Yeah, he looked pretty guilty running off like that, didn’t he?"
"Who knows? He was probably just embarrassed."
Lily Hart scoffed. After watching the man disappear into the distance, she turned to find her next target.
She wasn’t an idiot. She specifically targeted the suspicious ones, but she also mixed in some regular customers. In the eyes of the ordinary folks, her stature grew even greater.
’She even checks in on her customers, shows concern for them, and listens to their opinions! Where else could you find a boss like that?!’
Some of the spies were more stubborn, playing word games with Lily Hart, so she would just give up and move on to the next. She made a full round.
Most of the spies in the area had been cleared out, with only a few shameless ones remaining who refused to leave.
When Lily Hart returned to the RV, Roman Rowe and the others were in the middle of a rowdy game of Fight the Landlord. It was noisy and lively inside, but she hadn’t been able to hear a thing from outside.
The O’Malley brothers had joined in, but they were clumsy, having obviously never played before. Roman Rowe was running circles around them, and they had already lost a fair number of Crystal Cores.
Even so, the two of them were all smiles. They didn’t seem to care about the Crystal Cores; all that mattered was that they were having fun.
Frost Shaw was watching the game. From the moment Lily Hart had re-entered the RV, he had been following her out of the corner of his eye. When she finally sat down beside him, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
He asked, "What were you doing out there? Did something happen?"
Lily Hart shook her head, picked up an orange, and handed it to Frost Shaw. "Peel this for me." After a moment’s pause, she added, "I just went to deal with a few little spies."
As Frost Shaw reached to take it, their fingers accidentally brushed. Lily Hart, lost in thought, didn’t notice. He, however, froze, causing the orange to teeter precariously between their fingertips.
Roman Rowe happened to see this and subconsciously snatched the orange away, successfully drawing Lily Hart’s attention. "You peel it then," she said. "I want to eat it."
He grumbled as if reluctant, but inwardly he was blooming with joy. He quickly peeled the orange and handed the whole fruit to her, nestled in its peel.
Roman Rowe completely ignored the daggers Frost Shaw was shooting from his eyes, and cheerfully went back to teasing Ash O’Malley in the game.
Frost Shaw had no choice but to steer the conversation back. "What spies? Were they sent by The Mysterious Clan?"