Chapter 12

Cane’s brows furrowed when he noticed the strange reactions of the group.

“Did the loser also mention Jairo Clubhouse?” he asked.

“He did...”

Cane’s brows shot up, his eyes widening as a flicker of realization crossed his face before it hardened with his jaw tightening.

“Are you serious?” he demanded, his voice laced with irritation.

His jaws clenched tighter, anger brewing within him as suspicion crept in– will this loser actually be meeting Janae?

“Cane, you don’t have to worry,” Lydia quickly said, shaking her head, “Knowing that bastard’s background, he was definitely lying.”

She continued, “Don’t tell me you guys are falling for his tricks just because the information matched. He must have overhead somewhere that Janae would be at Jairo today and intentionally fabricated the story..”

“Hmm,” Layla interrupted. “Well, despite knowing that loser for a short period of time, I know he is capable of it.”

Cane’s eyes narrowed as their words sank in. He tilted his head slightly, “I guess you’re right…”

“…I mean, just the thought that that loser could truly have connections with my Janae is utterly absurd.”

He turned to Dustin. “Perhaps, this bastard needs to be taught a lesson,” he stated with a sly smirk.

Dustin’s jaw tightened as he considered it.

“Dustin, after what he did to you, we must put him in his place!”

Resentment flared in Dustin’s eyes as he nodded. “I’m definitely not going down without a fight. He needs to learn not to mess with me.”

To Dustin, retaliation was the only way to restore his pride, and he wouldn’t back down until he was satisfied.

Meanwhile, Janae and Richard were already meeting at Jairo.

Janae smoothed the invisible wrinkles on her designer dress, her fingers fidgeting slightly.

When she met Richard’s gaze, she quickly looked away, clearing her throat and forced a casual smile. “So..”

Despite being the daughter of the city’s wealthiest tycoon, Janae felt a subtle sense of nervousness and curiosity in Richard’s presence.

“Thank you for meeting me,” Richard said, his voice firm.

“The herbs I need are quite rare…” he stated and got straight to the point, inquiring about the specific herbs he was searching for.

“Wyrmroot.. Solarvine..” Janae repeated Richard’s words, her eyes narrowing. “Every herb you mentioned is indeed very rare.. but there’s a company, Elixirs…”

“They host auctions for extremely rare items in various cities, including one in this city every month. I’m quite sure you’d be able to get the herbs you need there,” she said.

But Richard didn’t seem satisfied. “Unfortunately I don’t have the time to wait for months. Is there another way?”

“Okay, the good thing is that you can directly purchase items from the company without waiting for the auctions, but the prices would be significantly higher.”

Richard nodded, a hint of satisfaction on his face. “That’s fine by me,” he agreed.

After all, he didn’t lack money.

“I will accompany you to the venue to make introductions for you. And.. give me a second,” she said, pulling out her phone.

She immediately called the auction house and scheduled an auction for later that day, just a few hours away.

“I’ve made arrangements with the auction house,” she said. “Everything should be in place in about four hours.”

“Thank you very much,” Richard said, a faint smile curved on his lips.

“You’re welcome.” Janae smiled.

Though she couldn’t help but wonder why Richard was so eager to obtain these herbs.

Could it be connected to a woman, maybe a girlfriend or wife? she wondered.

She cleared her throat again, her lips parting as if to speak but she hesitated. She was clearly uncertain about saying what was on her mind.

“Uhm, I’ve been wanting to ask,” she finally said. “There’s a prominent figure whose grandfather is gravely ill. Do you mind me sharing your contact details?”

“No, I’m sorry,” Richard declined without hesitation.

“I don’t have the time,” he stated plainly.

Richard had no intention of being charitable to everyone indiscriminately.

As Master Jung had taught him; Unending generosity only invites exploitation, and some people would only repay kindness with betrayal.

Janae pressed her lips together and nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

After a few more discussions about the auction arrangements, Richard left.

Richard had decided it was time to find a new place to stay as he didn’t want to stay in Lydia’s home anymore or endure her and her mothers mockery.

So, he needed to search for a property.

While searching nearby, Richard unexpectedly stumbled upon a young boy in tattered clothes standing in a corner of a small alley.

The boy was carrying a frail toddler, no older than a year, on his back.

“Here,” Richard said, stretching forth a dollar note to the boy, assuming he was a beggar.

The boy shook his head. “I’m not a beggar.”

“Do you need your shoes polished? I can do that for you. If you’re not satisfied, I won’t take any payment, I promise,” he said with a warm smile.

His face was dirty, but his smile was genuine and pure.

“Oh really?” Richard said, surprised by the boy’s self respect.

He admired how the child preferred to earn his keep rather than rely on handouts.

“I’d like that,” Richard said, and sat on a nearby bench for the boy to polish his shoes.

The boy knelt next to him, dropped his small kit on the floor and took the shoes.

While the boy worked, Richard watched him curiously.

“What’s your name?” He asked, breaking the silence.

“Elliot,” the boy replied without looking up, focusing on a stubborn mark.

“Where are your parents?”

Elliot’s hand stiffened for a second. “Uhm… they passed away.” He hesitated but added, “it’s just me and my little sister now. So I have to look after her.”

Richard felt sad. The boy was very young so it must’ve been difficult for him and his sister.

“And this,” Richard gestured at the kit, “this is how you get money?”

“Yeah. Some days, It’s not enough to keep us going but at least it’s honest,” he shrugged.

“You’re remarkable,” Richard said softly, his voice laced with genuine respect for the boy.

“All.. done!” he said, smiling at the result of his hard work. “Here’s your shoe,” he said and gently wore it on Richard.

“Thank you.” Richard said and handed over a ten dollar note.

He stood up, dusting his hand on his worn trousers and took the money. “This is worth more, but I’ll take it,” he said and expressed his gratitude.

Richard chuckled. “Wait.”

He took out a pen and wrote a note on a piece of paper. “Take this,” he said, handing him the note along with one of Master Jung’s exclusive cards.

“Take this card to the entrance of the fancy restaurant downtown, the one where all the rich folks go,” he said. “Show them the card. If anyone recognizes it, give them the note and tell them to follow the instructions if they want to use the card.”

“Make sure you don’t lose either. This card could change your life and your sister’s,” he concluded.

Elliot inspected the card. He was puzzled but he nodded,

“Alright, I’ll do it,” he answered and tucked the card and note into his pocket. “Thank you.”

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