CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 177: WE PASSED BY EACH OTHER (2)

"Tell him I’m not selling!"

Ebony snow lotus is extremely precious, and even money can’t guarantee its availability. She had managed to get her hands on one, so she definitely wouldn’t give it up easily.

Marvin Rafael smiled, trying to appease Sienna Johnson. "Sister, just sell it to him... If you want one, I can make more trips up the mountain. Although the Ebony snow lotus is rare, there are still some on the Blackwood."

Sienna’s gaze shifted from the lush, green herbs to Marvin Rafael’s face. She looked at him sharply and asked curiously, "What exactly did he do to get you to be his spokesperson?"

Marvin Rafael scratched his short hair and grinned sheepishly. "His sister is pregnant, and the baby isn’t growing well. She needs Ebony snow lotus to make medicine to protect the pregnancy. He has a sister, and I have a sister. If you encountered this kind of situation, I would also be anxious and sad, so..."

PFFT! Is he cursing me or what? Sienna interjected, "So, you agreed to him."

He chuckled awkwardly.

"Sweetie, just give him the Ebony snow lotus. If you like, I’ll go up the mountain and pick some for you next time!"

Sienna said sternly, "You are not allowed to go to the mountain to pick Ebony snow lotus!"

"I know, I know."

Watching his perfunctory demeanor, Sienna knew he would definitely sneak up the mountain to collect Ebony snow lotus for her when she wasn’t around. Marvin was the only heir left in the Rafael family. If something happened to him while collecting Ebony snow lotus for her, she could never face her adoptive parents.

"Promise me you won’t go to the mountain to collect Ebony snow lotus for me, and I’ll sell the medicine to that man!" Sienna demanded his guarantee.

"I know, I know. Why are you so long-winded?"

"Brother, you promised. You better not deceive me."

Marvin Rafael looked at Sienna. Seeing her serious expression, he stopped joking and sincerely promised, "Alright, I won’t go pick any."

Sienna finally felt relieved. "Go tell that man this Ebony snow lotus is selling for 75 thousand dollars!"

"S-seventy-five thousand dollars?" Marvin Rafael stammered.

"Mm-hm."

Even Marvin Rafael felt Sienna was being ruthless. "Sister, we can’t be so unkind. You only spent 4.5 thousand dollars on this Ebony snow lotus, and you’re asking him for 75 thousand dollars. That’s too much."

"Take it or leave it!" I don’t even want to sell it anyway.

Knowing Sienna’s stubbornness, Marvin Rafael had no choice but to run back to the village again.

A dust-covered Jeep was parked at their doorstep. Marvin Rafael pushed the door open and saw an exceptionally handsome man. However, the man exuded a murderous aura. Marvin considered himself someone who had experienced many things, yet just looking into the man’s dark eyes made his heart race.

"Where’s the Snow Lotus?" Adrian Desmond asked, seeing Marvin Rafael return empty-handed.

Marvin Rafael explained nervously, "My sister said... um, the Ebony Snow Lotus she has... she’s selling it for... sev... seventy-five thousand dollars!" After he finished, the honest Marvin Rafael hung his head. My sister is so ruthless, so cunning.

Just as Marvin Rafael was thinking Sienna was shamelessly overcharging, the man surprisingly didn’t even frown. "Walter, give him the money!"

"Huh?"

"Yes, Sixth Master!"

Walter Klein opened a suitcase he carried, took out bundles of money, and handed over exactly five bundles. Each bundle was 15 thousand dollars.

Walter Klein said, "Here’s 75 thousand dollars! Where’s the Snow Lotus?"

"It’s... it’s with my sister!" Marvin Rafael looked at the man before him, truly feeling his staggering wealth. "Why don’t you guys even haggle? Actually, my sister only spent 4.5 thousand dollars on that Snow Lotus."

Adrian Desmond raised an eyebrow at the dark-skinned man before him. "I thought people in the mountains were simple and honest. Turns out there are cunning, mercenary, and greedy ones too..."

Hearing someone speak ill of Sienna, Marvin Rafael became unhappy. "My sister is what you call smart! If you keep saying bad things about my sister, I won’t sell it to you!"

Adrian Desmond frowned. "We had a deal. Are you going back on your word?"

"Well..."

Adrian Desmond released an intimidating aura. As his presence bore down, Marvin Rafael felt a chill, sensing the man was dangerous and instinctively wanting to flee.

"You wait here. I’ll go get the Snow Lotus." Marvin Rafael gave Adrian Desmond a long, hard look, then turned and ran out again.

Adrian Desmond sat on a stone bench in the small courtyard, observing the vibrant farmhouse yard. Loofah vines climbed trellises, bearing long, hanging loofahs.

"Sixth Master, are we returning to Abyanabad today?"

Another fruitless trip. He’d lost count of how many times they’d returned disappointed. Adrian Desmond knew full well that these clues were merely intended to mislead him, yet he pursued every single one.

"Mm," Adrian Desmond said in a low voice.

Seeing Adrian Desmond’s low spirits, Walter Klein felt he should say something. "The Princess Consort has finally gotten pregnant after so many years of marriage. Sixth Master, you’re going to be an Uncle."

At the mention of this, Adrian Desmond’s face finally showed a hint of joy.

"Yes, time flies. That girl is going to be a mother." As Adrian Desmond thought of the son he couldn’t see, his smile faded.

My son must be almost a year old now, right?

Adrian Desmond sighed deeply, his face etched with melancholy. After searching for so long, he was growing increasingly anxious. How much longer will it take to find her?

Night after night, he would awaken from his dreams, the warmth of her embrace gone, replaced by an unbearable bitterness in his heart. He didn’t know how many more years he would have to endure this... Perhaps a lifetime.

Adrian Desmond was now beginning to doubt if that woman was even still alive in this world.

Marvin Rafael returned, carrying a box. He walked into the small courtyard and offered the box to Adrian Desmond. Adrian Desmond didn’t take it; Walter Klein accepted it, opened it, checked the contents, and said to Adrian Desmond, "Sixth Master, it’s the Snow Lotus."

Adrian Desmond nodded and stood up. "Let’s go."

Marvin Rafael invited them, "It’s already noon. Why don’t you stay for lunch before you leave? My sister’s an excellent cook, and we have plenty of wild game at home..."

The trail had gone cold again. Adrian Desmond was in no mood to eat. "No, thank you." With that, he strode out of the courtyard.

Adrian Desmond was tall, and the doorway was not large, so he had to bend down to exit. Marvin Rafael watched him get into the black Jeep, which kicked up dust as it sped away.

"What a strange man!" Marvin Rafael muttered.

On the stone table in the courtyard lay 75 thousand dollars in red banknotes. Marvin Rafael quickly closed the door and went to guard the money. He had never seen so much money before.

"Wow, he’s really rich."

Spending 75 thousand dollars on an Ebony Snow Lotus seemed incredible to Marvin Rafael.

When Sienna returned, she saw Marvin Rafael staring intently at the money, as if afraid it would grow wings and fly away. She couldn’t help but smile.

"Brother, what’s with that expression? Are you afraid the money will grow wings and fly away?"