bChapter /b545

Ethan scratched the back of his head as he neatly pulled off that honest farmhand vibe.

“That’s beasy/b. Come, follow me,” he said after a moment’s hesitation.

The team that Carmen brought along stood thereb, /bdumbfounded as they watched Bowen and Aubree blend right in without any trouble at all.

They collectively wondered, b‘/bSeriously, do they have no shame?

Everyone else is being upfront about who they are, being transparent in sharing that they were here to talk to the vigers about the demolition, but these btwo /bthink they’re so clever to pull off this kind of stunt?‘

One of Carmen’s men got anxious and blurted out, “Hey, we’re fruit buyers too! Let us tag along with you, will you?b” /b

Like Ethan would ever let them btag /balong. Not a chance.

Ethan gave them a critical once–overb, /bsizing them up from head to itoe /ibefore he spat, “Do you think I’m stupid? You’re dressed like that, you’re obviously here to discuss the demolition, right? I’m not even from Ridgehaven Town–if I take you in, we all get tossed out together, and that’s on meb. /bbSo/b, there’s absolutely no way.

Move along now, will you? Nobody’s selling theirnd here.”

Aubree couldn’t hold back augh as she thought, ‘No wonder they said going up against Bowen in business was like bargaining with a tiger. If he wasn’t on my side right now, just Ethan’s act alone would’ve been enough to catch anyonepletely off guard.’

Carmen finally understood why Aubree was dressed the way she wasb. /b

Her face fell, and she snarked, “So, you’re trying to take shortcuts, huh?b” /b

Whether it bwas /bba /bclever shortcut or not, as long bas /bit got their foot in the door, it was a good move.

The others kept quiet, wishing they could pull off a trick like that themselves.

Some in the Wilson Group were already praying for Bryan to hurry up and wrap things up with Trevor.

At this rate, how were they supposed topete with Bree Technology and the Turner Group?

“Why don’t we just go straight to the vige chief and seal the deal? Isn’t that way better than messing around with all these schemes?” Carmen said impatiently.

bHer /bwords instantly got everyone fired up as they collectively thought, “The process did not matter as long bas /bwe achieve the result we want!’

The stink of muddy water bwas /ball over Carmen, and she couldn’t stand it another second. She proposed, “Why don’t you guys go talk to the vige chief? I need ito /igo change out of these filthy clothes.”

The brest /bof the group agreed. bAfter /bball/bb, /bthey understood her situation and didn’t me her for it.

Carmen’s team had alsoe bprepared/b. At the very bleast/b, they’d already dug up everything there was to know about the vige chief.

Ethan had been around long enough that he could greet just about everyone he passed by name.

“As soon as there was even a hint of this projectb, /bI had Ethane over and scope things out. He pretty much knows everything about the vige now, Bowen leaned in to exin to Aubree.

Aubree hade into the vige posing bas /ba fruit buyerb, /bhoping to lower the locals‘ guard and dig up some information. But Bowen had already done ball /bthe groundwork. Honestly, it made her feel a bit foolish byparison.

‘If you bwere /bmy brival/b, that’d be downright scary, Aubree thought, half–joking. She was confident she could keep Bowen from getting the better of

her.

But she wasn’tpletely sure she could walk away unscathed every single time if she had to go up against him.

‘Good thing he’s not mypetitorbi, /i/bAubree told herself.

Bowen shook his head in responseb, /b“What I did doesn’t hold a candle to your n. Just knowing what’s going on and actually getting your foot in the door are two totally different things. bAll /bbI /bcan do is have Ethan feed me some early info, but sooner orter, everyone else is going to catch on banyway/b. It’s nothing to brag about.”

Vincent let out a dramatic sigh, “Alright, alright. You two are the real masterminds here, and I’m just the dumb oneb, /bokay? Bute on, let’s not act all modest when bwe’ve /balready got the upper hand. If anyone else heard this, they’d be fuming!”

b1/2 /b

2:41 PM

The vigers‘ homes were nothing like the run–down shacks people might imagine.

Most families lived in bstylish /bbtwo/bb–/bstory houses, and the bwell/b–off ones had even built themselves an entire countryside vi.

Their homes had ceramic tiles on the outside, and most had a neat little fenced–in yard right out front.

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