Tried 550

bChapter /b550

bAubree/b, bBowen/b, and Vincent had made their ns for the bnext /bday. Vincent would talk to David about buying fruit, while bAubree /band Bowen would bpay /bba /bvisit to the bst /bholdout in town.

bAs /bthey had gone straight to Ridgehaven Town right afternding, all three of them were exhausted.

Aubree advised Vincent to bget /bsome brest/bb, /band after she and Bowen washed up, theyy down on their beds right away.

Although Mistmere bwasn’t /bas developed as Rithol City, its environment was far better. At night, from their hotel high above, bno /bneon lights bior /i/bbustling nightlife could be seen outside the windowb; /bit was just the silvery moonlight that was bas /bgentle bas /bwater.

bBowen /bhugged Aubree from behind and asked, “Breeb, /bhave you been thinking about how to revamp Ridgehaven Town for a while now?”

“Mhm,b” /bshe answered softly.

“The fruit orchards in Ridgehaven Town are something special. There’s no need to get rid of all of them and we bcan /bdefinitely keep some.

“The environment here is perfect for turning the entire vige into a vacation spot. And honestly, if there are people who don’t want to bleave/bb, /bwe don’t have to force them to,” she added.

Right now, the folks in Ridgehaven Town basically fell into two camps. Some were just holding out for more money, sticking around and waiting for a better offer. The others truly cared about thisnd and simply didn’t want to bleave/b.

Once, they identified what the real issue bwas/bb, /bfinding a solution became a lot beasier/b.

Bowen’s arms wrapped around Aubree from behind,pletely encircling her in his embrace.

“What’s wrongb?/bb” /bAubree sensed something off in his tone and gently asked.

Bowen said quietly, “Alvin’s in Mistmereb, /btoo.

“He didn’t bring anyone with him, and he came here all by himself.”

Aubree believed he was worried about her conflict with Alvin. After all, Bowen was Alvin’s uncle, and given the tension between her and Bowen, it must have been difficult for him to be caught in the middle.

“I’m not really going to make things hard for him, Bowen, but you have to understand that I’m not someone who’ll just let people push me around and keep quiet about it,” she said, her tone steady.

“I… knowb…/b” Bowen replied, though that wasn’t what he really wanted to bsay/b.

Bowen hadn’t forgotten that Alvin knew he was the one funding him.

That bwas /bwhy he’d never dared to push Alvin too hard. Instead, he gave him free rein as long as Alvin stayed within his line of sight.

He bwas /bworried that if he pushed Alvin into ba /bcornerb, /bAlvin would breveal /bthe truth about everything.

But as long as Alvin kept his mouth shut, Bowen just couldn’t rx.

He felt a sour bitterness in his mouth. In the end, it ball /bbcame /bdown to thisb: /beither he’d confess himself, or wait for Alvin to reveal everything, and ept whatever came next.

“1…” Bowen began, but the words caught in his throat,

Aubree turned around in his arms, a hint of worry in her eyes. Sheforted, “You don’t have to push yourself, Bowen. If it really feels too hard, byou /bcan just let it go.”

Meeting Aubree’s gaze, Bowen didn’t argue. He simply smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.

Cuddled up in his arms, surrounded by his familiar scent, Aubree soon drifted off to sleep.

bBowen /blowered his head, gazing at her sleeping face, and whispered, “Please… never leave me.”

Bright and early the next morning, the three of them split up as they’d nned the night before.

David looked a bit puzzled bwhen /bhe bsaw /bthat only Vincent had shown up.

“My friend said he’s never been to ba /bce like this beforeb,/bb” /bVincent exined bwith /bba /bbgrin/bb. /bb“/bbHe /bwanted to bring his bsecretary /balong band /btake ba /bblook /b

2:42 PM

around the vige first.”

David gave ba /bknowing smile, showing he understood.

“From bwhat /bI’ve heard, that old holdout is stubborn and old–fashioned. But that bjust /bmeans if we find the right angleb, /bconvincing him might actually be pretty beasy/b,” Bowen shared.

Strictly speaking, this was Aubree’s first timepeting with others to run a project like this. Ever since they set foot in Mistmere, her enthusiasm had been through the roof.

Bowen could see the eager anticipation in her eyes. Not wanting to dampen her spirits, he started giving himself a mental pep talk.

b“/bEven if we don’t pull it off, it’s no big deal,” he said softly. “Somepanies have even brought in negotiation experts just to try and win him bover/bb.”/bb_ /b

bHowever/b, he couldn’t help but worry that Aubree might go in without knowing what to expect and get kicked out by the old man right away. Of course, that bwas /bthe absolute worst–bcase /bscenario in his mind.