CHAPTER 211
Everyone gathered at the dining table. Menus such as suckling goat, roast pork, grilled chicken, salad and others were already available on the table. Hendrick sat at the end, while his guests, Hailey, Louis and Kevin sat in the other chairs. It was a long enough table for four people.
"How about the food? You like it, don't you? Protein is good for your health, young people like Kevin need more protein to look fit." Hendrick pointed at Kevin who was silent, not even touching his food. "Don't waste this freedom on poor health, Kevin."
Louis sighed, he stopped cutting the meat on his plate. His sad eyes with wrinkled lines scanned the surroundings. Kevin's face looked sour, while Hailey looked more relaxed there. His wife could even chop the steak without caring about her surroundings.
"You were right, Mr. Hendrick. Hendrick." Hailey nodded in agreement. She looked at Hendrick at the end of the table, then added. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to see my son here and have dinner with him. You're really good."
"I have many informants in prison, it won't be hard for me." Hendrick raised his wine glass in the air, he looked at everyone with a smile. "Let's drink a toast to Kevin's freedom."
Hailey raised her glass first, while Louis and Kevin did nothing. "Cheers!"
Only Hailey and Hendrick were laughing in the room. The sumptuous meal served by the owner of the house was nothing more than an unreal treat. Louis spent a lot of money to free his son, to please his wife. But deep in the man's heart, Louis knew that what he had done was a mistake. He played the law, and Hendrick manipulated him for personal gain.
The dinner finished with a sense of satisfaction for Hendrick. He prepared to send his guests home. But before that, he walked over to Kevin, he looked at him with a meaningful gaze, then he said, "You'd better put your freedom to good use, young man. You don't want your father's money to run out because of your bad behavior, do you?"
The sarcastic tone made Kevin even less interested in talking to Hendrick. Meanwhile, Hailey responded very casually. She waved her hand in the air, then replied, "You can rest assured, we will educate our son better. This is a valuable lesson for us. We'll-" "We'll go now."
Louis' voice made Hailey hang her words in the air, the sentence in her mouth unfinished. She looked at Louis, her face turning annoyed. But Louis smiled a little and put his arm around his wife's waist as he said, "It's too late, it's time for us to go back. Thank you for this celebration, Hendrick."
Hendrick gave a short chuckle and shoved both hands into his pants pockets, "No problem. Call me if you need anything."
But Louis didn't respond to Hendrick's words and quickly went to the car, Hailey and Kevin following behind. They left Hendrick's mansion which no one even knew about, especially Nicholas.
"What did you do earlier, Hailey?" Louis' voice sounded heavy, he didn't look at his wife at all.
While Kevin who sat at the back just watched. He realized that his father was angry with his mother, but Kevin couldn't comment.
"What do you mean?" Hailey folded her arms across her chest when they reached the turn, she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and continued, "It's a celebration for Kevin. We're celebrating Kevin's freedom from prison. What's wrong with that?"
Hendrick let out a long breath. He tried to divert his emotions by looking around at the scenery he was passing. But the anger was still building in his chest. "We lost a lot of money just to get Kevin out."
"I'd rather lose money than suffer the embarrassment in front of my friends if they find out our only son is in jail!"
Kevin grinned. Even after he committed a criminal act, Hailey still defended him. Kevin had a big head. But he was still curious when Louis finally spoke up.
"I want us to educate Kevin properly. If he's wrong, let him be punished, Hailey!"
Louis' raised voice irritated Hailey. She stared intently at her husband and suppressed every word he was saying. "Look, Louis, you should be happy that our son is here with us. Don't you feel sorry for him having to live in prison? It's cold, it's dark, there are a lot of bad people in there." Louis shook his head in disbelief. Hailey's husband was reluctant to turn his head as if he didn't want to argue with Hailey anymore. But Hailey didn't want to lose the argument. Pointing at Kevin who was sitting behind them, she continued. "Our son just had an accident. It was an accident, not a purposeful incident you know! Kevin shouldn't be sentenced to jail like that. He was also a victim, he got injured too, Louis!"
Louis was getting fed up. He slammed on the brakes under his feet and looked at his wife seriously. "But it's not the first time for Kevin, Hailey!" The man looked at Kevin who was now also returning his gaze. "Tell your mom that you're really sorry and won't do it again! This makes me so angry."
Louis' frustration grew as the car sped through the city streets. Kevin shifted uncomfortably in the back seat, caught between his parents' rising tension. The air in the car was thick with unspoken words.
Hailey broke the silence, her voice sharp, "Louis, why don't you think about what other people are saying? People will judge us, our actions, everything will be judged by how we raise our son. Kevin is our son, and we should support him, not abandon him when he needs us most."
Louis clenched his jaw, trying to remain calm. "Supporting doesn't mean excusing criminal behavior, Hailey. He must face the consequences of his actions! This is a lesson that should change you."
CHAPTER 212Kevin, suddenly uncomfortable with his parents' expectations, interrupted, "I never asked you to pay a lawyer, Dad. I can handle my own mistakes."Louis sighed, his gaze shifting to the rearview mirror. "Kevin, this isn't just about this incident. It's about the choices you've made. I'm not going to let you throw away your future. You let those girls distract you with useless things, and you let yourself get stuck in trouble!"The car pulled into the driveway of their suburban home, and the family entered the quiet house. Tension hung in the air as they gathered in the living room. Hailey, who was unwilling to let the argument die down, turned to Louis."Why are you always being so hard on him? He's young, he'll learn from his mistakes."Louis paced the room, frustration clearly written on his face. "I want him to learn, Hailey, but I want him to learn the right way. Not by avoiding responsibility and getting involved with people like Hendrick."Hailey scoffed, "Hendrick h
CHAPTER 213 "Brittany is pregnant and she's carrying my child, I can't just let her go." Nothing could be more shocking for Hailey and Louis than the news of Brittany's unexpected pregnancy. Hailey couldn't even close her mouth in shock. While Louis was just silent, observing Hailey's reaction. Lately, his wife's mental state has been unstable. Hailey is indeed diagnosed with anxiety disorder, something that triggers her will make Hailey very panicked and confused. One of them is the case of Kevin. Her only son, whom she always praised and was proud of, was caught in a mistake that made Hailey embarrassed and lost her pride. Hailey bit her lip, then looked at her son with an incredulous look. "What do you mean?" "Brittany is pregnant." Hailey's tone suddenly rose. "We don't see pregnancy in Brittany. Her body is fine, she's not what you say she is. You're joking, right?" Kevin was about to speak, he was about to open his mouth, but Hailey cut him off with an angry tone. "What the
CHAPTER 214 Brittany looked at her cell phone that had just fallen with her on the floor, it wasn't that far away, but Kevin was there. Kevin was also looking in the same direction, at Brittany's cell phone as she tried to call Nicholas. The call was connected, Brittany could even hear Nicholas' voice on the other side. [Hello, Brittany? What's up with the late-night call?] In a state of panic, Brittany shouted. "Kevin's here! He's-" Before Brittany could finish speaking, Kevin had already stood up and grabbed the cell phone on the floor, he then turned off Brittany's cell phone and raised it in the air. "Let's not get the police between us. We have to solve this problem together." Kevin's calm but intimidating way of speaking frightened Brittany. The girl gave Kevin a sharp look, she really hated the man who had been her boyfriend for almost a year now. Given the chance, Brittany stood up and took a step back, not wanting to get too close to Kevin. She was a total red flag. "Wh
CHAPTER 215 Kevin refused to be invited to sit together to talk. He then put both hands in his pockets, and looked at Nicholas casually. With a deep sigh, Kevin spoke to Nicholas. "Detective, listen to me, I'm innocent and I have a discharge document and it's official from the police. You can find that information through your colleagues in prison." Nicholas didn't react. He was still pointing the gun at Kevin. "I will leave now." "You can't run away!" "I'm not running away, you can find me at home," Kevin said, then shrugged his shoulders indifferently. Kevin smiled and looked at Brittany as if she had no problem. "I came to this house because I wanted to talk to Brittany about the future. I think you two have a close relationship, so it doesn't matter if you end up knowing the situation." Nicholas' brow furrowed. "What situation are you talking about?" Kevin looked at Brittany, and with a widening smile, the man who had just graduated from a top university in New York City said,
CHAPTER 216 Kevin left Brittany's house feeling happy. He hadn't expected to get Brittany and Nicholas stuck in such an awkward situation. It was a complete victory, after Nicholas had humiliated and thrown him in jail. Kevin left in his father's car. Meanwhile, back in the house, Brittany was finally able to land her ass on the couch. She breathed a sigh of relief that Kevin had finally moved away and left the house. She massaged her head, which felt dizzy. Like something hard had just hit her head. Nicholas was still standing there, he looked around with a confused expression. The atmosphere was really awkward and he felt guilty. Brittany was like his sister, but it seemed like Brittany was growing up and Nicholas didn't realize that. Nicholas took a few breaths before finally getting the courage to start a conversation between the two of them. "Brittany, are you really having a baby?" Brittany, who was already crying, could only look at Nicholas regretfully. She nodded weakly a
CHAPTER 217 Nicholas stopped the car when he reached his house. The sound of the car horn brought Alan out of the house. Alan's face looked very curious as he stood at the door, waiting for his son. The wait continued until Nicholas and Brittany got out of the car. "Brittany?" "Hello, Uncle Gray. I'm sorry to visit so late at night," Brittany said, handing Alan a bag of oranges. "I brought you some fruit." "Thank you," Alan said, accepting the plastic bag of fruit. Alan looked at Nicholas and realized that his son was trying to give him a code by blinking his eyes. Alan smiled and opened the door behind him. "You'd better go in first. It's very cold outside." "Okay, Uncle." Brittany was left sitting on the sofa, while Nicholas sat opposite her. Alan followed and sat next to Nicholas. Alan looked at Brittany and smiled a little. "I haven't seen you in a long time. Nick said you were sick, an accident?" There was a small gasp from Brittany, who smiled politely as she squeezed the
CHAPTER 218 "What? Brittany's pregnant?!" Alicia shut her mouth quickly. The girl was in shock from the news that Nicholas had brought her in the early hours of the morning. Nicholas still came to Alicia's flat and told her everything that happened. How Nicholas had just finished checking something related to the case, then received a call from Brittany, he went to check, and found Kevin at Brittany's house until the most shocking news that he had never expected before was Brittany's pregnancy. Alicia was at a loss for words over this shocking revelation. Her eyes were wide and when she lowered her hand from her mouth, she still had to convince herself to be sure. "Brittany... she's really pregnant, is it Kevin's child?" Nicholas nodded weakly, he wanted to refuse to admit the fact, but Brittany was indeed carrying Kevin's baby. It was something that could not be avoided. "Unfortunately yes. I couldn't even point the gun at Kevin because I was too shocked. I didn't know who to side
CHAPTER 219 "Brittany must be having a hard time right now. She doesn't even dare to talk, even though Brittany and I are very close." Nicholas agreed, "I'll talk to Brittany and propose the idea. But, Alicia, we have to be vigilant. The threat from Kevin and the looming possibility of Ace's interference make every move risky." Alicia sighed, recognizing the complexity of the situation they faced. "I understand, Nick. We have to plan carefully, ensuring the safety of everyone involved. Perhaps we should also inform the police about Kevin's sudden release and the potential danger it poses." "I'm sure there's something wrong with the law, but Kevin has valid documents, Alicia. This is really strange." Alicia frowned and tried to ask another question. "Did he apply for remission or something?" "I heard so." After a long sigh, Alicia finally made a suggestion to Nicholas. "Or, put it this way, now we focus on Brittany. We need to get her to tell us the whole story. Besides, it's alr
CHAPTER 275 Nicholas drove the car as fast as he could. He cut through the streets knowing that Alicia was in danger and needed to be rescued immediately. At this moment, Nicholas deliberately did not turn on the siren in his car to avoid things that threatened Alicia. Arriving at Alicia's house, Nicholas could see a suspicious car near Rick and his mother's house. Nicholas' eyebrows furrowed and he slowed down the car. While looking around, Nicholas tried to think of a plan. Until finally, Nicholas stopped his car right behind the suspicious car. Nicholas got out of the car, but his gaze remained wary. He took out his gun and pointed it downwards as he walked into Alicia's yard. He realized that Alicia's door was unlocked even though the lights were off. Just as Nicholas entered Alicia's house, a punch landed from behind. But Nicholas was strong enough to withstand it, so the man immediately turned around and pointed the gun at Ace. But Ace was also ready to shoot Nicholas in the
CHAPTER 274Nicholas observed the change in Selena's expression from a different room. She stood up and hugged herself while frowning."She keeps bringing up Glen. It's starting to worry me," Nicholas muttered.While on the other side, Noel began to open the folder given by Nicholas. There were several sheets of paper inside. They were reports done by Peter and that surprised Noel. He peered into the folder."I didn't know Nicholas would give me this much work." Noel's complaint was heard by Nicholas in a different room, but Nicholas ignored it and chose to focus on Selena. Noel looked at Selena then smiled and put the papers on the table. "I don't want to read all the writing on this paper. So, what can you give me to get me to get you out of prison?""I... I didn't kill anyone."Noel waved her hands in the air, she seemed to look down on the opponent. "That's a very standard thing. Do you have any evidence? Everyone in that base camp is dead, none of them can give you testimony. So
CHAPTER 273Glen looked up, he hadn't finished his fries yet. "Are you leaving now, Uncle? Are you going to see my mom?"Nicholas mumbled for a while, before finally nodding his head. "I'm going to take care of some work and meet with your mother. Is there anything you want to say to her?"Glen's face grew more enthusiastic as he finished the fries in his mouth and looked thoughtful. He looked around before finally seeing Nicholas again. Raising his index finger in the air, Glen said, "I want you to tell my mom that I miss her a lot. I want some chocolate candy from Uncle Chuck's shop! They have the best chocolate in town and I want to try it."Now, it was Nicholas' turn to raise his eyebrows enthusiastically. "Do you know Uncle Chuck's?""My friends in class talk about it, but I don't know. I just heard about it and wanted to try the chocolate candies they have."Nicholas nodded his head. He smiled widely and rubbed the top of Glen's head in relief. At least, the boy still had some e
CHAPTER 272Nicholas dropped Alicia off in front of Alpha Company's office, while he continued on his way to the daycare. He got out of his car, with a bag of fries from Mcd. Nicholas walked in and was met by Lim Sara.Lim Sara, who was working, greeted Nicholas politely. "Good morning, Detective. Have you come to pick up Glen?"A small mumble was heard from Nicholas. He finally explained the situation to Sara. "Um, well, the police still have to check a few things from Mrs. Selena. It may take some time, can Glen stay here a little longer?"Lim Sara looked worried. The woman with her beautiful hair coils mumbled, before nodding and replying, "Of course, Detective. But it seems like Glen is worried about his mother, he's asked about her several times and I can only say that she's at work." Sara turned around, then showed Glen who was sitting alone in the corner of the study room. "Because he stays here alone, without the other children, he thinks that his mother is angry.""Has Glen e
CHAPTER 271Alicia leaned on Nicholas' shoulder, she let the blanket cover their bodies on the sofa. After a night of sleeping together, Alicia woke up first. She took a deep breath and woke Nicholas up."Nick?"While shaking Nicholas' hand, Alicia tried to get her lover to wake up. And after a while, Nicholas did wake up."Um, good morning, Alicia." Nicholas adjusted his sitting position, he then blinked his eyes and began to speak. "How did you sleep last night?"Alicia mumbled. Letting go of the blanket covering her body, she hugged herself. "I got a good sleep because of you. But can't you just relax like this? You said you were going to check on Selena again today?""Yes, there will be a cross-examination. Noel will try to provoke her with psychological techniques," Nicholas said. He looked ahead, then moistened his dry lips. "I wonder to what extent Selena knows information about Ace. If Selena can tell the police about the steps Ace is taking, it would be great for all of us."
CHAPTER 270Nicholas put on an apron, before grabbing a cutting board and knife. He took out the onions, garlic and chili peppers. Skillfully, Nicholas began to chop the ingredients into small pieces, and then he heated the oil in the wok. He prepared to put in all the ingredients, and after the smell of onions was there, Nicholas put in the minced meat that he took from the refrigerator. His big hands started moving here and there quickly. He was like a professional chef. Sautéing, putting in spices and making everything better.Besides cooking the meat, Nicholas also prepared two loaves of bread on a plate. He placed the meat onto the bread, then garnished it with lettuce, tomato and some sauce on top.Nicholas patted his palms when he was done. He took off the apron, put it back on the table and started to prepare the two plates of food for the dining table. It was raining outside, and Alicia was still covering herself with a blanket on the sofa.It looked like Alicia was completel
CHAPTER 269Knock! Knock! Knock!Alicia opened her eyes after hearing a knock on the door. She tried to blink her eyes, then got up from her bed. She walked with her weak body to the door. The transparent door showed Nicholas outside, so Alicia didn't have to worry about opening the door.The girl opened the door and Nicholas greeted her enthusiastically. "Hey, Alicia. Why... what's wrong with you? Your face looks pale."Nicholas pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, checking Alicia's body temperature manually. He felt an unusual heat. There was something strange and Nicholas looked at Alicia worriedly."You have a fever, Alicia." Nicholas put his arm around Alicia and carried her into the house. Nicholas closed the door behind him and gently pushed Alicia into the living room. Nicholas helped Alicia to sit down. "Have you had a fever since morning?"Alicia nodded her head. "I... went to see Anna at her house.""Did you manage to meet Anna?""She... was close to my mother, Nic
CHAPTER 268"I may be ignorant of thethe law, I've run afoul of the constitution and statutes, but I know you'll remain a fugitive as long as you live in this world.a fugitive as long as you live in this world."Ace furrowed his browdeeply. "I'll have to think about it."The Fixer picked up the bagwith the money and held it in his lap like the baby he loved. While picking upseveral stacks of money and smelling the odor, The Fixer continued, "If you'dagree to my game, you can come the day before you're due to leave forEngland. Oh, and take Alicia with you. She has to 'die' with you too,right?"They exchanged glances fora few moments, before Ace finally turned around and left The Fixer's hiddenThe Fixer's hidden warehouse. He handed over the one million dollars he gotfrom stealing Amanda, Jill and Jason's money in order to escape farther than New York.than New York. But faking death? Ace hasn't thought of thatbefore.Meanwhile, insidehis base camp, The Fixer was feeling go
CHAPTER 267CHAPTER 267Ace put on his black gloves before he got into the car. His brown eyes looked ahead, while both hands held the steering wheel. The engine hadn't been turned on yet, so the road ahead was very dark. Ace managed to hide the car in a narrow alley that only fit Ace's car. Even then, Ace had to work hard to get it out carefully.After the chase that almost got him caught by Nicholas, Ace felt even more threatened. The streets of New York City were lined with his face. He was the most wanted fugitive in New York City. Even billboards that used to display commercial advertisements or important notices were now replaced with his face. Everyone was looking for Ace Blake."Damn. Where am I going to go now? I can't go without Alicia, but taking her without a plan won't do me any favors either."After thinking for a while, Ace finally started the engine of his car. He positioned the car so that it could exit the narrow alley. The car blended into the crowded street, but Ac