Chapter 9 Claiming Authority

Arlo's body stiffened. He had intended to refuse, but Skyler's trembling body softened his resolve. Turning around to look at the tearful Skyler, he hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Seeing Arlo agree, Skyler was overjoyed. She snuggled affectionately into his embrace and whispered, "Don't you have any questions for me?" "That woman is Ruben's wife, isn't she?" Arlo guessed. Skyler's body tensed instantly. "How did you know?" she asked. Arlo didn't answer immediately. Thinking he might have upset her, Skyler became anxious. "Arlo, let me explain. Ruben and I never had an affair. If not for that, he wouldn't have tried to rape me!" Patting her back gently, Arlo said softly, "It's okay, it's in the past. Don't overthink it. If you need to cry, just let it out." Feeling Arlo's sincerity, Skyler couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears. Since her parents were arrested by the police, Skyler had gone from being a wealthy girl to struggling to make ends meet with odd jobs while attending school. The contrast was stark. On top of that, her father's former good friend and business partner turned out to be a ruthless scoundrel. She had lived cautiously, fearing she might be exploited or harmed at any moment. But now, she felt she had finally found someone worth entrusting herself to and relying on. Sensing the silence of the weeping woman in his arms, Arlo looked down to find her asleep. Seeing her furrowed brow and occasional sob, even in her sleep, Arlo let out a sigh. They were both unfortunate souls. Putting Skyler into bed, Arlo intended to leave, but as he got up, he found that even though Skyler was asleep, she held onto his clothes tightly, as if afraid he would leave. After a moment's thought, Arlo decided not to leave. He took off his shoes and got into bed. Although he had vomited almost all the wine he had drunk, he still felt a bit dizzy at this moment. Closing his eyes, he soon fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up again, he saw Skyler staring at his face, her beautiful eyes filled with watery waves. Feeling a bit embarrassed under her gaze, Arlo asked, "When did you wake up?" Skyler smiled and said, "I've been awake for a while. Are you hungry?" "I'm okay." Pausing for a moment, Arlo asked, "Can you tell me about your parents?" Skyler's smile faltered slightly, she bit her lip, "Not very good, my dad has a chronic illness, and there's no treatment available in there, he can only endure." Arlo frowned, "Is there anything I can do to help?" "No need, this is my own business, I'll find a way to get my parents out." Skyler shook her head, holding Arlo's face, "You don't need to worry about me, I've found a job and I'm starting today." Arlo thought for a moment and took out a thousand bucks from his pocket, handing it to Skyler, "Take this, use it for now." Skyler didn't take his money, "I have money on me, you as a man outside definitely need money." Seeing her determination, Arlo didn't insist, but he had a feeling that Skyler was hiding something from him. Skyler cooked lunch, which was basically just cooking instant noodles, but Arlo still ate it happily. Children from poor families cherish food the most, he slurped down the noodles and soup eagerly. Seeing him enjoy the meal, Skyler couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that delicious?" "Not really, I'm just really hungry." Arlo grinned. After finishing the meal, Skyler changed clothes and went to work, handing Arlo the key to her room before leaving, showing that she trusted him. After Skyler left, Arlo washed the dishes and sat by the window lost in thought. He could feel that Skyler liked him a lot, and he also had a good feeling towards Skyler. Since arriving in Fleross, Skyler was the first opposite sex to show kindness to him. Since they met, Skyler never looked down on his poverty, willing to accompany him. Just this affection alone made Arlo feel a bit heavy-hearted. Just as he was thinking, his phone vibrated. Opening it, he found a WhatsApp message from Skyler, a selfie of her, with a clean ponytail and flawless profile, looking youthful. At that moment, Arlo's heart fluttered. "Darling, I'm off to work! Take care of yourself, okay!" Hearing Skyler's soft voice, his lips couldn't help but curl up. "Having a girlfriend like her seems nice, right?" Muttering to himself, he suddenly remembered the sound he heard on the first night he moved in. [Before we met, that night, I heard sounds from your room, were you and Ruben having...] Typing out a line on the screen, his finger hovered over the send button for a while. Eventually, the doubt in his mind overwhelmed him, and he pressed send. After sending it, he felt some regret, but just as he was about to retract it, Skyler's message came back. [Don't jump to conclusions, that, that was me masturbating.] [Really?] [Yes, men have needs, women have needs too. Don't misunderstand, Ruben and I really didn't do anything.] [I believe you.] A weight lifted off his heart, and Arlo felt much better. Heading out to the bar, since it wasn't open yet, there were only a few cleaning ladies inside, and no one else. Arriving at the security guard dormitory, he pushed the door open, hit by a stench of feet mixed with alcohol and instant noodle smell, wrinkling Arlo's brow. Seeing the security guards snoring away, Arlo spoke in a stern voice, "What are you sleeping for, get up!" One of the security guards, who looked about the same age as Arlo, was awakened, and upon seeing Arlo at the door, he hesitated for a moment, "What's up? Isn't it time to work?" Seeing his honest face, Arlo asked, "What's your name?" "I'm Kian Wells." Kian got up from the bed honestly, stood in front of Arlo very politely, looking at Arlo with excitement and admiration in his eyes. Last night, everyone at the bar saw Arlo's performance, and Kian thought he was very manly, sincerely admiring Arlo from the bottom of his heart. Arlo nodded and pointed to the other four security guards still asleep, "Wake them up." Kian nodded and went up to wake up the other security guards one by one. The awakened security guards didn't look too happy, especially the one who kicked Kian, who directly lost his temper, "Kian, are you fucking crazy? I was sleeping well, why did you wake me up?" Just as Kian was about to speak, the guy kicked him down with one kick. Arlo's face immediately darkened, he walked up to the guy in long strides, without thinking, slapped him hard across the face. This slap directly stunned him, and after seeing clearly that it was Arlo, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, then he smiled, "So it's Mr. Johnson, what can I do for you, Mr. Johnson?" "Put on your clothes and line up!" Arlo said icily, scanning the other security guards, standing at the door with his hands behind his back, "I'll give you two minutes, if you're not lined up properly after two minutes, don't blame me for being rude." This statement immediately aroused dissatisfaction among several security guards, especially the guy who kicked Kian, who immediately said unpleasantly, "They say a new boss is always eager to claim his authority. Mr. Johnson, you don't have to do it to your brothers, right?"