Chapter 5

"Mr. Jasper, I'm sure that woman is dead," the head of the security team's words were very confident. "At that time, when we went to the Nason household in the village, a funeral was being held. I asked the lady of the house, and she was crying so heartbrokenly. She told me that her precious one was crushed to death," the head of the security team recollected the situation back then. Because the lady was too grief-stricken, he didn't press her further. He asked around the village and learned that the household only had one daughter. And the same household was holding a funeral while the lady of the house was weeping inconsolably, saying her precious one had died, crushed by the collapse of an old storage house. Who would she be talking about if it wasn't her daughter? "I got it already!" Jasper hung up the phone, the glimmer of hope that had arisen in his heart ruthlessly dashed. He had known the outcome long before. What was he still hoping for? At that time, Jasper had sent his secretary to find that woman, planning for the secretary to bring her to his side so he could negotiate with her and compensate her. He chose his secretary because she was also a woman, and women could communicate with each other more easily. But the secretary had returned, reporting that the woman had died, killed under the collapse of an old storage house in heavy rain. Jasper found it hard to believe and sent the head of the security team to verify. He had gone along as well, but his injuries were severe, making it difficult for him to get out of the car. He could only sit in the car and watch from afar. The villagers had gathered at the woman's family's home, and funeral trumpets echoed throughout the village. The facts were right in front of his eyes. What more was there to doubt? - When Willow returned home, it was past ten at night. The door to the children's room was shut; the children should be asleep. Lara sat on the living room sofa, still scrolling through short videos. "Why are you back so early? Did they fire you?" Lara saw Willow and asked in surprise and concern. Wasn't the part-time job supposed to last all night? Yet, Willow had come back in the early hours of the night. Lara's gaze was too intense, and Willow evaded it slightly out of guilt. "No, I quit. That's why I came back early." "What? How dare you quit! You have four kids, which means four mouths to feed! You should know how the situation is at home right now! How can you be so willful and quit just like that?!" Lara strode over, her face red with anger. "I might have offended someone. If I continue, I'm afraid they'll cause trouble for me." Under her mother's overbearing presence, Willow couldn't conceal the truth. "What?" Lara felt like the world was collapsing. "How did you get into so much trouble? Why are you so difficult to deal with? I'd rather have that pig I used to raise before! Even my poor piglets were crushed to death. Why is my luck so bad?" Lara started crying. Thinking of that mother pig, she still felt heartache to this day. She had treated it as a treasure, hoping it would give birth to little piglets so she could be a grandmother and continue raising piglets. It's a pity that the heavy rain destroyed the firewood shed, and along with it, the adjacent pigsty collapsed. Her beloved mother pig was crushed to death from that incident. At that time, Lara was heartbroken and insisted on giving the pig a proper funeral according to human customs. Every time this came to mind, Willow felt especially guilty towards her mother, knowing she had caused her suffering. She gently nudged Lara's arm and tried to please her. "Mom, don't be angry. Although I only worked half a day today, I earned as much as I usually do in a month. Check your bank account. Is there an additional eleven thousand dollars?" Lara took out her phone, logged into mobile banking, and saw the amount. She was initially delighted, but then something crossed her mind, and her expression turned serious and pained. "You stubborn girl, what did I tell you? No matter how hard things get, you can't sell yourself out. Did you do that kind of work to earn this?" Lara said angrily. Willow had only been out for a few hours, and she had earned eleven thousand dollars?! Money wasn't that easy to make, after all! This misunderstanding was huge, and Willow quickly explained, "Mom, what are you thinking? I sold a bottle of wine worth two hundred thousand. I got a commission of ten thousand dollars plus an hour's worth of part-time pay. The supervisor thought I did well, so they gave me an additional one thousand for the part-time work." Lara stopped her accusation, realizing she had misunderstood. But due to her pride, she didn't soften her tone. "You did so well in sales. Why not continue? It's good to earn more money. Who did you offend? Can't you apologize and make amends?" "He seems to be quite important. People call him Mr. Jasper. The supervisor said he's a prominent figure in Buscen City. I've apologized, but it's useless. I'm afraid he'll come after me for revenge. I'm scared," Willow's voice sounded helpless, and she didn't hide her fear from her mother. She didn't want to give up her job at the nightclub. Making money was tough these days, and earning over ten thousand dollars in a day was a tempting prospect. But that man was just too terrifying. "Ah, what a stroke of bad luck," Lara retreated. While making money was important, she didn't want her daughter to risk her life for it. Buscen City was full of wealthy people, and it was usually difficult to negotiate with the rich and powerful. Offending them was inviting trouble. Lara understood these principles well. "Since you're free, you can stay home and care for the children. I'll head out for a bit," Lara carefully slipped her phone into her pocket with a cryptic expression. "It's so late. Where are you going?" Willow asked worriedly. "Mind your own business! Just look after yourself!" Lara's tone was forceful. Then, the older woman gave Willow an impatient glance and left. Willow sighed softly, choosing not to say anything. She walked to the door of the children's room, ready to push it open and check on her four children. But then she hesitated. At this hour, the kids were probably sleeping soundly. Going in might disturb them, so she decided against it and headed to the bathroom to shower. Unbeknownst to her, two little rascals weren't asleep at all. They were Tristan, the eldest, and Julian, the second child. They had overheard Willow and Lara's conversation clearly. In the darkness, two pairs of innocent eyes shimmered brightly as they huddled together and began whispering to each other. Tristan said, "Mom upset Mr. Jasper, and she's too scared to go out." This was the conclusion Tristan drew after listening to his mother's words. Julian asked, "Who's Mr. Jasper? Is he very powerful? Mommy is so lovely, but someone scared her to the point where she said she was afraid. She's so pitiful!" Tristan, while also concerned for his mother, was typically more reserved and didn't often use sweet words. He was a person of action. He reached for his tablet computer on the bedside table and rapidly tapped away on it. Soon enough, a profile appeared on the tablet's screen. "Found him. This is Mr. Jasper," Tristan announced. Julian leaned in to peer at the screen. On it was a photo of a man dressed in a well-fitted suit with handsome features and a sharp, imposing gaze. [Jasper Hughes, one of the Four Aristocrats of Buscen City, the CEO of Hughes Corporation. The Hughes family is the top aristocratic family in the city. He's known as the Frost Demon. Nobody dares to provoke him, lest they face severe consequences.] "So impressive. No wonder he scared Mommy like that." Julian pouted. "Let's go find him tomorrow and apologize, so he'll forgive Mommy," Tristan suggested.