Chapter 6 Are You Serious, Warren?

As Crawford Group went bankrupt, Skye's bank card was also blocked. Fortunately, she still had around five hundred bucks in her digital wallet. Wearing Scott's coat, she redeemed a code from the ride-hailing application. Then, they hired a private vehicle at a discounted price and eventually arrived at Ravenwood Road. Upon arrival, the siblings entered a small and dilapidated restaurant. Yet, the shop was crowded. Scott tried to hide behind his sister. Skye caressed his head and gently coaxed, "Don't be afraid. I'm here for you. I've gotten rid of the bad guys. There are only good people around us right now. They won't do bad things to you. Come here." Even so, he still fidgeted as all eyes were on him. He hugged her arm tightly and hung his head low, avoiding the curious gaze as they lined up. When it was finally their turn, Skye ordered two sets of beefburgers under the cashier's frightened gaze. She added a packet of tissue paper and a bottle of mineral water to her order before making the final payment. The cashier struggled to ignore the bloodstain on the siblings as they pressed the buttons on the cash register. They don't look like law-abiding citizens. Should I call the police? The machine made a "ding" sound and notified Skye that her meals cost thirty-nine. She pursed her lips, feeling her stomach sink. The living expenses in Qrok are too high. I need to get a job as soon as possible if we want to survive in the city. Still, I doubt any company would hire me, considering my criminal history. The shop was packed, so she settled Scott at a table outside before she went to the pharmacy across the street. She returned with alcohol wipes, iodine swabs, and gauze. When she was treating the wound on his neck, his stomach growled. Just as she was about to laugh at the silliness of the situation, her stomach growled as well. Her brother blinked innocently, happy to find an ally in the same situation. A grin appeared on his face as he chuckled. She smiled back, her joyful expression mirroring his, but she felt a pang of sadness in her chest. She took a deep breath and held back her tears. No. Reality won't crush me. I'm invincible, and I know it. I have to work harder from today on. I must treat Scott at all costs. I miss the old him, who always looks like a ray of sunshine, already. "Your food is here." The server came over with the food. Skye thanked them, but her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the recruitment poster on the wall near the entrance. "Excuse me." She tugged at the server's arm. Her cheeks flushed as she fumbled for words to begin. "A-Are you hiring janitors?" They paused. "Ah. It's not us but the owner of the inn upstairs." At that, they pointed upward to emphasize their words. Skye lifted her head and saw a neon sign hanging above the restaurant's sign that read "Sunshine Inn." The server eyed her up and down before asking, "Are you applying for the job?" Skye hummed a cautious response. "Yes, but I didn't see a contact number on the poster." "Isn't it a job that only middle-aged women would do? A young girl like you should get a decent job." Decent? I've been far from decent ever since I fell for Warren. Skye shook her head with a smile, not answering that. The server scanned their surroundings before leaning in to whisper to her. "You're so young. I don't want to see you go down a wrong path which has no turning back. The inn upstairs has established some kind of partnership with nearby bars. The people who frequent the inn are mostly—" "Where are you touching, you perv?" Before they could finish their words, the conversation was cut short by an overly sweet voice. The server stood taller and quickly walked away. Skye turned in the direction of where the voice had come from. A pot-bellied man in his forties was putting his hand around a woman with an hourglass figure who wore a spaghetti-strap dress. Their faces were so close. They kissed and nibbled each other's lips with occasional flirting, paying no attention to their surroundings. "It feels so nice against my fingers. Here, too. I can't take my eyes off them. Tell me. What do you eat to keep them so good?" "I was born this way. Hey! Stop it! Be gentle!" "What are you afraid of? You didn't get them with implants, did you? Are you worrying that I would ruin them?" "Of course, I'm not! But it still hurts!" The woman pushed the man away in disgust and sidestepped. Her foot accidentally bumped Skye's table, causing the soup to spill. The woman lifted her dress and quickly moved away as she apologized, "Sorry about that, young lady. I apologize." She ended it with a strained chuckle. "It's okay." Skye lifted a hand and smoothed over her hair, which was raised by the wind to cover the scar on her forehead. The man clicked his tongue. "Such a waste." The woman rolled her eyes before dragging him into the restaurant and headed upstairs. Skye was lost in her thoughts as she watched them walk away. A long time later, she finally withdrew her gaze and picked up her portion. She noticed that an empty tray was now lying in front of Scott. Staring at the burger in her hands, he licked his lips, clearly still hungry. She paused before asking, "Are you still hungry?" He winced at the sudden attention, only nodding his head slightly. She pushed her portion of food toward him and went to order some potato wedges at the counter. As she was famished, she finished them in a few bites. After taking a sip of water to moisten her throat, she leaned forward and instructed Scott, "Scott, I'll be away for a while. Stay here after you finish eating. Just wait for me here, do you understand?" He continued to eat without answering. A few reminders later, he finally responded, "I'll wait for you. I'm not going anywhere." "Good boy." She entered the shop. Grabbing the handrail, she ascended the stairs with a heavy heart. ... Meanwhile, in a private room on the second floor of Myri Aroma. Warren poured a bowl of seafood stew that cost a fortune onto Finn's head. When he finally emptied the bowl, he picked up a napkin to wipe his fingers before approving, "You can get up now." Finn's face and neck were scalded by the hot soup. He didn't dare to sit down after he rose to his feet. He folded his hands on his abdomen, lowered his head, and apologized, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken Scott out of the hospital without your permission just to vent my anger. I also warned Michael and the others. They deleted all the videos as told. No outsiders will ever learn about their existence. Warren, spare me just this once, for old times' sake." Qrok was the home to many wealthy families, but the Whitley Family reigned at the top of the social pyramid. Despite Warren's usually friendly and approachable demeanor, nobody should ever mess with him. Finn only got those collaboration opportunities from Warren, so he couldn't afford to offend Warren. However, he was perplexed. Before Warren and Skye's divorce, Warren never once stopped the group when they spoke ill of Skye. Why would he become so protective of her all of a sudden? Why? I don't get him! Warren didn't even spare a glance at Finn. He picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of his coffee, saying, "I have told my people to inform their family elders. They have one week to leave Qrok. Since you have an unfinished project in the city, you're excluded. Don't repeat the mistake." Finn stared at his friend in disbelief. "Are you serious, Warren? We didn't really harm Skye. Besides, her brother deserved it! You see. He has targeted us and caused us a lot of trouble in the past two years. God punished him by turning him into a retarded. What harm would it do when I'm just giving him what he deserved? I thought you could empathize with us." Warren set his cup on the table and glanced at Finn with raised eyebrows. "Are you suggesting that I'm being unreasonable and have wrongly accused you?" "No! That's not what I meant!" Finn's confidence wavered, and he tried to appease the other man's anger. "Warren, you shouldn't do this. Matilda won't be happy if she learns about this." "What does it have to do with her?" "It has a lot to do with her. Weren't you willingly severing all ties with the Crawford Family just to send Skye to prison for Matilda's sake? Now that Skye has returned, you're punishing us for pestering her. But Matilda is your girlfriend. What would she think about this situation?" Warren suddenly sprung from his seat and startled Finn. The other man took several steps back and looked at him in confusion. He glared at Finn. "Who told you that?" Finn was dumbfounded. "Told me what?" Warren emphasized, "Who told you that she's my girlfriend?" Confused, Finn shot him a question back. "Isn't it an accepted fact among our circle?" "But she's not." With that, Warren walked away. Finn wasn't expecting this. "What? " ... Ethan glanced at the rearview mirror to gauge Warren's reaction when he was waiting for the traffic light to change. "Mr. Whitley, should we go back to the company or your apartment?" Finn's words still rang in Warren's mind. Instead of answering Ethan's question, he asked, "Ethan, what do you make of the relationship between Matilda and me?" The question took Ethan by surprise, as he wasn't aware of the change in traffic light. It wasn't until a car behind them honked that he finally snapped back to reality. Troubled, he answered hesitatingly, "Aren't you two dating?" Warren didn't answer. The tension in the car made Ethan realize that he said something wrong, and he couldn't help but keep glancing back to read Warren's expression. "What made you think so?" It was only much later that Warren broke the silence. Ethan tightened his grip on the steering wheel and forced himself to come clean. "You have always been attentive to Miss Clarke's needs. Every time she comes to see you in the company, she'll introduce herself as your girlfriend." Warren narrowed his eyes. It seems like I don't know her at all. "Are you going back to the office, Mr. Whitley?" Warren pursed his lips and contemplated. Skye doesn't have much money on her. Even if she has, she couldn't find many cabs around here. So, she would most probably hire a private vehicle to leave this area. Ravenwood Road is the nearest non-commercial district around, where she could spend less money. Furthermore, there are footbridges and parks nearby, which fit her accommodation needs. "No, we are going to Raven—" His phone buzzed, and he picked it up to answer it. "Hello." Matilda sounded like she was crying. "Warren, can you come over to the hospital? I got injured, and the doctor said I needed a couple of stitches. I'm so scared."