When fate plays its hand

Sure enough, the lead officer from the city police department nodded slightly toward Paul. “We’ll take them away now.”

“Good, I recommend doing a drug test on them.” Paul said.

“Rest assured. We’ve got it covered.”

The Sneider brothers‘ faces turned ashen when they realized they had underestimated their opponent. The police cars left as quickly as they came.

Sam smirked faintly. “This is my first time seeing the city police department act so swiftly.

11

Paul remained silent and didn’t offer any comment. Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.

Madison glanced at Sam, then at Paul. She suddenly had a realization. Paul was late

because he had called for reinforcements as well. Sam called in forces from the

underworld, while Paul asked for help from the law enforcement.

It was an unbeatable two–pronged approach! The escape routes for the Sneider brothers were all completely blocked.

That evening, the Clifford residence was as lively as if it was the New Year. Since the afternoon, Ollie had been busy preparing chickens, ducks, and fish…

He seemed determined to turn every last resource he had into a feast to express their family’s gratitude. Ollie even brought out the aged wine he had kept away for a long time. It was originally intended to be opened on Julie’s wedding day, but he decided to uncork it early for the occasion.

Everyone tried to dissuade him by saying it was unnecessary, but Ollie wouldn’t listen. He had been working in the kitchen from afternoon till evening. As dusk approached, he finally emerged from the kitchen smiling and called to them, “Everyone, come and eat! The food is ready!”

The group took their seats at the round table that was usually reserved for special occasions. The plate of steamed codfish and foie gras took center stage. Surrounding them were more dishes like beef stew, pork sirloin, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw…

Madison couldn’t help swallowing hard. She had already caught whiffs of the tantalizing aroma from the kitchen. The fragrant aroma that wafted into her nostrils smelt irresistible.

Ollie said, “I made some of Yalemont’s local specialties. I didn’t add much spice, so I hope that you’ll find the dishes to your liking…”

Madison was the first to nod eagerly. “I really enjoyed the food! It tastes amazing!”

She had assumed the dishes would be very spicy. After all, she had eaten Dolorianese food

before.

But she realized that it was different as soon as she took a bite. Although the dishes were spicy, they carried a rich fragrance. There was a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. In short, the meal was absolutely delicious.

Miranda also praised Ollie’s cooking sincerely. “Mr. Clifford, your cooking is amazing!”

Sebastian added, “You’re good enough to open a restaurant.”

“We actually did run a small restaurant before,” Wanda said. “Business was quite good. We thought of running a restaurant with just the two of us without any help. Although it was tiring, it gave us hope as long as we could make money.”

Perhaps because of what happened earlier, she looked much better than before as her spirits were lifted. She was even able to sit at the table and join in the conversation with the others.

Wanda continued, “It’s all my fault. My body gave out, and I was diagnosed with kidney problems. The doctor told me I couldn’t work anymore.

“The restaurant didn’t make much profit, so we couldn’t afford to hire staff. Ollie tried running it alone for a while, but he found it unsustainable. In the end, we had to close up shop and take up another job.”

Under the table, Ollie patted her hand in silent comfort. Then, he stood and raised his glass. His tone was solemn as he spoke, “I want to thank everyone here tonight. If it weren’t for your help, our whole family might have…”

At this point, Ollie choked up. “Joli is lucky to have classmates, friends, and teachers like you. All of you are a blessing to our whole family, not him alone. I’m not good with words, so I’ll express my gratitude with a toast!”

With that, he tipped his head back and downed the glass in one go.

Joli and Julie also raised their glasses to toast the group.

Miranda was feeling a little tipsy after three rounds of drinks. She propped her chin in her hand and admired the fragrant spread on the table. Then, she shifted her gaze to the earnest faces of the Clifford family.

Lost in thought, she suddenly locked eyes with Paul. Startled, Miranda froze.