Chapter 27
The next morning, James got up early. After making breakfast for the Smiths and sending them off to work, he prepared to return to the urban village.
He wanted to see how Michelle was doing.
Her stomach tumor was healed, her debts were cleared, and Michelle's life should have been easier, but James was still in the habit of visiting every few days.
He had been raised by Michelle's family for eighteen years and had long considered them his parents.
When Mary heard that James was going to visit Michelle, she took the initiative to go with him for the first time.
James was surprised but even more pleased; it showed that Mary was slowly accepting him.
She had hardly ever visited her mother before.
Twenty minutes later, the two arrived at Michelle's rental house.
However, Michelle was not in the rental house.
James called Michelle, only to learn that she was at the nearby Sunshine Market. So James took Mary over there.
Along the way, countless eyes were on them, as if a beauty was walking with a beast.
Soon, they arrived at the market, bustling with people and cries of vendors, brimming with the breath of life.
James took Mary around, and soon, in the eastern corner, he saw Michelle.
Michelle had rented a stall and was selling coffee. Two dollars a cup. The coffee tasted quite good, and many people were queuing up to buy it.
Michelle was swamped with customers.
"Mom, you're not well; why are you setting up a stall here?" James hurried over and said, "It would be a terrible loss if you collapsed from exhaustion."
He picked up the large aluminum pot to help out.
"I'm fine; staying at home is just too boring, and this year, I spent quite a bit on medical expenses." Michelle smiled kindly. "I just wanted to sell coffee to earn some money to help with the household."
James was helpless and said, "Mom, I can handle the money issues; you don't have to work so hard."
Michelle replied, "You're not having an easy time either, and besides, you're a son-in-law. Always taking money from the Smith family might lead to gossip."
"Aunt Michelle, James doesn't take money from the Smith family. The money he gives you is all earned by himself." At that moment, Mary smiled as she squeezed through the crowd and said, "Just use it with peace of mind."
She even put on a mask to help sell the coffee.
"Mary, you're here." Michelle was slightly taken aback when she saw Mary, seemingly not expecting her to show up.
Then she pulled up a stool and said, "Mary, sit down; you can't do this rough work."
" Aunt Michelle, it's okay." Mary's smile was serene. "I can handle this work. You are not well and should sit down and rest."
"Let James and I sell the coffee."
She pressed Michelle onto the stool.
"Mary, you are such a good girl." Michelle sat helplessly on the stool and then kicked James.
She added, "You should have said something about Mary coming. I would have prepared a meal at home to wait for you."
"Bringing Mary here to suffer, how can you be worthy of Mary?"
Michelle was as kind as ever.
James chuckled bitterly, "How would I know that you would sell coffee as soon as you recovered from your illness?"
Mary laughed and said, "Alright, no more blaming. Let's sell the coffee quickly so we can finish early and take Mom back home."
Afterward, the three of them got busy with efficient movements. Mary greeted the customers, James was in charge of pouring coffee, and Michelle took care of the money.
The presence of Mary, a great beauty, attracted several times more customers than usual, almost an endless stream.
Seeing this scene, James felt warmth in his heart. This was the life he had longed for and was worth protecting for a lifetime.
Unfortunately, he could never win Mary's heart.
"Black Troy is here," Just then, a loud shout pierced the eardrums, and the whole market fell silent.
James looked up and saw seven or eight youths walking in at the entrance of the market.
They had an imposing aura.
The leader, Black Troy, was chewing betel nut while looking down on every one present; it seemed that the Sunshine Market was beneath him.
Then, a crew-cut youth pulled out a printed QR code, swaggering past each stall.
James recognized him at a glance. The young man collecting the money was Marcus Williams, his uncle's youngest son.
He wasn't surprised. Marcus had always been a scoundrel, having beaten countless classmates.
In a class of forty-seven, forty-five had been beaten by Marcus. The only student he didn't dare to bully was the son of the principal.
James had also suffered bullying since childhood.
So, seeing Marcus acting like this, James was not surprised at all.
When the stall owners saw Troy and his group, they hurriedly scanned the QR code with their phones and entered a predetermined amount.
A hundred dollars for each and five hundred dollars for those with good business.
Mary asked, "Aunt Michelle, who are these people?"
Michelle hesitated for a moment and said, "They collect management fees."
James spoke up indifferently, "What management fees? They're just a gang of gangsters extorting money!"
Mary's lips twitched. "Protection money?"
Michelle waved her hands repeatedly and said, "James, Mary, don't worry about these things; let me handle it."
James's brows furrowed. He said, "Mom, Marcus is my cousin, and he's still taking your money, right?"
In James's view, no matter how bad a person was, there should be some bottom line. Marcus was really over the line!
At that moment, a fat shop owner argued with Troy and his group for a few words, only to be kicked to the ground by Marcus and slapped hard four times.
In the end, it was the fat owner's daughter who took out a few thousand dollars to calm the situation.
"Dare to stand up to us, the SH Corporation. Haven't you been dead before?" Marcus roared arrogantly and even took the opportunity to grope the young and beautiful daughter of the shop owner.
Mary narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "They are too lawless."
James's eyes also showed a sharp edge.
The lead, Black Troy, saw James's defiant look from afar and felt his authority challenged, so he led his men over.
He glared at James and said, "What are you looking at? Keep looking, and I'll burst your eyeballs, believe it or not?"
James held back his anger, lowered his eyelids, and drank a cup of coffee.
Troy said, "You know your place."
"Old woman, the coffee business is good today. Management fee, a thousand dollars; hurry up and hand it over!"
Troy kicked down the store sign.
A few thugs also casually spilled a few cups of coffee, took a few sips, and spat it on the ground, saying, "What is this crap?"
Marcus also stepped forward, standing beside Troy, puffing himself up. "Auntie Michelle, are you setting up a stall here? It's so hot, and you're still out selling coffee. It must be tough, right?"
"Your body is not well, and you've just been discharged from the hospital. You should rest more at home; otherwise, if you overwork yourself, James will be worried."
He smiled warmly, looking nothing like a thug but a caring young man.
Michelle looked embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.
James's face turned cold. He said, "Marcus, don't go too far!"
"Is my college-educated cousin back?" Marcus called out to James warmly, "You should have told me earlier, James, I would have treated you to a meal!"
"Are you looking down on me?"
"Alright, we're all relatives; I'll decide for Troy."
"Today, we'll take two thousand dollars from you!"
Marcus's smile was even more honest. It seemed that he was really close with James. He said, "Troy, this is my aunt. Give me z face. Is two thousand dollars okay?"
Troy laughed heartily and said, "Alright, Marcus, for your sake, two thousand dollars it is!"
"Wait a moment; I will get the money for you right away." Michelle didn't want James to conflict with Troy and his group to prevent Mary from getting involved.
"I'll pay the two thousand dollars!" James took out a check and handed it over.
"A check, rich man, Marcus, your cousin is doing pretty well." Troy took the check and looked at it; his laughter suddenly froze.
The words' Ten million dollars, Jacob Davis' made him afraid.
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