Chapter 559
She quickly turned her face away, flustered. Whether Bowen was sober or drunk, she'd heard all kinds of sweet talk from him before, so she just chalked this up as another one of his lines—even if this was by far the most blunt thing he'd ever said.
"Wow, he really just told me straight up that he's totally craving my body," Aubree thought, her heart skipping a beat.
"What's the rush? If we go now, we won't get any useful information. Just wait a bit longer," Bowen said.
He added, "Ethan just texted me. He said there might have been some kind of deal between David's family and the village chief's family regarding the demolition. Looks like this village's got a lot of secrets."
Mistmere lagged significantly behind modernity, revealing its persistent issues. In this village, the words of the local boss or village chief were absolute—even the police held no authority.
People’s mindset here seemed quite outdated. In just a few days, Aubree noticed girls who were barely eighteen or nineteen were already pregnant and walking around the village. When she inquired about it, she learned that most girls in this area were engaged and married shortly after finishing junior high or high school. Surprisingly, none of them considered this situation unusual.
Stuff like that was just everyday life to them, and no one even batted an eye at it.
Meanwhile, Samuel walked up to Josephine's door with his bags and knocked.
The widow’s full name was Josephine Walls. She married into Ridgehaven Town from outside. Her husband worked in the mines but unfortunately died in an underground accident. After his death, Josephine received compensation money and has been raising their son on her own ever since.
She was educated, good-looking, and had a killer figure. Most days, she made ends meet by modeling for clothing shops in town or doing gigs for online stores. It was enough to keep her and her kid afloat.
The villagers noticed how she always had new outfits and didn’t need to do hard labor to make money. Soon enough, the gossip mill started churning out rumors about her.
In a place like Ridgehaven Town, it was natural for a woman, especially a pretty one, to get gossiped about or targeted by men.
Regardless of whether it’s true or not, the reputation of being “easy” was pinned on her for good.
Her place was an old tile-roofed house with two doors—one in the front, one in the back. The whole place was split into three parts: the living room sat smack in the middle, with a bedroom on one side and the kitchen and bathroom on the other.
Samuel knocked on the door, and before long, a well-cared-for, fair-skinned boy peeked out before exclaiming, “Samuel!”
The boy’s eyes sparkled when he saw Samuel, as he had received many delicious treats from him during Samuel’s visits to his mother.
Like always, Samuel pulled a handful of snacks from his pocket and handed them over to Mattias, asking, “Mattias, is your mom home?”
“Yep, she’s home!” the boy chirped cheerily.
With that confirmation, Samuel stepped inside, glancing around like a thief before closing the door behind him.
Mattias’s eyes darted around, looking a little confused about what Samuel was up to.
Samuel set the food and drinks on the table, then turned on the TV in the living room. He instructed, “Mattias, you stay here and watch some TV, okay? I need to go talk to your mom for a bit.”
Little children are always so innocent. Mattias nodded obediently, sat down on the couch, and even pointed out which room his mom was in.
The door creaked open, and Josephine was lying on the bed, fast asleep.
Clothes were still scattered across the floor, and her phone was left out on a stand, not fully put away.
Samuel stared at the woman sleeping soundly on her side, her back facing toward the door, and desire surged in his eyes.
Josephine had been up late last night doing a photo shoot, and for some reason, Mattias was plagued by nightmares and kept fussing all night.
She only got a chance to rest when it was almost dawn.
Even in her sleep, she looked restless as her brows were tightly knit.
Luck and she were complete strangers. Now in her thirties, she felt as if she had never experienced a single moment of good luck in her entire life.