"No! That's impossible! There's no way I'll give Jessica to you! " Rebecca was a little panicked as she shielded Jessica behind her, and she backed her up against the wall as she looked at Warrick with a determined expression.
She had heard many rumors about Warrick during the past few years. Countless women in the mining district had fallen into his hands, and not a single one of them had met a good end. Even little girls were not spared.
Not long ago, there was a girl who was less than 12 years old who was pregnant with his child, but he kicked her in the stomach in a drunken stupor, killing both her and her child. That girl had been used by her gambling addict father to repay his debt, but Warrick was still a child! She couldn't imagine what would happen to Jessica if she were to fall into his hands, so she would rather die with Jessica!
Warrick's underlings also chuckled as they looked at Rebecca and Jessica in an unbridled manner. A pair of orphans and widows like this were the easiest to bully, especially when they were quite beautiful. If Warrick didn't like them, then perhaps he would just take advantage of them. This was something that had happened many times in the past.
There were also some people standing in front of the black bungalows not far away, looking in their direction. However, their expressions were a little numb, and they were completely expressionless.
The black gravel path was riddled with potholes. It had rained the day before yesterday, and some of the potholes were still filled with black puddles of water. These puddles of water fused together with the black bungalows around them, making them appear as if they were mining pits.
…
"Amy, are you sure it's this alley?" Meg turned to Amy, who was sitting on the backseat, and asked.
"Yes, Father, I'm sure that Jessica's home is in this alley." Amy nodded with a serious expression.
"Alright, let's go take a look." Meg nodded with a smile. He wanted to retort that Amy had said the same thing three times before, but she was his little Celestial Maiden, after all, so he had no choice but to continue onward while carefully avoiding all of the small puddles.
He was used to the bustling streets around the Aden Square, but he still wasn't used to living in the slums. Even in Chaos City, there were still many people living in poverty.
…
"That's not up to you to decide. If you can't pay me back, then I'll take your belongings as collateral. I don't want anything in your run-down house except for this little girl." Warrick shook his head as he turned to Jessica with a smile, and said, "Do you know how much you owe me? I'm a good person, but I'm too kind-hearted. After all, I'm a noble 2nd rank knight. I pity you, so I made such a request to you. Otherwise, even you would be mine. "
"Two years ago, my husband passed away due to a mining accident. I borrowed 20 gold coins from you to bury him …" Rebecca clenched her fists, suppressing her grief and anger.
"Twenty gold coins? Heh, two years have passed and the interest has accumulated. Now you owe me a total of 500 gold coins, and this is after deducting the small change. Tell me, is your daughter worth this price? Have I been too kind to you? "Warrick chuckled coldly.
"Indeed, Master Warrick is the kindest person in this world!"
"Only Master Warrick would be so generous. If it were me, I'd take both mother and daughter!"
All of Warrick's underlings chimed in, and their boorish laughter was very jarring.
Warrick's smile became even more vibrant, and he seemed to be very pleased with their praise. He turned to Rebecca and waited for her response.
"How … How could it be 500 gold coins?!" Rebecca looked at Warrick with incredulity as she shook her head. "That's impossible! I only borrowed 20 gold coins from you; how could it be 500 gold coins? You can't say things like that! I'm going to sue you to the city lord's castle!"
"This is the IOU that you signed back then. It's written in black and white that the interest is half every month. Up until now, it's already more than 500 gold coins. Even if you complain to the City Lord's Mansion, it's still my win. When the time comes, the City Lord's Mansion will help me force you to pay back the money and make you hand over your daughter to me as repayment." Warrick waved the IOU in his hand with a sinister smile on his face, and all of Warrick's underlings also burst into laughter.
Rebecca looked at the IOU in Warrick's hand, and she felt as if the entire sky were collapsing around her. She felt as if her eardrums were about to be torn apart, and she reflexively hid Jessica even further behind her.
Jessica looked up at the completely panicked Rebecca, and there was a hint of fear on her little face, but she didn't cry. Instead, she gripped her mother's hand tightly in an attempt to provide her with some warmth and support.
Rebecca faltered momentarily before looking down at Jessica. She gripped Jessica's little hand tightly as if she were grasping at straws. She came to her senses, and turned to Warrick as she said, "Master Warrick, please give me a little more time. Governor Woodrow said that my husband's pension will be paid very soon, and it's definitely going to be more than 500 gold coins. I'll be sure to return all of it to you when the time comes. Please let us go, and let Jessica go. She's only a five-year-old child."
"You sure are naive." Warrick shrugged with a smile. He took a couple of steps closer to Rebecca, and whispered into her ear, "Governor Woodrow is my uncle, and he told me in person that the pension for all of the miners who died in the mining accident has already been paid. However, you won't receive any of that. Even if you wait until you die, you'll never receive the money that your husband sacrificed his life for. That money doesn't belong to you lowly black rats in the first place. I'll enjoy your daughter to the fullest. If she can live a few more years, perhaps she can even give birth to a child. "
"How could this be …" Rebecca's pupils gradually widened as she stared at Warrick's sinister smile. Her sickly face paled even further, and she felt as if all of the strength in her body had been sucked out of her body. She slowly fell to the ground, and it was as if even her soul had disappeared.
"I heard that you went to buy medicine with a dragon coin a few days ago. You have the money to treat your illness, but you don't have the money to pay me back. That's not right. Aside from this little girl, I'll treat the rest of the money as interest." Warrick waved a hand, and two burly men stepped forward to search Rebecca's body.
"Don't you dare bully my mother! You're all bad people! If my father were still alive, he'd be able to send you flying with a single punch! "Jessica rushed forward from behind and spread open her arms to shield Rebecca.
"Get that short-lived b * stard to crawl out of his coffin and beat us up!"
Everyone burst into raucous laughter, and one of the burly men tore off the money pouch hanging from Rebecca's waist. The money pouch was torn apart, and a handful of gold, silver, and copper coins fell to the ground, some of which jumped into a puddle.
"Idiot, pick them all up!" Warrick's brows furrowed with displeasure, and the burly men hurriedly bent down to pick up the money.
"I can't! This isn't my money; someone lent it to me. I have to return it to him …" Rebecca struggled to her feet, but Warrick stepped on her shoulder.
Warrick pinched Jessica's chin with his other hand, and a sinister smile appeared on his face as he said, "If I say it's mine, then it's mine. From today onward, she belongs to me as well."
A gold coin rolled forward, and a burly man with tattoos all over his body followed along behind it.
The gold coin crashed into a wheel, and spun on the spot before coming to a stop.
An elated expression appeared on the burly man's face as he reached out to pick it up.
However, as soon as his hand came into contact with the gold coin, a foot came crashing down like a heavy hammer, stomping his hand into the black gravel.
"This is my money."
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