Chapter 17 One After Another

• Pearl was a materialistic lady. So, in her opinion, Deborah's four-year stint as a grass widow had resulted in a husband who had become a director. It was better than nothing.
• Pearl turned to look at Austin again and noticed that she no longer found him to be an eyesore.
• Deborah secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Pearl's relaxed tone, and her smile became much more natural.
• She demonstrated to Pearl that she already had a great relationship with Austin by holding his hand, and she continued, "Pearl, in fact, this time I brought him here because I want you to help him, as well as a favor to me."
• "What exactly do you mean by 'his and yours'? We are a family. If you have something to say, say it. Come sit down, drink some tea, and talk. I won't say no if I can be of assistance."
• The waiter made tea for the two of them after Pearl waved her hand.
• "Actually, we want to demolish Sparksville."
• "Ptui!"
• Pearl spat the tea she had just sipped before Deborah could finish speaking.
• She was stunned to the point of making a gaffe. She quickly wiped the tea from her mouth and stared in disbelief at the two in front of her.
• "Did I mishear something, or did you two go insane? Or are you merely joking around with me?"
• Pearl was a people person. How was it possible that she was unaware of Sparksville?
• The villa neighborhood contained numerous villas, and all of its residents were prominent figures in Fairville City.
• Although Brigham Corporation was growing well, the real estate market in Sparksville was so strong that there were no available units to buy.
• "Sparksville being demolished? You guys are complete morons. That plan will always be a pipe dream. If you're not joking, I suggest you quickly put this thought aside. If you dare to beard a powerful person, terrible things will happen to you!" Pearl said solemnly to Austin and Deborah.
• "Pearl, weren't there a lot of bigwigs who had always kept low profiles frequenting your tea house after you opened it? You have a diverse network. Perhaps you could act as our go-between and pave the way for us. I understand that the Sparksville thing is not an easy task, but we are unable to get out of this difficult situation, the only option left is to try." As she spoke, Deborah frowned and smoothed out her hair around her ears.
• She didn't expect her cousin to be able to persuade all the bigwigs in Sparksville.
• Even just two or three households would be of great help.
• "Deborah, you place far too much trust in me. To conduct business, I open the door. Perhaps people from Sparksville visit my tea house to catch up with friends over tea, but in the eyes of others, I'm just a small tea house owner. I'm not qualified to speak with them," said Pearl frankly.
• "Pearl, I realize I'm putting you in a difficult situation, but I can't help myself. Sparksville is Brigham Corporation's number one problem, and Austin also happens to be the project's director. If he fails to complete this task, I'm afraid he will not only lose his position, but he will also offend all of Fairville's bigwigs."
• Deborah's face became increasingly sad, and there was a hint of resistance in her beautiful eyes.
• After all, Austin's career had only recently begun to improve, and that project would almost certainly send him past the point of no return.
• "I still find it strange that Austin was appointed director soon after his return. Others had benefited from the haste. The Brighams had no good intentions. If this project succeeds, the Brighams will take credit, but should the project fails, Austin will be the fall guy. Only idiots would fall for that."
• Pearl looked at Austin and thought he was a useless director. Because he was too cowardly, the Brigham family exploited him.
• Deborah also knew that Pearl was right. Even if Austin wanted to resign from his directorship at this point, it was impossible because the Brigham family's atmosphere was in a fragile state and bridges had already been burned.
• The danger would deter everyone, and no one would want to be the fall guy.
• Deborah had the audacity to ask Pearl for assistance because she was desperate as well.
• Austin sighed and spoke slowly, "Don't worry. Sparksville will be demolished. This isn't as difficult as you think."
• Due to Deborah's earnest consideration of the matter, he had come here with her.
• "Not that difficult, is it? Austin, have you gone insane? That's right. You've spent all of these years in the army and know nothing about business. I'm not looking down on you. Let me tell you, if the old Mrs. Brigham met with the people of Sparksville, she would be courteous to them as well. What makes you think that you will be able to handle this task?"
• Pearl sneered, and her eyes were filled with disdain and contempt.
• After ten years of training in the army, she had assumed that the husband of her cousin sister would be at least promising, but it now appeared that he was simply arrogant and conceited. He was just a good-for-nothing who only knew how to talk big!
• "You guys talk, I'm going out for a cigarette."
• Austin raised his eyebrows but said nothing else. He did not come here to be treated unfairly; he came here because of Deborah.
• Austin lit a cigarette as he leaned against the door, listening to the soft chatter in the private room.
• Austin's eyes became a little hazy after he expelled a mouthful of clear smoke.
• He was the King of the Southern Continent and the future ruler of Rudville. Who would have dared to say anything if he mentioned demolishing Sparksville?
• Deborah pushed the door open and walked out before he could finish his cigarette.
• "Let's go home. Sigh, Pearl will not help us no matter what. Well, we can't really blame her. There is nothing she can do about it."
• Deborah appeared dejected.
• Deborah was hurt and disappointed. Not only because Pearl had refused to assist, but also because of their private conversations. Pearl was constantly mocking Austin for overestimating his abilities. Which women would be at ease hearing others criticize their husbands?
• She looked at Austin and didn't want to say anything else.
• Deborah didn't speak and appeared preoccupied throughout the journey.
• Austin also remained silent as he gazed out the window at the scenery.
• "Bang!"
• Deborah only cried out in alarm when the car suddenly trembled violently. Without even realizing it, she took both hands off the steering wheel.
• Deborah quickly raised her eyes to look again, and when she saw that she had crashed, her expression immediately changed.
• Because, per Mitchel's orders, the company's drivers would no longer serve Deborah's family, and only the public bus would be assigned.
• Deborah took the company bus for this trip. But now that she'd hit a car, she knew she was in big trouble.
• "Fuck! How do you drive?"
• A bald man stepped out of the Audi R8 sports car in front, and walked towards Deborah, swearing nonstop.
• "This... I really wasn't to blame for this. He had abruptly stopped. I wasn't expecting him to suddenly stop."
• Deborah looked at Austin in a panic, and her voice trembled as she explained.
• "I know."
• Austin nodded. He knew that this type of accident was unavoidable. The sports car in front had indeed stopped abruptly without the warning light turned on, so he should be held fully accountable.
• "Fuck! It's a female driver again? Oh, why am I so unlucky? Come down and see for yourself what you've done to my car."
• The bald man wore a large gold chain around his neck and had several large tattoos on his arms. He doesn't seem like a nice guy.
• "It's your responsibility. I... I was driving normally."
• Deborah looked at the dash cam and felt relieved, but her voice was still trembling.
• "Normal driving, my ass! Fuck! Bitch, you're good at avoiding obligations, huh? Okay. Don't get down. I'm going to destroy you and your bus."
• The bald man kept swearing. He motioned with his hand, and a dozen strong men emerged from the off-road vehicles in front of him.
• "What are you going to do? Do you still want to settle this civilly? We are from the Brigham family, let me tell you that much. Brigham Corporation, you know? So don't act recklessly."
• Deborah mentioned the Brighams inadvertently.
• She never anticipated Austin to take any action throughout. Her strongest suit was the Brigham family.
• "The Brigham family?"
• The bald man rolled his eyes and laughed coldly.
• "Who the hell are the Brighams? I'd never heard of them before!"
• That guy was clearly lying. It was only a minor issue. He was dead set on shooting first and asking questions later.
• "This is the Audi R8 I mentioned earlier. I was hit like this by you. If you don't pay for the damages today, don't even think about leaving," said the bald man in a deep voice while looking at Deborah.