Chapter 86

“Alex, Ajax, are you lot stirring up trouble again?”

Suddenly, a slightly chubby middle-aged man walked over from a distance. He wore flip-flops and had a stick in his hand.

He quickly walked to Madelyn’s side and gave her a once-over. Then, he asked with concern, Kid…

Did they do anything to you?”

Madelyn shook her head, “Nope.”

Meanwhile, Alex stood at the side with a look of disdain.

The man seemed to know Madelyn. He asked again, “Are you the girl Rosario brought back from the city? Mad… Mad something?

“Madelyn Jent.”

”

The man gasped and said, “Yes, yes, yes, Madelyn. When Rosario left earlier, she told me to look after you, but I was too busy and lost track of time. Don’t worry. With me around, these hooligans won’t dare to do anything to you.”

He continued, “I’m telling you, Alex. You’re a girl, can you act a bit more reserved? Why are you dressed up like this every day? And you guys! All you guys do is play truant! Hurry up and leave, or I’ll whoop your asses.”

Alex started smoking impatiently, “Hey, fatso. Why are you butting in when I’m talking to her? Mind your own business. You’re already this old, yet you’re still all hung up about some old hag. Tsk!”

“What did you say? Say that again, and I’ll be sure your father teaches you a lesson when get home.”

“Whatever I do is none of your damn business, you damn bastard. Just my darn luck,” Alex lifted her gaze and glared at Madelyn.

“Hey! You little rascal.”

“Darn it. Ajax, pack up the stuff. We’ll find a different location.”

you Ajax picked up the items that had been thrown onto the ground. Then, the seven to eight men left with their leader.

Madelyn said, “Thank you, mister! If it weren’t for you, I might’ve gotten in trouble.”

“Ah, it was nothing. No need to thank me. Rosario and I go way back. Remember, kid, don’t come here again in the future. This is their little gang’s haunt, so it’s not safe. If you want to explore the area, I can take you to other places.”

Madelyn nodded.

“Alright,” she said.

Madelyn picked up the seashells on the ground and placed them into her canvas tote. Then, she left with Ajax.

During their journey, Madelyn learned that the house Rosario rented belonged to him.

Since the area was along the coast, Jeff Massey opened a restaurant and a supper place nearby.

The population here was small, so he did not make much money. He mainly relied on his rental income to make ends meet.

Jeff’s wife had passed away when he was in his 30s, and he had remained single till now.

The group from earlier were locals. Due to the location’s remoteness, people rarely visited, and the government did not care about them at all. Consequently, the locals had low incomes, and most of them were poor, working-class foreigners. A majority of them were illiterate and had not received much formal education. That was why the area was rather disorderly and lawless.

The two went to Happy Seafood Grill.

Madelyn did not go back and went to Jeff’s restaurant for lunch instead. There were six to seven dishes, and the table was full of seafood. There were also many customers in the restaurant.

“Go ahead and start eating first. There’s no need to wait for me. I just got some customers, so I’ll go cook up a few dishes.’

Madelyn stood up, “Mr. Massey, let me help you. I know how to chop up vegetables and wash them.”

Jeff laughed, “You’re a guest. How could I let my guests work? Hurry up and try these escargots I made. No one here can make them better than me. If you can’t get the meat out, we have toothpicks for you.”

Madelyn sat in a small private room. The room was not exactly crowded and had a floor-to- ceiling window at its side. One could see the sea here, and the view was impressive.

Madelyn noticed the carne frita placed in front of her, which even had scallions on top of it.

Madelyn picked up her cutlery and took a bite of the carne frita.

‘It actually tastes exactly like Rosario’s cooking. It’s so good,’ she thought.

Madelyn was absolutely famished. She ate her fill of the food.

After she finished eating, she grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth. Soon after, she saw a group of people walking past from the corner of her eye. She looked over, and it was no other than Alex and the gang.

‘I wonder if they saw me,’ she thought.