Chapter 181

As Hobson felt the cold dismissal in her voice, his scalp tensed with a foreboding chill.

It was a clear, blinding warning to shut up!

While he was still frozen in shock, Winnie smoothly sidestepped him, yanked open the rear car door, and hopped in.

Just as she was about to close the door, Hobson’s towering frame squeezed in after her.

Forced to scoot over, Winnie shot him a look that would be more at home in a hospital’s psych ward.

The driver, catching the silent tiff in the rear–view mirror, hurriedly turned to explain, “Mr. Bryant, I drive for Mr. Patterson. He needs Ms. Bryant’s help with something, and I’m supposed to get her to him, right away.”

The mention of Mr. Patterson initially didn’t register with Hobson, but when he realized the driver was referring to Drake, his eyes bulged with surprise.

The Pattersons and Bryants had their connections, sure, and Drake and Horace were chummy, but…

since when was Winnie so chummy with that devil?

Her hasty departure earlier had clearly been prompted by a message from him.

They were exchanging contact info now?!

He didn’t even have Winnie’s number!

He couldn’t even get her to share Master Winner’s contact for a custom crystal commission, and here she was, racing off at a single buzz from someone else.

Hobson felt an inexplicable pang of irritation. After all, he was Winnie’s family!

Winnie, oblivious to the whirlwind of emotions Hobson was grappling with, simply implored after the driver’s explanation, “Can you get out now, please?”

Initially, Hobson had the impulse to bolt at the knowledge that this was Drake’s vehicle. Drake was notorious for disliking others in his car. But now that Winnie seemed so keen to “shoo” him away, he was stubbornly planting his feet.

“I’ll stay right here, unless you agree to get Master Winner to craft that crystal piece for me.”

Determined not to budge, Hobson looked to Winnie for a response, and the driver’s pleading eyes followed suit. Mr. Patterson’s business was not to be delayed.

Winnie met the driver’s gaze and then glanced at Hobson before saying, “Just drive.”

With that, she settled into her seat, pointedly ignoring Hobson. He, seeing her refusal to yield, decided to dig in his heels as well, only remembering to reply to Amber’s message as the car pulled away.

He pulled out his phone and texted her that he was tied up and couldn’t make it, suggesting she 12:04 ask the housekeeper or Abdul for help.

Back at the estate, Amber stood by the window, watching Hobson follow Winnie into the Game car. She read the message Hobson sent and her usually graceful face twisted with displeasure for a moment before she threw her hairbrush and a new doll to the floor in a fit of rage, The system alerted her, “Hobson has declined your request once, resulting in a loss of 1 point of affection. Please be cautious in your invitations.”

Furthermore, Hobson’s affection had been stagnant for a while, and the system advised Amber to intensify her pursuit of him.

The loss of even one point was a bitter pill for Amber to swallow. She had spent years cultivating the image everyone adored, painstakingly raising her favor bit by bit, But according to the system’s rules, any refusal of a request, no matter how trivial, would result in a default deduction of one point from the affection score.

To Amber, that was incredibly unfair. Even getting one point was a struggle!

She had lived in the Bryant family without ever demanding anything, partly to show she wasn’t after the Bryant’s wealth and partly because of this exact system rule, Normally, she would never dream of asking Hobson for anything.

But seeing Hobson tailing Winnie like a puppy had triggered a fear in her that he might end up like Springer, running after Winnie, which was why she had messaged him against the system’s rules, hoping he would return.

And yet, Hobson had rejected her! For Winnie, no less!

Amber couldn’t fathom what had changed. Everything had been fine before, so why were people turning on her all of a sudden?

Hobson had no idea his message had caused Amber such distress. He gazed out at the retreating landscape, his brow furrowed in thought, “Aren’t we heading towards the suburbs?”

He wanted to ask Winnie what Drake wanted with her out there, but when he turned to speak, he saw Winnie sitting with her eyes closed, resting in the backseat.

The light inside the car wasn’t bright, but from his angle, he could just make out a slight dark circle under her eyes. It didn’t look too bad thanks to her youth, but Hobson guessed she hadn’t slept well last night.

She got Was it because of the reality show she was filming? Sure, no bed was as comfortable as the one at home, and having to share a room with two others must be a pain. That’s what for chasing fame.

He scoffed internally at her choices, but ultimately chose to keep his mouth shut.

The ride continued in silence until they reached a developing area on the outskirts of the city. Hobson recalled his uncle mentioning the government’s plans for a new development project 12.05 that several families had been vying for.

It looked like the Patterson family had clinched it.

As the car neared the development site, Winnie rolled down her window, instinctively scanning for any gathering of malevolent energies. At a glance, the area was clean, except for a bright gold aura emanating from someone in the distance, so radiant she could see it from afar.

Winnie gazed at the familiar gold aura and couldn’t fathom what sort of trouble could have befallen Drake that would necessitate her skills as a charm caster.

Five minutes later, she arrived at the location Drake had pinpointed, an old, abandoned shrine in the midst of a secluded woodland.

Upon seeing the shrine, Winnie’s first thought was ‘Evil Spirit.‘

It was reminiscent of the entity that Parker Robinson had encountered, the kind that sent shivers down your spine. But then again, with Drake’s gold aura, the average evil spirit would skedaddle at the mere sight of him.

Curiosity piqued, Winnie approached the shrine. Hearing her approach, Drake, aglow with his gold aura, emerged from within.

His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly upon seeing Hobson trail behind Winnie, his gaze tinged with a quiet inquisition.

Winnie, peering through the golden light, couldn’t discern his exact expression, but noting his glance towards Hobson, she offered a casual explanation.

“And what’s this supernatural trouble you mentioned? Where is it?” she inquired.

Drake wasn’t one to fancy the ambiance of an old shrine like this, so his staying put suggested something had indeed latched onto him. But what, Winnie wondered.

As she mused, Drake pointed somewhat resignedly in a certain direction.

Following his gesture, Winnie spotted a slender figure skulking behind a large oak tree not far off, peeking out with wide, hopeful eyes fixed on Drake.

Drake then explained, “There’s been a hiccup with the development project nearby, so I came to check it out. On my way, I ran into that kid… He blocked my path and asked whether what he’d seen flying through the clouds was a snake or a dragon.”