Chapter 417: Unable to Stomach This

’No, this won’t work.’ If he didn’t find something fun to keep himself busy, he was going to lose it.

"How about I call up a few girls and we all go on an outing?"

Zeke Walton had no interest in the girls Wyatt knew. Just as he was about to refuse, Wyatt Wynn’s phone rang.

"Well, so much for you looking down on my plans. I don’t have time for you now anyway. Something came up at the construction site. I have to go check it out."

Zeke Walton said sarcastically, "I’m so jealous. Your company’s always got something going on. At least you’re busy, unlike me."

Wyatt Wynn gave him a light punch on the arm. "You’ve got a real smart mouth. All your problems, ever since we were kids, have come from that mouth. You think maybe that girl broke up with you because of it?"

Zeke Walton shot back, "Fuck! You think you’re so much better? Wynn, you can stop twisting the knife. Just wait until I get some dirt on you. I’ll laugh my ass off!"

Soon, the two arrived at the construction site.

The workers were all gathered at the entrance of a small restaurant beside the site. When a luxury car pulled up and two men with an imposing air stepped out, they knew it was the boss. They immediately swarmed the car, all talking at once as they tried to explain what had happened.

They were all from out of town and had thick accents. Between that and the noise, Wyatt Wynn couldn’t make anything out. Fortunately, the project manager squeezed through the crowd just then.

He quickly explained the gist of it: about an hour ago, a worker had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding and died instantly.

In this age of citizen journalism, everyone had immediately pulled out their phones to film the scene, all clamoring for justice for their deceased colleague.

The project manager, fearing the situation could spiral out of control, had called Wyatt Wynn.

The Wynn Family had been in real estate for years. They’d raked in a fortune during the boom, but now the market was saturated. They obviously weren’t going to sink any more money into it and were already in the final stages. As a result, an incident like this wasn’t a huge blow, and Wyatt Wynn remained quite calm.

"It’s fine. Don’t panic, just take it slow. Did we have them insured?"

"Yes, yes. Every single one of them."

"Good. Contact the family immediately, calm them down, and arrange for the maximum compensation. If you need to, visit them in person to offer your condolences and help transport the body home. This isn’t some major catastrophe. You’ve handled this kind of thing before. Was it really necessary to call me all the way out here?"

The project manager was a smart man. Once this project was over, he’d be taking these same men to the next job. He just wanted to put their minds at ease by showing them how decisively the big boss handled things and that they wouldn’t be short-changed.

And just as he’d hoped, hearing Wyatt Wynn’s words quickly calmed everyone down.

The project manager told Wyatt and Zeke to head back and get some rest while he handled the worker’s affairs.

The crowd stirred, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Wyatt Wynn and Zeke Walton, both used to pristine environments, instinctively covered their noses and mouths.

But they still got a mouthful of grit.

Once the dust had settled a little, Zeke Walton walked toward the small restaurant.

"I need to buy some water to rinse my mouth out. Hey, boss, you sell water here?"

A young man quickly ran out of the restaurant. He was of average height and build, with dark skin, prominent brows, and large eyes. His features were sharply defined.

He spoke with a thick, regional accent that sounded vaguely familiar.

"Yes, yes! What can I get for you, sir?"

"Bottled water. Just give me two."

"We have the one-yuan kind and the two-yuan kind. Which one would you like, sir?"

Zeke Walton was used to drinking water that cost dozens of yuan a bottle; he’d never even heard of water that cost one or two yuan. But it was just for rinsing his mouth.

"The two-yuan ones."

The man politely retrieved two bottles and handed them to him.

Zeke Walton glanced at him again. That accent was incredibly familiar, and his features were typical of people from that region.

A jolt went through him. ’It can’t be that much of a coincidence, can it?’

"Where are you from, boss?"

Being called "boss" made the man smile shyly, revealing a set of bright white teeth as he named his hometown.

Just as he thought. The same place as Amina.

"You aren’t from... that one village, are you?"

"How did you know?"

The man was thrilled to be speaking with someone so distinguished.

"Have you been there before?"

"I visited once while I was traveling."

Zeke Walton obviously wasn’t going to say, ’I know Amina, your first love,’ so he just brushed it off.

But as he scanned the code to pay the man, his hand couldn’t stop trembling.

’This fucking bastard... running this crappy, run-down little shop... How blind could Amina be? To dump me for *him*!’

’Is she here now? It’s been a while. Wouldn’t it be interesting if I happened to run into her, now that she’s moved here?’

"How long have you had this restaurant?"

Seeing that Zeke Walton was willing to make conversation, the man was delighted to tell him about the place.

"A little over two years. This is our main dining area, that’s the kitchen, we have a storage room, and two rooms in the back. My whole family makes a living from this little shop."

Zeke Walton asked deliberately, "Is that so? Are you married? With only two rooms, is that enough space?"

"Not yet. I’m not married."

At this, the man scratched his head, looking quite bashful.

’He’s not married, but it’ll probably be soon, right? After all, Amina is clearly head over heels for him.’

"Got a girlfriend? If not, I could introduce you to someone."

The man was even more taken aback by the offer.

"No, no, no, that’s not necessary."

’There’s a world of difference between us. The kind of girl he’d introduce would be some rich beauty who spends hundreds, even thousands, on her nails and wears heavy makeup every day. I could never afford to support someone like that.’

"What’s wrong? Already have someone you like?"

The man scratched his head again, embarrassed. "Yes. I do."

Zeke Walton felt like a real masochist, just looking for pain. His heart clenched.

"That’s great. Congratulations. Is she here, too?"

"No, she’s at work. But she’s here in Veridia."

"Oh. Mind if I ask what she does?"

The man couldn’t understand why Zeke Walton was so curious about his life, but he answered honestly nonetheless.

"Food delivery. She’s a delivery driver."

’It all adds up. It’s him.’

’Unbelievable. Amina, you’re really something else!’

"I wish you two happiness."

Zeke Walton paid the man, patted him on the shoulder, and walked over to Wyatt Wynn, tossing him a bottle of water.

Wyatt Wynn rinsed his mouth out first before asking,

"What is wrong with you? Chatting him up for so long, and getting all the details? Are you having one of your episodes again? Starting to think you’re into men?"

"Into him, my ass! Fuck!"

Zeke Walton slammed the water bottle down at the entrance of the small restaurant.

"Do you know who that was?"

"How would I know? You think I’d fucking know someone like that?"

Wyatt thought that was a stupid question. But then it hit him.

"Your ex-girlfriend’s old flame? No way. What are the odds you’d run into him here?"

Zeke Walton felt utterly humiliated. To think he’d lost to a guy like *that*, a guy who’d caused him so much heartache.

It was the ultimate humiliation!

"If you were me, tell me, could you just let this go?"

Of course not.

Wyatt Wynn wouldn’t deign to speak to a guy like that, let alone have him as a romantic rival.

Putting himself in Zeke’s shoes, he felt indignant on his friend’s behalf.

"How about this? I’ll run him off. I won’t let him operate here anymore. That’ll let you blow off some steam."

"Like I need you to do it for me? I’m no pushover! She dared to betray me? Make my life hell? Well, I won’t let them have it easy either. Just you wait. Watch how I slowly destroy them."