Chapter 424: Sold, and Still Helping to Count the Money

"I’m sorry, sir. I’ve already checked the lawn and around the house, but I couldn’t find any sign of the pig. I thought you might have brought him inside..."

"Am I crazy? Why would I bring it inside? You think my villa is a pigsty? Didn’t you secure it before you left last night? How could it just disappear?"

As he spoke, Zeke Walton stepped off the porch and walked onto the lawn.

"It usually eats, drinks, and sleeps on the lawn every day. Did it run off and hide somewhere?"

Linden’s face turned pale with fear.

’Could it be that sir drank too much and forgot what he said last night?’

’He told me to just leave the pig here and that he would take care of it. But now...’

He broke out in a cold sweat, remembering how the villa’s door had been wide open when he arrived.

He pretended to check every corner, but how could it possibly be there?

Ten minutes later, after confirming the pig was gone, Linden looked at Zeke Walton, trembling.

"Is it possible it ran off to someone else’s house? Should I go ask around, door to door?"

Zeke Walton’s expression darkened. "Do you think this is your village? If it ran to someone else’s house, they’d just call the authorities to get rid of it. You think they’d raise it for you? Since there hasn’t been any news, it’s one hundred percent been dealt with. Don’t bother looking."

Linden’s face flushed red. "So now..."

Zeke Walton fixed his gaze on him. "Linden, I brought you from the construction site to the city center because I trusted you. I personally helped you find a house and gave you a job, but you’ve really disappointed me."

It wasn’t just that he had disappointed him; Linden was disappointed in himself. He never thought he’d make such a huge mess on his first day. Linden was so embarrassed he didn’t know what to do.

"I’m sorry, sir. It’s all my fault. I was negligent. I..."

He wanted to ask if he should buy him a new pig, but he didn’t dare.

Seeing his timid and submissive demeanor, Zeke Walton grew even more annoyed.

’Amina should really see what her sweetheart is like when faced with a little trouble.’

"My head hurts. I don’t want to talk right now. Go stand aside and cool off."

He turned and went back inside the house.

Zeke Walton hadn’t told him to leave, just to cool off to the side, so Linden didn’t know if he still had the job or not.

Linden stood by the door, fidgeting nervously. He glanced inside the villa, then out at the main gate, before finally dialing Amina’s number.

Amina had already been at work for over an hour.

"Hello, Linden."

"Amina, I’m sorry, are you busy? I’m in a bit of trouble. Can you please help me?"

"What’s wrong?"

Linden described how he’d lost the pig and how angry Zeke Walton was. Amina was both speechless and shocked.

’To make such a mess on the first day... The pig was raised by Zeke Walton’s mother, and she knew all too well how difficult his mother could be. Linden... she didn’t know whether to say he was unlucky or that he deserved it.’

"How do you want me to help you?"

"Didn’t it look like you and Mr. Walton knew each other yesterday? Could you come and put in a good word for me? After knowing him for a while, I’ve realized he’s actually a good person at heart, just a bit short-tempered sometimes. I’m too embarrassed to plead with him myself; it would be better coming from you. Amina, my family just went through a crisis. My parents are still in a bad mood. If they found out I messed up my job on the second day..."

Amina imagined the scene and agreed it would indeed be terrible.

"I don’t know if he’ll listen to me, but I’ll do my best to talk to him for you. Try not to worry."

After finishing her current delivery, Amina hurried over.

Yesterday, she couldn’t very well ask how he and Linden knew each other in front of Zeke Walton. Today, before going inside, she quietly asked Linden.

"I forgot to ask you, when and how did you meet Mr. Walton? Why has he been helping you so much?"

Linden naively recounted the time and manner of their meeting to Amina, leaving her deeply surprised.

’They’d only known each other for a few days. Within those few days, Linden had moved, encountered so many problems, and now this...’

She knew Zeke Walton was a good person, and she shouldn’t be so narrow-minded as to second-guess his motives. And yet, she just couldn’t believe something could be this coincidental.

Veridia was a huge city; she felt this deeply from making deliveries outside every day.

If it wasn’t intentional, how could it be such a coincidence that Zeke Walton just happened to meet Linden and interact with him so frequently?

If Zeke Walton was deliberately getting close to Linden and causing trouble for him because of her, Amina couldn’t dare to imagine the consequences.

When she was little, she’d watch TV and hear people say, "You’ve been sold and you’re still helping them count the money." To be honest, she never really understood what that phrase meant.

Until this moment, looking at Linden’s honest, one might even say foolish, face, she finally understood.

Amina felt an indescribable sense of guilt and powerlessness toward him.

The door was open. Zeke Walton was lying on the sofa. Amina peeked her head in and saw he was alone, then knocked on the door.

"Zeke Walton. Zeke? It’s Amina. Are you awake? Can I come in?"

Zeke Walton had been suffering from severe insomnia lately. Combined with his frequent drinking, he often had headaches. His mind told him he needed rest, but the moment he closed his eyes, all sorts of chaotic thoughts would bubble up, leaving him unsure if he was asleep or awake.

Hearing Amina’s voice, he instinctively opened his eyes and looked over.

It really was her.

’That son of a bitch. The moment he ran into trouble, he really did push her out to deal with it.’

Zeke Walton’s heart was filled with a mix of complicated feelings.

He both wanted and didn’t want to see her right now. He didn’t move from his spot on the sofa.

"Why are you here? Did someone order takeout for me? What did you bring?"

No one had ordered anything for him, so Amina said quickly.

"You haven’t eaten breakfast yet? I’ll go buy some for you. Did you drink a lot yesterday? How about some congee? It’s good for your stomach."

The coffee table was cluttered with a chaotic mess of empty bottles, takeout containers, and bubble tea cups. Even from a distance, the overwhelming stench of alcohol filled the air.

Amina assumed he had been partying late last night.

’Listen to her tone, acting as if nothing ever happened between them. Who is she trying to fool with this nice-girl act?’

Zeke Walton sat up impatiently.

"Didn’t someone order something for me? Then what are you doing here? Did you come just to buy me congee? What for? To bribe me? Or are you trying to get back together with me?"

Amina: "..."

"If you’re here for your boyfriend, thinking a cup of congee is enough to bribe me into forgiving his stupidity, then don’t even bother. It’s impossible. If everyone in the world were as dumb as him, just waiting around for others to be kind enough to forgive and help them, how would society even function? He pushes a woman out to solve his problems the moment something goes wrong. Can he even be called a man? And if you’ve realized he’s not a man, that he’s not worth it, and you’re thinking of dumping him and coming back to me—heh. Amina, I, Zeke Walton, am not a garbage collector!"

Amina was mortified by his words, but she couldn’t refute them.

Everything Zeke Walton said was true.

Biting her lip, she said, "Don’t worry, I know he was in the wrong. I’m not here to plead for him, and I wasn’t thinking about getting back with you... What I mean is, I’m not worthy of getting back with you... I came to ask on his behalf, if we compensate you, would that work? Could you give him another chance?"

’Compensate with money? Or with another pig? For that worthless man, she actually made a special trip here to discuss compensation with me? What a ridiculous scene!’

Zeke Walton couldn’t help but laugh, a sound laced with anger.