Chapter 66 – A Man Like None Other
After Gary and his family were seated on the couch, Franklin served them coffee right away. He even shouted toward the bedroom, “Maria, Mr. Chance is here. Come down quickly.” “Franklin, it’s all right. I’m sorry to have interrupted you on such short notice.” Gary was embarrassed when he saw how welcoming Franklin was. “Don’t be a stranger. After all, we haven’t seen each other for many years. Therefore, just make yourself at home.
I have also made lunch reservations at a hotel so that we can have a wonderful meal together,” Franklin suggested as he poured some coffee for Gary. At that moment, Maria stepped into the living room. She was dressed in sports attire and had her hair tied in a ponytail, making her look youthful and vibrant.
After sweeping her gaze around, she finally fixated her gaze on Jared. However, she noticed that he was dressed shabbily and looked like a country bumpkin instead of the son of a powerful government official. “Maria, greet Mr. Chance,” Franklin reminded her.
“Mr. Chance, nice to meet you!” Maria called out insincerely. In fact, the contempt she had for them was written all over her face. “Maria, how can you—” When he noticed Maria’s attitude, Franklin was about to lose his temper, but Gary stopped him. “Hi, Maria.” After holding Franklin back, Gary nodded at her with a smile. When both families sat down and chat, it was obvious that Maria was feeling awkward. “Mr. Chance, I heard Franklin mention that you joined the government service after leaving the army.
Now that so many years have passed, I’m sure you have achieved a very high position. Am I right?” Frieda asked in a forthright manner. Her question had caused Gary to blush in embarrassment. He then replied awkwardly, “No, I… I have left the service.” “Isn’t that too early for retirement?” Frieda exclaimed in shock. “Enough! Why do you have so many unnecessary questions? Are you conducting a background check?”
Franklin shot her a glare. In truth, Franklin had sensed that something was off the moment Gary and his family arrived. After running a company for such a long time, he had met many government officials before. However, he didn’t feel any similar sort of aura from Gary. Nevertheless, he didn’t reveal his doubts because he knew what kind of person his wife was.
The moment she found out that Gary was just an ordinary person, she would turn on him on the spot. “I was just being curious. Why do you have to snap at me?” Frieda rolled her eyes at Franklin.
After that, she continued, “Mr. Chance, what was your rank before you retired?” In the face of Frieda’s questions, Gary knew that it was impossible to hide it from her. Besides, since they were there to seek Franklin’s help, there was no need to do so either. Hence, he answered awkwardly, “I was sacked.”
At that moment, Gary came clean with Franklin. Given the circumstances, he no longer cared about whether he would be humiliated. To him, his ego was no longer worth anything. When Frieda heard what had happened, her smile disappeared right away. Instead, she rolled her eyes in response.
On the other hand, Franklin was filled with shock. He then asked Gary, “Why didn’t you tell me that you had fallen on hard times?” “That’s in the past. Now that Jared is back, I’m wondering if you can help me secure a job for him. It doesn’t matter how tough the job is,” Gary asked in a subservient tone.
“No one dares to take in an ex-convict.” Before Franklin could reply, Frieda preempted him. She was now behaving like an entirely different person. Franklin’s expression became solemn after he heard Gary’s request. Consequently, Gary added candidly, “It’s fine if it’s too much trouble. Worse comes to worst, I’ll get him to work in construction.”
