As the yells grew increasingly impatient outside, Ronald trembled in fear while holding his hands together.
“What should we do? Are they really going to burn our house down?” his wife inquired uneasily.
Ronald was at a loss now. His gaze landed on me as he implored, “Ms. Stovall, please help us!”
I pursed my lips instead of replying at once. Seeing how jumpy he was, I parted my lips and spoke. “I can help you with one condition. Register your kids as citizens of the country. If you agree, I can pay the money at once.”
Upon hearing my words, he hesitated. His terrified wife took my arm anxiously, but Boris pried her hand off and furrowed his brows. She staggered back in fear before pleading, “Please, Ms. Stovall. You’re our only hope. We have no other choices. Please help us!”
Boris’s lips thinned as he shot them a warning glare. “I believe Ms. Stovall has made herself clear. Nothing is free in this world.”
Ronald pondered for a while before saying, “Ms. Stovall, we’re from different worlds. You might think I’m exploiting my children and destroying their future, but this is their fate for they are born here. No one can change that fact. I can register Amy as a citizen, no problem. But I won’t agree to register my other kids’ birth. You need to give me your word that you’ll pay me in full for Amy after I registered her birth. After that, you can do anything you want. I won’t ask questions.”
I frowned upon hearing Ronald’s answer. Suddenly, it occurred to me that he wasn’t as stupid as I thought he was. He seemed like a foolish but greedy man, but actually, he had his own plans. He was playing the innocent card. If it got leaked out, he would be portrayed as a farmer who got tricked by a businessperson. Everyone would pity him.
Ah, I shouldn’t have underestimated him. I flashed a slight smile. “Why are you so confident that I would agree to your condition?”
After calming down, he explained, “Rich people like you don’t like trouble, so you will agree. A few hundred thousand is nothing for you. People like you are willing to spend money to solve the matter. Even if you refuse to pay, never mind. Mr. Dumphy doesn’t know about you coming here to ask me to register Amy’s birth, right? If I inform him about your arrival, your daughter’s operation might be delayed further. I believe you know it better than I do.”
Ha!
I chuckled. He’s right. I shouldn’t have thought he was a fool. Shrugging, I replied, “Well, looks like you have the perfect plan.”
He stared at me. “Ms. Stovall, that’s all I have to say. We know what we both want, so we should be honest with each other.”
Ronald was right. Alas, he didn’t know I hated being strung along. Immediately, I responded, “You’re wrong. Yes, Amy’s bone marrow is a match for my daughter, but she’s not the only choice I have. I can afford to wait for another suitable donor to come along. Your situation is different, though. Trouble is already knocking at your door. If you said nothing and accepted my offer, I wouldn’t have said anything. But since you mentioned it, I don’t feel like going along with your plan. I’m not the one in hot water, anyway.”
The people outside were trying to break in by now. The wooden door, which was originally flimsy, fell to the ground after a few burly men threw themselves against it. The villagers outside promptly rushed in with their weapons.
Ronald’s wife almost fell to her knees as she pleaded, “Ms. Stovall, please save us. We have no other choice. If you agree to help us, we will agree to your condition. Please!”
I pursed my lips as I couldn’t help but sympathize with her. Boris stopped me and stood in front of me in a protective stance. “She can’t help you. Yes, we can afford the money, but your daughter had murdered someone. It’s useless to ask for her help.”
Realization dawned on me when I heard what Boris said. Ann had killed someone, indeed. If it was something else, I could help them with the compensation. However, someone had died here.
Earlier, Ronald’s words caused me to focus on the money instead of the matter itself. Fritz’s death couldn’t be settled by offering compensation.
The Wolfsens wouldn’t give up easily as their son was dead.
I heaved a sigh of relief. If Boris hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve forgotten about Fritz’s death.
