Chapter 27: Kalen Baker

The 16th floor was a VIP ward with individual rooms, dedicated nursing staff, and accompanying beds. With explicit instructions from Wilton and the Harrison family, Fabricio had no need to worry, even during his absence at night. However, upon leaving the elevator, he didn't immediately depart from the hospital. Instead, he located Wilton Feng, sought assistance in completing a form, went to the Chinese medicine pharmacy for medications, then took a taxi and went straight to the bank. He had to cash a check. Fortunately, there was ample time. Fabricio successfully cashed the money before the bank closed. Following this, he visited a vegetable market, purchased two live chickens and various ingredients, took another taxi, and returned to his rented accommodation in the Economic Development District. Bevelle Market. As the name suggests, it was a mixed urban-rural area. All the houses were self-built, and Fabricio resided on the top floor of one of them. Originally a utility room, he rented it for twenty dollars. With a soft "bang," Fabricio opened the door, stepped out of the car, and waved to a woman in front of the door, saying, "Eichen." In response, Eichen turned around, surprised to see Fabricio, "Fabricio, why are you back?" Eichen was the landlord's daughter, 18 years old, who dropped out of high school to help her parents manage a barbecue stall due to poor academic performance. For example, she was cleaning up the empty plates and bamboo sticks left behind by a group of customers who just finished eating. Fabricio, despite living in a utility room and paying only twenty dollars in rent each month, he was diligent and sincere. Almost every day after delivering takeaways and getting off work, he would help the Lee family clean up or serve food. He even helped with the barbecue, so he had a very good relationship with the Lee family. This included the recent incident where he borrowed money from the Lee family to help his sister Waimarie. The Lee family immediately transferred him four thousand dollars, a favor Fabricio will always remember. In comparison, those relatives of the York family... Shaking his head vigorously to dispel those unhappy thoughts, Fabricio smiled and said, "My sister is out of danger and is fine." "Huh!" Eichen breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. You don't know, I've been worried all day." Expressing gratitude without words, because just saying something is never enough, Fabricio changed the subject, "By the way, are uncle and aunt here?" "In the kitchen." "Then I'll go over and take a look." As Fabricio Wang moved to enter the house, a frivolous voice interrupts from behind. "Hey, Eichen, you look really pretty today!" Eichen's face turned pale unconsciously when she heard this, and Fabricio's brows also frowned instantly. Turning around slowly, she saw several young men in floral shirts approaching. The leader, with a lewd smile, attempted to touch Eichen, saying, "How are you, Eichen? Missed your brother today?" Eichen evaded and pleaded, "Brother Baker, don't...don't do this." "Oh, you're so shy!" Ignoring the objections, Brother Baker and his companions laughed, attracting attention from nearby onlookers and Li Dan's parents. Connor Lee, Eichen's father, confronted Brother Baker angrily, "What are you doing here again?" "Are you asking knowingly?" Kalen pulled his collar, deliberately exposing the big gold chain around his neck, and said casually, "I like Eichen, and I've come here to date her." "Dating her like this?" Connor said angrily, "My Eichen has clearly rejected you, and you still come to harass her every day. The key is that you are always tampering with her. Are you dating her? You are clearly acting like a ruffian!" "Oh, you just found out today that I'm a ruffian?" Kalen was not ashamed at all, but instead said with a playful smile, "I thought everyone in the entire Bevelle Market already knew about it." What he said was true, because everyone in the urban-rural area knew that he was a ruffian, including Fabricio. But he said such words so openly in public, Connor was so angry and shouted, "You, you..." "Don't say 'you, you, you' to me." Kalen interrupted him impatiently, "Connor, I'm here to settle things with you today." "In one sentence, twenty thousand dollars of dowry, let Eichen marry me. That's it. I'll take Eichen away today. I'll come over tomorrow to give you the dowry and we'll discuss the marriage matters!" After saying that, he stretched out his hand to grab Eichen. The latter was frightened and hurriedly avoided while screaming, "Dad..." "Kalen, how dare you!!!" Connor took a step forward, shielding his daughter behind him, and glared at Kalen, warning, 'I'm telling you, if you lay a finger on my daughter again, I'll call the police immediately!" Kalen, with a dark face and a smirk, retorted, 'Connor, did a donkey kick your head? Dare to threaten me with the police? If you dare, I'll come here every day to mess up your stall!'" As his words fell, several men in floral shirts behind him began to kick and topple, flipping over the plastic table in front of Lee's Grill, frightening the customers who scattered and fled, watching from a distance. "You…" Pointing menacingly at Connor's nose with his raised right hand, Kalen, shouted, 'I've told you, don't play these 'you, you, you' games with me. Do you not know who's standing behind me? Scar, from East Imperial Entertainment, you dare to talk back to me and even threaten me with the police? If you keep arguing, I'll call a car to come and push down your entire house, do you believe it?" With these words, Connor's expression changed completely, and the onlookers buzzed with discussions. Scar, from the East Imperial Entertainment, the largest figure in the gray area of the entire East District, rumored to have over a hundred thugs under him, a force to be reckoned with that could make the Economic Development District tremble. And Kalen was was his associate! Faced with such a ruthless character, how could the Lee family afford to provoke? This was the main reason why, despite Kalen's repeated harassment and even physical altercations, they continued to tolerate him. Seeing the crowd frightened, Kalen became smug. He sneered, 'You fool, I don't know what you're thinking. What's wrong with Eichen being with me? I'm not refusing to give you money!" "Moreover, as long as she's with me, who in the entire Economic Development District would dare to bother you? I'll shut down all the barbecue stalls in Bevelle Market, leaving just your family. After two or three years, you'll be prosperous!" "How can you not be willing? Has your brain been kicked by a donkey?" With a wave of his hand, Kalen impatiently said, "Enough, I can't be bothered arguing with you. Get out of my way." After saying this, he pushed Connor aside, reached out again, and grabbed Eichen. However, just as the latter's face turned pale and her pretty face became ashen, Kalen's hand suddenly froze in mid-air, motionless. Everyone looked instinctively, only to see a strong hand holding his wrist, preventing him from moving. The owner of that hand was none other than... "Fabricio!?"