Chapter 66
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 Kai. 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 Kai 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."
Chapter 67
"Squad Leader, to be honest, my company is in trouble too. If I can't overcome this crisis, I'm afraid I will go bankrupt. Therefore, I would only be impeding his career by hiring him," Franklin confessed with a sigh.
Feeling embarrassed, Gary said, "Franklin, I'm sorry to have made trouble for you. Anyway, don't worry about Kai. Instead, what problems are your company facing?"
"Our problems? Can you solve them?" Frieda sneered.
"I..." Gary blushed in humiliation.
"Shut up!" Franklin glared at Frieda before saying apologetically, "Squad Leader, ignore her bitchiness. My company has dealings with Glamorous Designs. Unfortunately, they have stopped supplying goods to us, causing our cash flow to be stuck. Consequently, I don't know how long I can hold out for. As for finding Kai a job, I'll get Maria to check with her company, since it's a conglomerate and it provides good benefits. Kai can slowly work his way up from the bottom."
Visibly upset by Franklin's words, Maria retorted, "Dad, I'm nothing but a salesperson. I don't have such authority at all. You'd better not cause me any trouble."
"You might not be able to do so, but isn't Zayne the sales manager? Can't he hire just one person?" Franklin demanded.
"He—"
Before Maria could finish, Franklin threatened, "Enough! This is how it's going to be. If Zayne doesn't have the capability to do it, I will have to reconsider his compatibility with you."
Maria fell silent in response. All she could do was pout in anger.
"Franklin, it took a lot of effort for Maria to join that company. Aren't you just causing unnecessary trouble for her? Besides, does that company even accept ex-convicts in the first place?" Frieda remonstrated with Franklin after shooting Kai a glance.
Despite feeling upset at being called an ex-convict, Kai kept his temper in check. After all, he felt that Franklin was a good man.
"Dad, let me be frank here. I'll get him in the door, but whether or not he can pass the interview will be up to his own capabilities."
Maria rolled her eyes before returning to her bedroom.
"Squad Leader, please don't mind her attitude. That girl has a really nasty attitude," Franklin explained to Gary awkwardly.
Gary smiled wryly in response. Given the dire circumstances, he was in no position to be upset about her unfriendly attitude.
"Franklin, I appreciate what you have done. Anyway, I have something on, and I'll have to take my leave."
Gary was cognizant that there was no point in staying any longer. The last thing he wanted was to cause trouble for Franklin and his family.
"Squad Leader, why don't we have lunch first, as I have already made reservations," Franklin added quickly.
"It's all right. Next time, perhaps." Gary waved his hand.
At the same time, Kai helped Hannah up.
Despite being aware of his wife and daughter's hostility to his guests, there was little Franklin could do about it other than smile apologetically. "When the opportunity arises, the two of us should have a drink together."
When Franklin escorted his guests out, Frieda sat on the sofa and couldn't be bothered.
"Mr. Saunders, what's the name of the company that owed you money?" Kai asked the moment he walked out the door.
"It's called Glamorous Designs. Do you know anyone there?" Franklin asked out of curiosity.
Kai shook his head. "No, but I'll try and collect the money for you."
"I appreciate the thought, but you'd better not do anything illegal after having just been released. Instead, just take good care of your parents. As for my problems, you don't have to worry about it."
Thinking that Kai was probably a gangster, Franklin assumed that he was going to collect the debt by force. After all, Kai had just been released from prison.
