Chapter 158

Arnold’s expression darkened. As the young heir of the Lawson family, he always had bodyguards when he went out, drivers when he needed them, and even a private jet for special trips. He was used to a life of luxury and had never done heavy lifting like this before. But Felicia had tossed the bags to him and continued up the trail without a second glance. The others in the group were already ahead. Arnold gritted his teeth and reluctantly picked up the two heavy bags to catch up with the group. They were heavier than he had expected.
He contemplated handing them back to Felicia, but after seeing how her slender arms had carried the bags for half of the trail, he decided to carry them himself-perhaps out of chivalry or other reasons.
As he turned to rejoin the group, he heard a rustling in the grass nearby. He looked over but saw nothing unusual, so he shrugged it off.
Once the group was far enough ahead, the bushes stirred again. Shawn tumbled out, sighing with relief. That was close. He was almost caught. What a wasted opportunity, though. He had missed his chance, and it wouldn’t be easy to isolate Felicia like this again. Shawn frowned as he pondered his next move. He needed a way to distract the others again and draw Felicia somewhere remote where he could finish her off alone.
On his way down, Shawn ran into a group of children playing games.
Leading the pack was a lively boy. Shawn squinted and recognized him as Lucas, the grandson of Alverton’s village chief. He had cheekily stuck his tongue out at him yesterday while he was with Charles. Suddenly, Shawn had an idea and strolled over. “Hey, kid.”
The children, caught up in their game, looked up and stared at Shawn. Startled, they let out a collective scream and dropped their marbles, scrambling away as if they had seen a monster.
The Fullers were infamous in Alverton, including Shawn. Parents would often warn their kids, “If you don’t behave, you’ll end up like Shawn Fuller, and that’ll get you in serious trouble!”
Lucas tried to run too, but he
hesitated as he eyed his precious
marbles on the ground. By the time
he finished picking them up, Shawn already had him by his collar.
Where
are you headed? Would you like
some candy?”
By the time the group finally reached Hillfort, the villagers were already waiting. They had been informed of the group’s arrival.
The vice principal directed everyone to gather the supplies in one place. Under a mix of curious and cautious glances from the crowd, they began distributing the donated goods.
The new backpacks, clothes, books,
and supplies were donated to the elementary school, while rice and flour were provided to the neediest families. The village instantly buzzed with excitement. Children were thrilled with their new things the elderly expressed heartfelt gratitude, and even the volunteers felt a surge of joy seeing so many smiling faces.
By the time everything was done, dusk had set in. The group had to return to Alverton for the night as the cottages in Hillfort were too small and run-down to accommodate them all.
The hike downhill was much easier,
and the students had fewer
complaints, Felicia stretched her
sore wrists. She guessed that Nana would have dinner ready already.
Eager to return, she sped up her pace.
As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, shouts echoed in the distance.
“What happened?” Felicia grabbed onto someone and asked.
“It’s the village chief’s grandson, Lucas. He’s gone missing!” they replied.