Noemi was highly efficient.
She arranged for Leroy and the others to go to the hospital for treatment while having a three-story building cleared out to serve as Woodsea’s security office.
The original six-story security dormitory was handed over to Darnell for operation. Meanwhile, Woodsea’s official website and the bulletin boards at various entrances were updated with the news of Darnell being appointed as the security consultant and head guard.
His portrait was quickly posted all around, becoming a hot topic among villagers and tenants.
“Your godmother really has extraordinary means.”
Sitting on the luxurious office sofa, Darnell looked at the information displayed on the big screen. In front of him lay a hefty stack of thirty thousand dollars in advance salary, and he wore a look of resignation on his face.
Turning a done deal into an unchangeable fact had always been his specialty, but today, it actually became Noemi’s trump card. Now he couldn’t refuse even if he wanted to.
“Your means aren’t bad either.”
Sitting beside him on the sofa, Lillian applied medicine to Darnell’s wounds while pouting gently.
“You drove away the Apex with just a few punches and kicks, making them never dare to enter Woodsea again. Now you’re Woodsea’s security consultant with an annual salary of a million dollars. It’s enviable.”
“By the way, I forgot you’re also the director of the sales department of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. You’ve really been doing quite well lately.”
Lillian breathed softly. “Mr. Halford, please take special care of me in the future.”
“A million dollars is a lot, but it’s not enough for me to take on this tough job.”
Darnell looked at her with a sly smile. “I mainly want you to warm my bed. Don’t even mention taking care of you. If you asked me to dedicate myself entirely, I would agree without hesitation.”
Then he grabbed Lillian’s hand. “Lillian, you promised me that if I won, you’d warm my bed.”
“I’ve already driven away the Apex. Can you fulfill your promise tonight?”
Sitting on the sofa, Lillian had to lean over occasionally to apply medicine to Darnell. Her youthful body was curvaceous and firm yet soft, very pleasing to the eye.
Her slender waist was soft and delicate, giving a feeling of wanting to hold her gently in one’s arms.
And her long, shapely legs were even more attractive up close.
Darnell couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her thigh.
Lillian slapped his hand away with a playful smile. “Who promised you that? I never explicitly said I’d warm your bed.”
“Besides, I’m personally applying medicine for you now. You should be satisfied. It’s my first time doing this for a man.”
“Like you said, there’s always a first time for everything.”
Darnell picked up a banana from the table. “First time applying medicine for me, first time letting me touch you, and maybe first time warming my bed…”
Lillian pouted, “I’m not warming your bed. If you keep teasing me, I’ll leave.”
“Alright, alright. If you don’t warm my bed, I’ll warm yours. Such a lazy girl.”
Darnell took a bite of the banana. “Want some bananas?”
Lillian glared at him. “No.”
“Tsk, it’s not for use. It’s for eating!”
Darnell said seriously, “Why do you always think of dirty things?”
Not for use but for eating?
Lillian was momentarily stunned before becoming extremely angry. She put down the ointment and lunged at him. “You rogue!”
Darnell laughed heartily as he rolled away to avoid her punches.
“Mr. Halford.”
At that moment, footsteps approached from outside. Lillian stopped chasing Darnell but still glared at him seductively before picking up the ointment and gauze and leaving.
Her long, fair legs swayed as she walked away, making Darnell regret not touching them.
Just after Lillian left, Garrett and six others walked in with smiles on their faces and respect in their eyes. They each held bundles of cash.
Noemi had generously given them $100, 000 in bonuses.
Seeing them arrive, Darnell greeted them happily, “Oh, Garrett, you’re here. Please have a seat!”
Garrett waved his hand before placing the cash bundles on the coffee table. Twenty stacks of bills immediately caught Darnell’s eye.
“Mr. Halford,” Garrett said with a sincere smile. “This is the bonus Ms. Sotheby gave us, $100, 000 each. The seven of us received $700, 000 total. This is probably the most money we’ve ever seen in our lives.”
“But we know we don’t deserve it because we didn’t do much. We only rushed into the hall to repay your favor.”
“We didn’t really protect Woodsea. Taking this $700, 000 feels wrong. We tried to return the money to Ms. Sotheby but got kicked out instead.”
“She called us hypocritical and refused to take back what she awarded us, so we came to you.”
Garrett explained their intention. “This money should go to you because you’re Woodsea’s real hero.”
Arthur and Vance chimed in, “Yes, yes! We can’t take it.”
If it were just $1, 800 each, they might have accepted it. However, $700, 000 felt too much since they barely helped.
They were such honest men!
Darnell was initially stunned but then felt admiration as he stepped forward and patted Garrett’s shoulder. “Garrett, I know you stood up for me back then to protect me, not to fight for the safety of Woodsea.”
“But your presence still made a difference in turning the tide. Without you guys showing up, how could I have fought so freely?”
Darnell smiled brightly, “And your appearance greatly boosted Woodsea’s morale. The villagers felt they weren’t fighting alone. So Noemi awarding each of you $100k is perfectly reasonable.”
“You should accept it without worry because rushing in back then was indeed risky and deserving of this reward.”
Facing overwhelming odds back then, Garrett and his men showing up was already commendable in Darnell’s eyes.
Garrett smiled wryly and shook his head: “Mr. Halford, while I admit rushing in was dangerous back then, the final blow came from you alone. Whether we showed up or not didn’t matter much.”
“Mr. Halford, I know you mean well. But we really can’t accept this money. Taking it would only remind us of how useless we were back then…”
Vance and Arthur nodded. “Yeah!”
Taking no credit undeservedly, that was their nature through and through…
Seeing their firm stance, Darnell pondered briefly before patting Garrett’s shoulder again, saying,
“Alright, since you’re insistent, I won’t force it further. I’ll return it back to Ms. Sotheby. I owe each of you a favor now.”
“By the way, I need your help with something else…”
Hearing this, Garrett quickly responded,
“Mr. Halford, just say it. We’ll do our best to help.”
“I was set up by Ms. Sotheby, and now I’ve got a mess to deal with,” Darnell admitted, waving for Garrett and the others to take a seat. “You heard her in the hall. She wants me to be the security consultant and head of security. I agreed since the terms were decent and I wanted to stay long-term.”
“But then I realized that two hundred security personnel had all run off because of the Apex conflict. Damn!”
“The last few dozen security personnel also fled during the brawl in the hall. Now, the only security left in the village is Sugar, the dog!” Darnell said, his frustration palpable.
As he said this, Darnell felt a pang of guilt for having kicked Sugar earlier. When danger struck, dogs could be even more loyal than humans.
“I’m now just the nominal head of security, and I don’t have a single usable person under me.”
Darnell gestured toward the seven of them. “So I need your help to take on the roles of captains in the security team, assist me in maintaining safety in Woodsea, and help recruit more personnel to expand our security force.”
“The salary and benefits are negotiable. Of course, if you have better offers elsewhere, I won’t force you to accept this position,” he added, his tone earnest and understanding.
Upon hearing Darnell’s words, Garrett and the others jumped up in unison, joy radiating from their faces.
“No better offers! No better offers!”
They had been troubled by their job search in recent days. The prospect of working under Darnell felt like a refreshing downpour after a long drought. Their genuine admiration for Darnell made them even more excited about Darnell’s invitation.
“As long as Mr. Halford needs us, we can start to work at any time.”
“The salary and benefits don’t matter. Our friendship is what counts.”
Darnell laughed heartily, grabbing Garrett by the arm. “I love your camaraderie!”
“Alright then, Garrett. You’ll be the deputy security chief, reporting only to me and Ms. Sotheby, with a salary of ten thousand. Arthur, Vance, and the others will take on the roles of captains with a salary of eight thousand.”
“Holiday benefits will be calculated separately. How does that sound?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Garrett and the others excitedly shouted, “No objections!”
But then, Garrett furrowed his brow and asked in a low voice, “I’ve noticed that other security personnel are only getting three to five thousand. Won’t it look bad if you give us ten and eight thousand? I’m worried they might accuse you of favoritism.”
Arthur, Vance, and the others nodded in agreement, concerned about potential complaints from the villagers.
Darnell laughed again, “Don’t worry. You’re the heroes. It’s only fair you receive this pay.”
“Besides, Ms. Sotheby gave me a budget of nine million. How I distribute it is my decision. You can rest assured. No one will say a word.”
“And I’m planning to establish a security company, which means we’ll sign a cooperation agreement with Ms. Sotheby.”
Darnell had clearly thought this through. “You’ll all be working under my name, which means you won’t just be ordinary security personnel for Woodsea. You’ll be official employees of my security company.”
“Working at Woodsea will just be a deployment, and I’ll decide your salaries and benefits.”
“This way, nobody can complain.”
Hearing Darnell’s plan, Garrett and the others were overjoyed, shouting, “Great! Thank you, Mr. Halford, for your support!”
Darnell raised his head. “So what should we name our company?”
Arthur shouted, “Darnell’s Special Ops!”
Laughter erupted in the room, and Garrett playfully slapped Arthur on the head. “You’ve been watching too many TV dramas.”
Vance hesitated before suggesting, “How about Darnell’s Elite Force?”
Darnell sprayed his drink. “Doesn’t it sound a bit arrogant?”
“That name is great!” Garrett exclaimed, getting excited.
Darnell cleared his throat, about to reject the idea, but then saw Garrett thumping his thigh. “Mr. Halford, that’s the name!”
“No, it shouldn’t be ‘Mr. Halford’. It should be ‘boss’!”
Vance and Arthur chimed in, “Boss! Boss!”
Darnell scratched his head, feeling a bit shy. It felt nice to hear.
Garrett asked, “So, boss, what’s our next move?”
Darnell replied without hesitation, “Let’s recruit!”
Just then, Lillian rushed in through the door, flustered. “Darnell, the police… James is here. They want to arrest those who gather to fight.”