The passengers on the bus came and went, quickly forgetting the commotion after the old man in a yellow shirt got off.
Darnell leaned back in his seat, enjoying the view of Whiteville outside. It was rare for him to have leisure time to appreciate the scenery, so he was in a good mood.
Before long, his sight fell upon a familiar building, the Tale Whale. The bus stopped at the bookstore, and passengers got on and off amidst the bus driver’s shouts.
Darnell stretched and turned his head to look out the window. His eyes suddenly lit up when he saw a familiar figure-Sophia.
Why was she here at the Tale Whale by herself?
Darnell remembered telling Sophia that it would be dangerous for her to come to the bookstore alone. If the young beggar that day was indeed Nathen, it would indirectly threaten the Axe’s interests.
Those bastards would do anything for their own benefit and to cover up their crimes, including murder.
However, he could somewhat understand Sophia’s mindset. On one hand, she was eager to confirm if the young beggar was her brother, and on the other hand, she didn’t want to bother Garrett every day.
“I should remind her,” Darnell thought.
With that in mind, Darnell quickly got up and got off the bus, making his way through the crowd at the Tale Whale, hoping to find Sophia who had been lingering there earlier.
But when he rushed to where Sophia had been standing, she was nowhere to be found. There was no trace of her amidst the bustling crowd. Since there was no panic or shouting among the people, she might be fine.
Darnell circled around a few more times but still couldn’t find Sophia. Frowning, he hurriedly entered the bookstore.
He ran up to the third floor and walked around the glass corridor along the outer wall, searching the entire bookstore in hopes of finding Sophia.
Unfortunately, there was still no sign of her.
Darnell took out his phone and called Garrett to inform him of what had just happened. He asked Garrett to contact Sophia and see where she was.
Upon hearing that something might have happened to Sophia, Garrett grew anxious. He hung up as soon as Darnell finished speaking and called back a minute later.
He informed Darnell that Sophia did indeed come to the Tale Whale earlier and wanted to try her luck finding her younger brother. However, she had already left by taking a bus because she had to return to work on time for a meeting at her company.
Garrett also mentioned that he would keep a closer eye on Sophia from now on.
After finishing the call, Darnell finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then went to the coffee shop on the east side of the third floor and bought himself a cup of mocha.
Since he was already late for work anyway, he wasn’t in a hurry to go to the office. Seated at table nine, he leaned back on the sofa, sipping his coffee while watching the beggars in his field of vision.
He hoped that the young beggar would appear. Even if he didn’t show up, Darnell wanted to remember a few more faces of beggars because everyone begging here was under Pierce’s control.
He sat there for about an hour. There were only four or five beggars and about ten auxiliary police officers. It was clear that Sophia’s report had prompted law enforcement to deploy personnel, but unfortunately, it was too conspicuous.
After finishing his coffee and feeling unsatisfied, Darnell ordered another cup of cappuccino. As he took a couple of sips, his phone rang.
The signal wasn’t good, so Darnell put down his cup and walked to the terrace for better reception. It was Sophia calling to express her gratitude.
Darnell chatted with her for a few moments and reminded her not to go to the bookstore alone. If she needed anything, she could contact Garrett. Then he hung up and headed back inside.
But as he returned to his seat, Darnell paused for a moment. He noticed a stylish woman sitting in his seat. She held his empty coffee cup in her hands while browsing her phone elegantly as she sipped from it.
He opened his mouth slightly and scrutinized her before recognizing who she was–Kendra.
Kendra had completely changed her style today and displayed even more beauty than before. Her hair was tied up in a bun with a pencil stuck in it. Bright eyes, striking red lips, and a light blue denim skirt showcased her curves and charm.
Darnell couldn’t help but smile wryly. Kendra must have mistaken nine for six.
Seeing Kendra drink most of the coffee already, Darnell decided not to go over and remind her. He didn’t want to embarrass her unnecessarily. Instead, he walked over and sat at table six.
While sitting there, Darnell once again surveyed the surroundings outside in hopes of spotting any suspicious beggars but ultimately found nothing useful.
Fifteen minutes later, he prepared to leave when his sight caught Kendra again.
However, this time she seemed somewhat embarrassed as she stood apologetically at the cashier counter. She bought another cup of coffee but realized that she didn’t have any cash in her wallet, and her phone had just run out of battery too.
With an apologetic expression on her face, Kendra spoke to the cashier, “I’m sorry. Please wait for me for ten minutes.”
“I’ll go get money for you right now.”
“Hurry up! I need to finish my shift! If everyone were like you… can this store even stay open?”
The cashier wore an impatient expression before continuing, “Don’t you check your wallet before buying something? Do you think you can get away with not paying?”
Kendra’s eyes turned cold momentarily, but eventually, she said nothing. She prepared to go get some money.
“I’ll pay for her coffee,” Darnell said as he stood by the cashier counter with his wallet in hand. He handed over one hundred dollars and added, “We’re friends.”
The cashier’s lips twitched but remained silent as she skillfully gave Darnell his change.
Kendra picked up her coffee again with a hint of a smile. “Darnell, thank you.”
She had mixed feelings towards this peculiar person, finding him despicable for pursuing results without scruples, yet she was curious about how he seemed knowledgeable.
Kendra intended to distance herself from Darnell rationally but emotionally wanted to get closer to him, wanting to see through this guy’s true color.
“Never mind. Just one cup of coffee.”
A smile bloomed on Darnell’s face. “I can afford it. If it were three hundred or three thousand dollars instead, I would definitely pretend not to know you.”
“Besides,” he continued with a smile, “Miss Fanshaw told me that you helped quite a bit during James’ incident at the police station, so this coffee can be seen as my token of appreciation.”
Kendra teased while flipping her hair, “I did you guys such a big favor, and all I’m getting is a cup of coffee? Isn’t that a bit stingy?”
Darnell tilted his head slightly as he looked at her. “You should be grateful I’m buying you coffee,” he replied. “After all, I usually just mooch off other people’s coffee. Today is an exception for you.”
“Also,” he added, “You also owe me a favor. If it weren’t for me giving you face, I’d have dealt with Bella, Odin, and Jay earlier…”
At first, Odin and Jay tried to pressure Darnell into confessing, but Darnell cleverly turned the tables on them and had them write a confession instead. The contents were enough to give Finn a major headache.
Later on, feeling guilty for taking Kendra’s first kiss and knowing he had things under control, Darnell decided not to use that confession to go against them.
“How can you still bring that up?”
Kendra shot him a stern look, recalling the time at the police station when she had to give Darnell mouth-to-mouth. This jerk not only tortured Odin and Jay, but he also pretended to be unconscious just to get her to kiss him. That was her first kiss!
Just thinking about it made her cheeks flush and her heart race. She huffed at Darnell and said, “I was going to thank you for helping me out today, but now I guess I’ll just consider it your way of making up for that.”
Feeling the sharpness of her gaze and the rising anger, Darnell felt a pang of regret and wished he could slap himself for bringing it up. That was just asking for trouble. He quickly forced a smile and tried to change the subject.
“Alright, alright, I will make it up to you. Ms. Wolmer, have you had breakfast?”
“Just coffee is a bit dull. Let me order you some pastries,” he offered.
Kendra huffed in response, “You really think a few pastries can make up for this? Darnell, I’m telling you, you’ve stirred up my annoyance.”
“Coffee and pastries won’t cut it. If you want to atone, fine, spend two hours shopping with me,” Kendra declared.
“Otherwise, I’ll be reminding you of this every day.”
Darnell looked exasperated. “Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Besides, you seem to have plenty of followers…”
Two hours of shopping? He would be completely worn out.
Kendra fixed him with a serious look. “No more talking. Do it or not?”
Darnell quickly replied, “Anything you say!”