In the southern part of Vernon.
Felicity’s family-run breakfast noodle shop was once again packed to capacity. Day after day, the little shop was overwhelmed with customers. The tables inside were full, and outside, a long queue stretched down the street.
Other nearby breakfast shops had tried to capitalize on the crowd, opening their doors earlier in an attempt to lure customers away. But no matter what they did, no one came. Everyone was here for Felicity’s noodles.
It wasn’t hard to see why. Felicity’s noodles were simply irresistible. Anyone who tried them once would inevitably come back for more.
Some envious competitors even tried reporting the shop, accusing Felicity of using illegal ingredients. However, after an official inspection, the government confirmed that everything was in compliance. The noodles passed all safety checks. This left the other shop owners with no choice but to helplessly watch Felicity’s shop thrive.
Across the street, the owner of a rival noodle shop sat with her hands on her hips, glaring at Felicity’s bustling business. “How do you think that mother and daughter make their noodles so delicious? It doesn’t make sense. We’re using the same ingredients, but ours just don’t taste the same!”
Her husband, seated nearby, didn’t respond. He kept glancing at Felicity’s shop, his eyes filled with longing.
“Do you think they’re using… human meat as stuffing? I’ve read stories about human meat buns in novels before. That has to be it. It’s the filling-that’s why it tastes so good.”
“Enough!” The man suddenly stood up and began walking toward the line outside Felicity’s shop.
“Where are you going?” his wife snapped, frowning.
“If I don’t go now, they’ll sell out. I had a bowl yesterday, and I can’t stop thinking about it! Do you want one too? I’ll buy you a bowl.”
His wife’s face turned green with anger. She pointed at him, her jaw clenched in frustration, unable to find the words to scold him.
Finally, she growled, “Fine. Get me one. Just one last bowl!”
Muttering to herself, she added, “No dignity at all. If I weren’t trying to figure out how they make those noodles, do you think I’d eat there?”
Despite her words, this was already the third day in a row they had visited Felicity’s shop.
Inside, Felicity was overwhelmed by the chaos. Each day was busier than the last. The noodle recipe Kayden had taught her was simply incredible. In just a few short days, word had spread across the small fruit-farming town, drawing people from all over. Some even rode their bikes for over half an hour just to get a taste.
The credit, of course, belonged to Kayden. He was extraordinary. One simple bowl of noodles had turned her small shop into the talk of the town. Now, the shop was bringing in a daily profit of three thousand dollars-a sum Felicity would’ve never dared to dream of before.
After all, this was just a remote village tucked away in the mountains. For a shop here to do this kind of business was nothing short of remarkable.
Still, Felicity couldn’t shake the memory of what had happened that night. According to her mother, Kayden had killed her cousin, Hunter. Felicity recalled how Kayden had once jokingly said he might kill Hunter someday. She had laughed it off, thinking it was just a joke. But now, it had come true.
Her mother was conflicted about Kayden. He had saved their lives and given Felicity a fresh start, earning their gratitude. But Hunter had been her only nephew, her blood relative. Kayden killing him was a wound her mother couldn’t easily accept.
Felicity hadn’t mentioned Kayden in the past few days, but at night, she often thought about him quietly. She didn’t hate him for killing Hunter. She trusted that Kayden wouldn’t kill without reason. If Hunter had died, he must have done something to deserve it.
Suddenly, a stern voice disrupted her thoughts.
“Who here is called Felicity?”
The question came from a group of men dressed in black suits. They looked out of place in the small town, their appearance sharp and intimidating.
Felicity turned toward the voice, her heart skipping a beat. “I’m Felicity. Who are you?” she asked cautiously.
The bald man leading the group looked her up and down, his expression cold. “Come with us,” he ordered.
Felicity froze, her heart pounding. Before she could respond, a young man with a cocky air, standing in line, spoke up. “Who the hell are you? If you want noodles, go to the back of the line. Don’t try to pull any shady moves here.”
The bald man glared at him, but the crowd quickly chimed in.
“Yeah, who do you think you are? Get in line like everyone else!”
The bald man’s face darkened. He walked over to the young man, his presence radiating menace. “Do you want to die?” he asked coldly.
The young man scoffed, unfazed. “Do you know whose territory this is? This is Mr. Kane’s turf! I’m one of his men. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll-”
Before he could finish, the bald man punched him square in the face. The young man crumpled to the ground, blood dripping from his mouth.
The crowd gasped and quickly backed away, terrified. The cheerful atmosphere of the noodle shop vanished in an instant.
Even the rival shopkeeper across the street was stunned. “I told you! They’re being investigated! That meat filling must be human! Those men must be city officials.”
Her husband waved her off. “Nonsense! Stop making things up.”
The young man on the ground clutched his swollen face, glaring at the bald man. “You’ll regret this. Just wait!” he spat, before scrambling to his feet and running off.
The bald man turned back to Felicity, his tone icy. “Come with us. Don’t resist. No one can help you.”
“W-Who are you?” Felicity stammered, her voice trembling.
“Who we are doesn’t matter. Just come quietly. Otherwise, you’ll get hurt. It’d be a shame to ruin that pretty face,” the bald man said, signaling his men to grab her.
Before they could reach her, a loud voice rang out.
“Stop!”
A group of twenty or thirty men emerged from a van parked nearby. Leading them was a shirtless man covered in tattoos-Mr. Kane, the town’s notorious boss.
The young man who had been punched earlier pointed at the bald man and shouted, “Mr. Kane! That bald guy hit me! He disrespected Miss Mallory and threatened to destroy her noodle shop. I tried to stop him, but he attacked me!”