Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 1496

In the grand hall of the Inner Island, Ralap and Timothy had taken their seats.

Ralap had failed to persuade Timothy yesterday, which left him fuming, but necessity had driven him to try his luck once again today.

The families of Inner Island were intertwined in business affairs, yet each harbored a healthy dose of suspicion towards the others. With the island's limited resources, maintaining stability often meant that someone had to draw the short straw.

None of the four ruling families were saints; all were vying for a larger slice of the pie. The long-standing peace was nothing but a veneer.

The Porter clan had a rocky relationship with both the Earwood and Brown families due to the past conflicts. Only with the Bradshaw clan had they managed to maintain a semblance of harmony.

Timothy was the epitome of a fence-sitter, always attempting to offend no one. Sometimes he would prefer to take a small loss rather than burn bridges.

Ralap had thought Timothy would be an easy nut to crack, but the previous night's genteel rejection had proved him wrong.

To pay a second visit was a tough pill for the old man to swallow, but with his adversaries ready to pounce at any moment, he desperately needed to secure an ally.

"Mr. Bradshaw, if you stand with me, the Porters are willing to give up their pharmaceutical dealings for the next six months."

These drugs were crucial for keeping their underlings in line, and they were supplied exclusively by BLACK. The families took turns doing business with BLACK, so as to keep the distribution fair.

Now, the Porters were offering half a year's trade rights, which was a significant concession.

In the past, Timothy would have jumped at the offer, but now he had Patrick.

Patrick was also capable of concocting those drugs, so the so-called trade rights were less valuable in his eyes.

"Ralap," Timothy began, with a tone tinged with feigned concern, "I must confess, Robin's been feeling under the weather lately. You know how fond I am of my son. I'd like to spend this month with Robin quietly in the chapel, paying respects to the departed elders of the Bradshaw family."

Ralap felt a surge of frustration. He'd bent over backwards, and yet Timothy remained obstinate!

Just as his anger reached a boiling point where he was about to storm out, BLACK walked in.

If this man was Ian, then Ian wouldn't leave this place alive.

His gaze sharpened as he looked at the Mister, and his gaunt face betrayed a hint of shrewdness.

"I beg your understanding, sir. Ian's a wildcard, and all I want is to preserve the peace of Inner Island."

Turning to Ralap, he added, "You know the kind of trouble that kid would bring to our shores. My suspicions are reasonable, wouldn't you agree?"

Furrowing his brow, Ralap had intended to revel in Timothy's faux pas. But the repeated mentions of Ian reminded him of Ian's distinguished demeanor and generous spending. Had he not been captured, Ian might have already drawn followers to start a new family.

His expression turned icy as his hand crept towards the gun at his waist.

BLACK sat comfortably on the couch, in a posture of grace.

Timothy and Ralap spoke almost in unison, "Sir, if you would please remove your hat."