Chapter
154
In the comments section of the news, conspiracy theories were popping up left and right. JOh man, please tell
Heads up to all those ladies dreaming of snagging a rich guy. Dating an heir is a total gamble. You might hit the
jackpot, or you could just vanish from the radar forever. Stay snut | watched "Gone Girlfriend a few days ago. It's
way too creepy to see a girlfriend disappear for real.]
[Maybe she took a breakup payout that most people could only dream of and went off to live it up abroad?]
Athena took a moment to think and decided to message Matthew How have you been these past few days?]
He replied super fast with a smile emoji: [Thanks for checking in, Miss Donovan. I'm doing okay.]
Athena: [What's going on with your fake girlfriend? I've seen tons of comments about her online.]
Matthew: (Her
job is done for now, She's off the grid].
Athena (So does that mean your marriage is over!]
Matthew: [Not
Mannew:
Not exactly. | got invited to Anabel's birthday party next week.
My grandfather says they're planning to announce our engagement at her party. If | decide to make a scene. |
might be in hot water with the board of directors.] Athena: [What's the gplan then?]
Matthew sent another smile emoji. | can't really cross him, but can keep my head down. I'll wait for the right
moment to make my move.] Athena: [So you've
I've got a strategy, huh?)
Matthew: [I'm even thinking about hiring someone to kidnap'so I can bail on that annoying birthday bash.)
Athena sent a surprised sticker. That was intense. Being ruthless others was one thing, but doing that to yourself
took it to another level. Athena: [Have you figured out how to pull that off? Need any help?]
Matthew: [Thanks for the offer, Miss Donovan, but | know you've got your hands full. I'll manage it myself.]
Athena was really curious and shot him another message. [How are you planning to avoid the cops?]
Matthew replied with a smile emoji: (I'm thinking of taking a little trip-maybe out to sea or even abroad. Then, I'll
get kidnapped there. The kidnappers will say if Anabel wanna continue the engagement, they'll takeout.]
Athena's eyes widened, and she sent a surprised emoji with a thumbs-up. [That's clever! Love the idea! This
way, the pressure would be all on Anabel. She would have to make a choice go ahead with the engagement or
call it off. If she chose the first option, it would show she didn't care whether Matthew lived or died. Meanwhile,
the second option? That was exactly what Matthew wanted.
Vatth
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMatthew shot back a shy emoji. [Thanks for the praise, Miss Donovan. If it were you, | know you'd cup with
something
15.30
15:30 Sun, Oct Chapter 134
even better.1
This little exchange made Athena smile as she pressed her lips together. Feeling a bit flustered, she touched her
cheeks and typed: [Can | write your story in the Lockwood Detective Diary? I'll do it once everything's done.]
Matthew: Absolutely!]
Athena covered her mouth and snickered. (Good luck with your plan!]
Matthew: Thanks a ton, Miss Dewan. Really appreciate it.1
After ending the chat, Athena felt on top of the world. She closed theand turned back to the surgery plan.
The next day, Jaden cback into Kitmore City, ready to show his family the venue rental contract he had
negotiated with the production team. Everyone was on board and felt good about it
But before they could officially sign the contract, Jaden needed to get in touch with the nearby mountain
landowner first, That afternoon, he headed to the Agri Finance Bank with all the data he had prepared,
Al
first, the Donovan family had been a a bit skeptical about this free lunch deal. They were already bracing
themselves to fork out 100 thousand dollars to secure the mountain land for him. While it wasn't a huge amount,
after dealing with multiple similar contracts, they knew that one typically didn't pay everything at once. Usually,
they would pay a chunk upfront and | then settle the rest over time. However, Jaden's luck turned out to be
surprisingly good this taround. The loan got approved in no time. "The loan manager said, "Once you sign
the contract with the village for the land, the money will be in your account within three working days." When he
got home, Jaden gathered everyone around the dining table and asked, "How many years do you think | should
contract for?"
In the countryside, leases usually maxed out at 20 years, but contracts could go for 50 to 70 years. He wanted
those barren mountain lands that no one had touched-perfect for a long-term deal.
As the family started brainstorming. Athena jumped in without hesitation. "I think you should go for the longest
contract. And for the fees, | recommend a low upfront fee plus a slice of the profits. Just make sure to read the
fine print to avoid any loopholes? She continued. This way, if you hit it big, you can prevent others from getting
jealous and causing trouble-like trying to jack up the contract fee or taking back the land." She even shared
Ryan's phone number with Jaden.
The family was left speechless by Athena's confidence. That desolate mountain had been untouched for ages. It
was in the back of beyond, no living thing would even wander there, yet she was talking about buried treasure.
But listening to her, it seemed like anything was possible.
Everyone looked to Jaden, who stared at Athena for a second before grinning. "I trust Athena's instincts. If she
says it's a good idea, then it is.
Athena beamed and gave him a thumbs-up. "Don't worry. You can totally do this, | can even give a few smart
bots for you"
The gift she had in mind was the agricultural smart bot Jaden had seen at the robot exhibition-the kind designed
for growing veggies and raising animals. From what he had said, it sounded like it would be super helpful. Jaden
grinned and said, "Thanks! | won't let you down."
Feeling pretty confident in himself, he decided to go for the full 70-year contract. The next morning, he drove
back to Oxhorn Village, found the village council, and laid out his plans.
Since the Donovan family was well-known for helping out the community, everyone in Oxhorn Village really
looked up to
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Chapter 151
them. So when the village committee
heard that Jaden wanted to contract
those barren mountain lands to
kickstart sagriculture and m
poultry, ke were BIA They just
agkéd 0 keep them in mind
when he made it big Jaden smiled
FCAT
back and said, "Tve been around here
long enough to feel like part of the
village. If | make it, | want to help
: n
everyone thrive." One of the
committee members patted him on
the back, saying. You got this The
2 q q "
whole village is rooting for you" The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThat
sday, they signed the contract and headed to the necessary offices to get it approved. Two days later, the
contract was a go Jaden took it to the bank, and the loan review got cleareil pretty quickly.
Meanwhile, to keep Linda from
stepping onto Donovan territory, he
suggested the production team for
Tu Ae (@)
High Mou ntain-pbubA barrier
SEU tHE outdoor filming spot. The
production crew was totally up for it.
They sent people right away to set up
a colorful steel fence that stretched
for hundreds of meters between the
forest and the veggie field. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
q f a
Of course, they didn't mention
filming, they just said they were an
engineering team hired by We) m
Danovapfagmilycto! Scand the
chicken and pig farms and develop
the barren mountain land. The
villagers cto check out the
scene but lost interest after a while
and headed home. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Then, when Linda showed up with gifts, she found herself blocked outside the stall and couldn't see a thing.