Chapter 230 No Turning Back To The Past
“Josiah, why are you so stubborn?”
“I don’t care. Once I’ve made up my mind, not even a team of oxen could change it. If you don’t let me escort you today, no one is leaving,” Josiah declared. With that, he took a step closer to Madelyn, clearly intent on sticking by her side, come what may.
Madelyn found herself caught between laughter and tears, but she could only agree.
Then, the two of them happily got into the…
In the car, Josiah was at the wheel, but his eyes would occasionally flicker toward Madelyn, as though the person in front of him would vanish into thin air at any moment.
“Enough already!” Madelyn expressed her dissatisfaction. “You’ve been watching me all day. Isn’t that enough? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. I’m in your car, so it’s not like I’m going to vanish into thin air.”
“Teh, you think I want to keep an eye on you? I’m just worried you’ll head off to that black market alone, and who knows whether you’d come out dead or alive,” Josiah huffed arrogantly.
The air inexplicably fell silent for two seconds.
Originally, Madelyn intended to go to the black market alone, not wanting to involve anyone else for fear of causing them trouble.
However, it seemed that Josiah wasn’t going to back down unless she brought him along.
“Pull over,” Madelyn suddenly said, her voice calm.
The vehicle obediently came to a halt.
Madelyn decided to be straightforward. “Josiah, I’ll be honest with you. I am indeed going to the black market tonight. If you really want to accompany me, you can. But remember, we’re not going there to cause trouble. I just want to find out who exactly sold that drug to my sister.”
Just as expected.
In truth, from early this morning, Josiah had a hunch that Madelyn couldn’t possibly be that obedient. She was bound to head to the black market.
That was the reason he insisted on following along.
Although in everyday life, Josiah was known to be a carefree and irreverent scion, when it came down to crucial moments, he still possessed the ability to analyze situations with a cool head.
“Don’t worry. The black market is inherently a chaotic place teeming with all sorts of people. Even if I had nothing better to do, I wouldn’t go looking for trouble there,” Josiah said calmly.
Madelyn cast a deep gaze at Josiah with her glossy, jet–black eyes, ensuring that he was genuinely offering his help this time rather than creating a mess. Once she was certain, she nodded solemnly.
“All right, then let’s get into disguise first.”
Having had her fair share of experiences, Madelyn was rather adept at disguising herself.
And so, she started outfitting Josiah, mysteriously procuring two sets of leather clothes and pants, all adorned with studs. Josiah didn’t know where she got them from, but they began to change into them.
Upon seeing this, both Dracon and Tigra immediately reported the matter to Harriet from their hidden vantage point.
Harriet furrowed her brows deeply.
What are these two up to? Some sort of unconventional cosplay show?
“Ms. Moore, should we report this matter to Mr. Lockhart?” Dracon and Tigra quietly asked at this moment.
A shadow passed through Harriet’s eyes. “No need. That woman is probably just trying to steal the spotlight again. Let’s wait until she actually does something. It won’t be too late to report it then.”
“Understood.”
At the old city district…
After disguising themselves as rebellious youths, Madelyn and Josiah set off for the black market.
The black market was established in the basement of a dilapidated office building in the old city district. From the outside, it appeared to be nothing more than an abandoned office building, utterly unremarkable, completely failing to attract the attention of passersby.
However, when Madelyn descended underground, she discovered that this black market was nothing like she had imagined.
The space below was incredibly vast and currently teeming with people. The noise from the music was overwhelming, and neon lights skimmed across everyone’s faces, creating a chaotic atmosphere throughout the venue.
In essence, this place was simply a sprawling super–sized bar and club!
The moment they descended, the two almost went deaf from the deafening noise.
Left with no choice, Madelyn covered her ears, her face a picture of confusion as she looked at Josiah. Raising her voice to be heard over the noise, she asked, “Hey, are you sure this is the black market?”
Josiah yelled into her ear, “Don’t you dare think this is just an ordinary club. Those who know about this place are anything but nobodies. Each and every one of them has status and background. People from both the legitimate and underworld circles mingle here so it’s quite chaotic! We should keep a low profile later.”
Madelyn nodded.
Following that, the two of them behaved quite inconspicuously, as if they were just a couple from the underworld casually browsing around. They strolled here and there, taking in the sights, even ordering a few cocktails.
Then, the two of them sought out a dimly lit area and settled down on a couch.
“This place is such a mess. How do you plan on investigating later?” Josiah asked after he had taken a seat.
Madelyn was actually feeling a bit overwhelmed herself. She had absolutely no understanding of the black market and figured she’d probably have to go around questioning people one by one.
“Oh my God! You’re seriously underprepared, and yet you dare to venture into the black market? Are you tired of living?” Josiah was so shocked by her lack of a plan that he was close to yanking his hair out in frustration.
This woman really had some guts!
“What else can I do? I’ve never been here before, so I’m not familiar with this place at all.” Madelyn bit her lip, also feeling somewhat helpless.
She looked at Josiah somewhat hopefully. “Right, you’ve been here before, haven’t you? And with your wide network of friends, maybe you could help me see if there’s anyone here you recognize?”
“Didn’t I already tell you I haven’t been here for many years!” Josiah was on the verge of losing it!
“Come on, can’t you just help me out?” Madelyn had no choice but to plead with him.
Left with no other choice, Josiah could only scan the crowd for familiar faces.
Unexpectedly, he actually managed to spot one.
“Tattler? Why is he here!” Josiah suddenly stared at a particular spot, his eyes lighting up.
“Who is it?” Madelyn asked, puzzled.
Following Josiah’s gaze, she could see a moderately tall, somewhat sturdy man not far away, engaging in conversation with a few women.
“He used to hang out with me for a while, but then his family sent him abroad. I never thought I’d find him back here again,” Josiah said with surprised delight.
After saying that, he immediately rushed over to strike up a conversation with Tattler.
“Josiah? Is that you?”
Tattler recognized Josiah almost instantly, his surprise turning into delight. Unexpectedly, he gave Josiah a large and enthusiastic hug.
He could clearly recall the past when he used to follow Josiah. Josiah was always kind to him, often lending a hand when he was in trouble. For this, he felt a deep sense of gratitude.
Josiah was also in high spirits, so he casually chatted with him for a bit.
“Tate, I never thought I’d find you here. The guys and I had been hoping you’d come back.”
“To be honest, I’ve missed you guys a lot too,” Tattler confessed with a sigh. Then, he went on with a hint of regret in his voice, “But times have changed. I’ve finally carved out a place for myself here, and I’m afraid I can’t go back to the way things were.”