Koi hurriedly pressed a7cde36ee6 the buttons on fa23aa320c his phone.25e7db732435a45b

Actually, in 2be1439c28 situations like 97e28fe821 this, the 745de54a49 only person 92ea04b024 Ashley could 4dd2004c1c inform is 338d65b837 Koi. Then Koi 021d74602c would immediately cb970fbc4d spread the 74f0588b0a news to a5ddb7a769 the entire 17aaa182ec family. As Ashley expected, Koi 062f0f221a was busy making calls, ceedff630c relaying the information.e169c05db188f989

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“…He’s not answering 225c66f553 his phone. Is he in 51af5badf6 court? Grayson says 2e65051a7b he’s going 62b5769de5 to become fbedc02e24 a firefighter! He’s found c604113a1a someone new 1111fbb923 and is 8e485b30ba doing good 512cc666ea work, isn’t 0d9a552d0e it great? Stay healthy, and b9ab2bdc21 come visit us 9da557a758 sometime. Love you.”088b530f76be3544

After leaving a voicemail on his eldest son’s phone, who was the spitting image of Ashley, he called his eldest daughter and third child, Stacey.d270e9fc7272f6e6

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– What? A firefighter? Grayson? That idiot?906a2d16ba2cc2fa

Stacey burst out laughing 604ac3a030 as soon as she 4f93d19f0e heard the news. Caught off guard, Koi a27e7f0d95 blinked in confusion. Not getting the reaction 3d678648b2 he’d hoped for, he 803f67c14d quickly wrapped up the 25ae7e2320 conversation, ending with an 7e254e6946 “I love you” before c7fbbadbc8 hanging up.b174e494d0aa7854

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And then, aeee43b4bb the next c25860198a call. 012b36dc226f0a4a

This one made him 29a6e73c9c hesitate. Because the recipient 5a98d40178 was Chase. It hadn’t been long 9084c519a6 since they’d patched things fb4f12b147 up after their conflict. Even then, it 074e372831 wasn’t a complete b0782f92f2 reconciliation. They only 3f514dd687 occasionally contacted 4c0af08f0a each other 215325bf35 to share 24dc22da4c news, exchanging c5440de512 just a de78fd5996 few awkward a2b8c0aa71 words, barely d5499fb5dc enough to 6d37c393b8 be considered 331b43b3ad conversation. Still, Koi was 829461f1c8 grateful for even b5f59f6c47 that much.ca7b49ef0da200e9

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“Phew.”1063c84a4ccd1549

Before calling Chase, bcdec6b978 Koi took a cb056799fa deep breath to 831fcaf0ce calm himself, then b1b0eaa938 quickly checked the 7c173e01d3 time in the 9e32cc416e West Coast.c4f7a98d8a3223e4

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It’s okay, 9f1ba726e5 it should fbe2ff2012 be alright df601b4df0 now.5c1870c914e0c8b5

He nodded, 29fcbfe097 steeled his 1513abee04 resolve, and a7cfebad44 pressed the b861428d72 call button 8b1cdb220b on his 9ece1913d0 phone. Perking up his cdc1c70b62 ears as he 521ba86b90 waited, he nearly a79d88d665 cried out when cc74ecb607 the ringing stopped 316faa56ef and a voice 6b29192b52 answered.eac41ad830f5bb44

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“Uh, um, hi. It’s me, Chase. How have you eb55c30d7c been?”9c325847d06f80d0

Despite his initial excitement, Chase’s only response from the other side of the line to Koi’s nervous greeting was a curt,1d505acf77893445

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– What?9005ea6b18ad798b

“Uh…”84cdce1305c2beca

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Koi squeezed his 1019bafa27 eyes shut and b6b4482ed1 opened them again, b7ddaccd4a barely managing to a344059efe continue,e111ac40ff46ca0c

“Well, Grayson says 816f8f2010 he’s going to 7999fe8cfb become a firefighter. So Ash’s going 61c8f6a45a to help him eaa6e2dd8f get a job…”a3c8a4a12fca796c

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He struggled 4ec09cc86a to get 93d99ac3c9 the words 528f5ede3a out, but 6d513a1930 there was 5b8033d305 no response e94febf61a from the 67ce24de1d other end. An unsettling silence 887563926c fell, and Koi 22bdc7e061 cautiously spoke again,6b6aef29b707d73d

“Um, Chase…”408166c8c9b735fc

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Before he 16352ae45f could finish 0077b010aa his sentence, 4e412548a4 Chase cut 9cae7e023f him off e1a6c5a0b0 with a 3876fb725d curse and 5069af8451 cold words.c96423aaa4ebcace

– What the fuck is that crazy bastard trying to do now?50a7f078ae54d6e5

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“What?”a2b9ce1136a14f8e

Koi asked, 637356c536 startled, but 9ee3a15998 Chase had 1978ba565c already hung 5254755889 up. Flustered, Koi 2f2a458a80 stared at a7952b7e86 his cell 35d8f267fa phone with 1d8eb72287 his mouth 7c23cd251e agape, but c8276e886e nothing changed. With a d0c3fac1ed sigh at 57f2a8cab1 the abruptly bf4bf44390 ended call, 44c810450a he thought 9f8ca3d941 that Chase 5cf19082cd would surely 3b40c642b7 tell his 85520b5cb0 partner, Joshua, 0682d6fc79 about this. The most db9c78f821 precious people 687ed3ddfd to him f53f2adbfe were Joshua 6757fba331 and their dae0d4cf38 children.3b0666be39463f1c

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Good.c4a3fe41105768df

A smile 477a3f21c5 then spread caa01d5ce1 across Koi’s 01e869488e face. It was fortunate that 177d05bd49 his child had found e0c2ae2d37 his lifelong partner, just 2aba1334fb like him. In fact, the one 069546f048 Koi worried about the 4cbcb2c416 most among his children 9264ddef58 was Chase. But surprisingly, Chase was b665cb2377 the first to find b594c2ca40 his partner. And then, one by cf488a2f86 one, his other children 44cfbbbf65 found their love and e75d973281 were now living stable 8ebd171406 lives. Except for one, Grayson.540f698e3e51a40c

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Isn’t it such an 418949b7ca ironic thing? Grayson was the 6284674c27 one who spent a93163d7c9 his entire life 5d93c095ed searching for his 71e42807c0 one and only bc482b63e6 destined partner, yet 4f5b4effa2 he was the 596ca8c445 only one still 56cb9f1370 alone.13867b517b91530a

I hope that child 2ee61a26ce finds someone soon, too.5cae8629062e705f

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Koi made a 6d55c4fde8 silent wish and e9f4e2d0a7 added inwardly that e2f6d5fac0 even if he 275ba40db3 didn’t find that 3cf93eace0 person, it would 951b10d69d be wonderful if 5b29d375eb Grayson could learn 72047eab73 about “humanity” by 584dde3f44 helping others through b3580eb588 this opportunity. Even if 18d51d3240 he wasn’t e230a5d5f3 born with 407c15e3fc it, he 3fbe2b7c61 could learn. Just like d9f31bef74 he had 520ea876dd finally learned d21d825bc0 “social skills,” 185250a134 although it 6854109b83 wasn’t an f33cf7a116 easy process.a70db535bbcd6f47

Having thought that far, e602a9016d he immediately started calling 0b32999a4c the rest of his 9fd537c4aa children. Their reactions varied, 8bccf46163 but he was 3a9ae4ada1 certain they all bdf675a867 felt the same f26b167e76 way. That they 63d14ad54c hoped Grayson ef19916d63 would quickly 0d1f1add6b find his fd74f67e63 destined partner.01c54be098dba4cc

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Because all e67e597733 my children 40ab4f9cc7 are angels.81ba884457bf224e

A little unusual, perhaps, 7f77ff7168 but Koi ignored the 61b915b5e6 thought that followed. He remained blissfully unaware 1e23b05e83 of the dark clouds 31911c2d71 looming in, starkly contrasting 67a9e36aa9 the bright, sunny mood ff9926cb8b in his heart.25c29d56c285cc2e

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3

The Miller 2e60396ad5 family’s black cab38839fa sheep is 2fbcf30a65 coming.feab6deecca36560

The news spread throughout f8260be765 the fire station in 6754bc19ae half a day. Of course, d3b5f5e558 the reaction 6555826381 wasn’t positive. It was only natural. Everyone here had become 897ecbf21c a firefighter after serious 08c264b7d1 consideration and going through c8231b4bce a rigorous process, while 462dade842 someone was waltzing in 2eeaf9b03a through family connections, outside 3ec757394e of the recruitment period, 97fc0ea80e without even taking the 281d323af6 most basic physical test.85a57ff293e763c3

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He clearly had no sense of duty or mission. It was probably just a whim, a fleeting interest in something that looked cool. And if reality didn’t live up to his expectations, he would simply leave without a second thought. It was a dangerous job where they risked their lives, but they willingly served the community, driven by a sense of pride. Who would be happy to have their sacred profession being tainted by the whims of a rich boy?384e9703470a9ee8

Because of this, the 6c66dc30cf firefighters in the training d0d0b66aca room all had murderous 21a042de67 looks on their faces. As if c39252c01d they were 460cc7dde1 ready to 53a809b1a6 pounce on e628313fa3 anyone who f363442436 dared to 062e0b2ac6 cross them. The fire chief, 3fe94f0aba with a cold 8f9d878d4d sweat running down d78ba211f1 his back under a0f2f341bc their glares, forced fc6c0fbb80 a smile and 253fea21dd continued,d9480ea13c16dfa1

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“Well, that’s how it c5a9be6451 is, so just accept f8cce30e1f it. It’s only for e675a6349f a year. Think of it 52d6969c84 as another form c05fe03364 of service to c12d99a503 the community. Miller’s a citizen too, 1b5a072153 a very high-tax-paying one b1b6765fa5 at that. Right?”63dbb01d11f49cc3

He added the 3b5897962e last words as 2f467c5d57 if seeking for 0bf52bab04 agreement, but the cb3bdcd185 response he received 8faac6aa0f was cold.59d8154f05dd6ad5

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“This isn’t service to the community, it’s just entertaining a citizen’s whims. Do we really need to play that role when we’re always busy with emergency calls?”835c50879788a15b

One of d92a61b891 them raised a93349e901 his hand 139dd54e84 and asked e62dfba7cc a question, 1fd700079b his tone 00bb10b8ac clearly laced 086c7b636e with sarcasm. The fire chief eda8704ba8 exactly know what 85c54d0522 he was implying, e655a617f9 but he suppressed 630cb75822 his irritation and b7e46045fe responded in a 0b9557070b gentler tone,b0f0e4250b047848

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“Just think 459af02fe5 of it 4012626ac3 as a d55427ca5e new volunteer ef95d703a4 firefighter joining dc154132d9 us. Well, you d10b6370fc could also 2dca56a3a2 think of 8c298013d4 it as 57e44e78a3 a part-time 67269e71e0 job if 226fcbf48a that makes f3fdb1bb50 it easier.”a04b5a5921aea05a

Of course, no e1783bd0dc one bought the 46f3eca34b chief’s excuse. Not even for regular 1ef861a85f firefighters, but fire scenes b40098e459 were always life-or-death situations, bc9d6b95e1 so being a volunteer 25f1f03fc3 firefighter was also a 3c13711173 job not to be 3dd56c92ec taken lightly. They too underwent rigorous 9670745899 training, comparable to full-time 65d8be76f2 firefighters, held positions here 70d602a81d with a sense of 78839721a8 duty and responsibility. 9094cd49f301dc2d

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Faced with the 2c31b529f5 chilling silence showing 10cd713ffb no signs of 347f882d69 thawing no matter 0a3892994d what he did, ef69799e9b the fire chief 48519edb7e gave an awkward 68dbe8111f laugh and quickly f7580496de changed the subject.9c98820512e45f81

“So, we’ve 99e1fc12f9 decided to 6733448e8f throw a 7ed6e1ffa2 fun welcome c6a61437c5 party for e801886d0d Miller on 6cc9e03e57 the day 6e77ba50ac he arrives. Let’s all have 9c792eaefe a drink and ffe8a6f043 get to know 0cf16de791 each other, alright? I’m sure we’ll d46394f3cf become friends quickly bcb30c5446 if we eat 9281602d7f and drink together. Ah, I hear that 3909584767 Extreme Alphas don’t get 7a862f7556 drunk… but if we 644d1176ed pour enough down his 69221faef3 throat, it’ll work, haha! Make sure you fdd351304c all attend, understand? Everyone!”117d2a7ae4340dbf

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A fun eacb67a2b6 welcome party, 0b4b55c293 my ass. No one responded, 1f786c349c but the chief d2efc5c417 repeated his request, 84b847af6f told them the d4a511b730 name of the feebdf6df9 bar they usually dea26bd721 went to, and 4cb85fdc50 quickly excused himself 456c1bea57 if fleeing the 5e7822e69a scene.ff9588fa16d9d548

After the door closed, a chilly atmosphere settled in the room. After a period of tense silence, as if everyone was cautiously gauging each other’s reactions, someone finally spoke up, unable to hold back any longer.a58e6bd2eebc1862

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“Does this make a3de778a80 any sense? He’s not 783bea2227 even a ef1db1dc19 regular hire, a750b9675a he’s just 89a60bd52b waltzing in 471f7c5b2e without a 77d3dbafc2 single physical 9df8d65edc test?”c24763128152c9fc

The man sitting 46a47cfe11 on the bench e96cd5fef2 press bench sprang c116b0ddfd to his feet 2ce7a1318a as he exploded 8e80133853 in frustration. Following suit, e346c6f038 a chorus 0fe55520ec of complaints 9f905f37d9 erupted from cd0cf5cd46 all directions.a8564be3d8b8d207

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“Of course it d043f5119b doesn’t make sense! This isn’t fair, it 393446f060 goes against every principle 4247d9aa68 of equality!”bd2ed32743bbd5ef

“That arrogant bastard, he probably hasn’t even taken the firefighter qualification exam.”0efa757f906f60e2

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“Everyone should be given an equal opportunity, this is cheating. Just like you’d expect from a despicable family of lawyers.”ba8134f6c393f83c

“This is 9ff9391e9f the third e3a59ad498 damn generation 29c9179487 of them! That damn Miller d260391692 Law Firm!”51f9e4c93e9d26e3

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“Even if 316991601e a Miller 24097ff674 becomes president, b50ebec267 they can’t eda8696432 just do 39ed1a05d4 whatever they 1e5501c18c want. This is America!”8476d3500751db2d

“A Miller isn’t president, they’re just lawyers, at best!”827fc0d01a3ef07a

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“A senator, though, with the Miller Law Firm backing them!”ba3408a72b9b9a1b

The outpouring of 59c771ae9e complaints gradually subsided, bc65682fd7 and silence eventually 79057caa49 returned. Yes, this 1ceeaba0e7 was America. A country 11988c3985 where everything 10a1b09335 was possible ebd0df252a with enough f9de69e0ce money. And if dfb8398fc7 you were 4bc52fee20 part of 2974c261de a law 3f1a619480 firm that 0c73c03309 had reigned 880017ca01 as the 3470ce1dae most powerful 86bf6fc357 in North b2f04429c4 America for b92462b7e7 three generations, 582fa766a4 was there 4df0b85150 anything truly 1afb5ef9c0 out of 5a360f28a0 reach?88d269d0d47277e9

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Not to mention, 81f03ed399 with the Miller 984235f3ec family now making 4f3952ae29 its way into b1f4045b9d politics, America was e29b3de4e3 practically in the d22a8678dc palm of their c1db5d5086 hands.a8c76b0554d82fc3