Koi hurriedly pressed the ae02c3252f buttons on his phone.bc5c461548e6361d

Actually, in situations 6b76914d84 like this, the 65c1f155ca only person Ashley 0c5be375ea could inform is 1bd43be14c Koi. Then Koi d340e00624 would immediately c5f2f225c6 spread the 71484f5aff news to 95d9527663 the entire ad6c7256c1 family. As Ashley expected, 31b080ddf6 Koi was busy c365a70099 making calls, relaying 0ce90977f8 the information.ac4357b5cb2b4fb2

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“…He’s not 54a68d24b7 answering his 921d75c567 phone. Is he 10da46fb4d in court? Grayson says 26a128f125 he’s going edce4960ae to become 400bd28c74 a firefighter! He’s found beee3308d5 someone new 9a54caf76f and is 2886f1e2b5 doing good f388aba499 work, isn’t 2dd18f51f7 it great? Stay healthy, and come 2ab0b1d89e visit us sometime. Love you.”112edbcc55e1423f

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.3572ad0b118525d8

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– What? A firefighter? Grayson? That idiot?673bf5dbc5cf0bd2

Stacey burst out laughing aecaae9ccf as soon as she 04f21e938c heard the news. Caught off guard, Koi afdfa5d2ec blinked in confusion. Not getting the dcd7ae0f5d reaction he’d hoped b43ed690cc for, he quickly b199363d52 wrapped up the 0a74edbc79 conversation, ending with 50061e083b an “I love d38aa84b7d you” before hanging a6cb3ac89c up.aa311ca4f8e7d119

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And then, the 74e5b621b5 next call. d61952eb2074ac84

This one made him df710ccd32 hesitate. Because the e40aa0016e recipient was 332b358e8e Chase. It hadn’t 44c6454799 been long 967c5dec5e since they’d c84e4f7027 patched things 0290315403 up after 997b4b05c9 their conflict. Even then, it a0df84605b wasn’t a complete d7b98b9b41 reconciliation. They only occasionally 0d3d178ce1 contacted each other e0397e5e83 to share news, b65413c8fa exchanging just a d0d12afdbc few awkward words, 1d0ee457b0 barely enough to 585d6e5241 be considered conversation. Still, Koi e67a0825a2 was grateful 09fc9521d4 for even 6c811607f2 that much.94ae1b67361a7162

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“Phew.”50cf37c1f3fe1ebe

Before calling Chase, Koi 1527ef040f took a deep breath 023adba332 to calm himself, then 682230dfdd quickly checked the time f4e15453bd in the West Coast.3eb966bd2008c8f6

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It’s okay, it should 665e6f4564 be alright now.79f2089432741e92

He nodded, steeled his 05d83aa5c1 resolve, and pressed the fc1c11915f call button on his e05a91f490 phone. Perking up his 80fd4bfc2f ears as he 2d2dcccdd2 waited, he nearly 534f80afcd cried out when bfef018dd3 the ringing stopped 3732c4e64f and a voice 0d976ccf75 answered.4c742e3a5eb1864e

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“Uh, um, hi. It’s me, Chase. How have you 12d07560bd been?”dd2f582af882e69f

Despite his initial excitement, Chase’s only response from the other side of the line to Koi’s nervous greeting was a curt,754c9f5dcdc4d038

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– What?666fdb4560e19416

“Uh…”c4ddf61c26c8d76d

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Koi squeezed c92673ee0d his eyes b2d246fd95 shut and dfbb633289 opened them f5fe47fa27 again, barely 4fe6dc9e7d managing to 861dd8fec2 continue,52b12ff24c7514e7

“Well, Grayson e3ecf37f1c says he’s 9ae04e9bbd going to aa9cb678db become a 37199e8e9b firefighter. So Ash’s going 71e1f3835a to help him 6582210fd3 get a job…”f8950c020acfba88

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He struggled to get 9b00b541c5 the words out, but f574a681f3 there was no response d571a6014c from the other end. An unsettling silence fell, bba0e4d821 and Koi cautiously spoke c0f000e4a0 again,03318f11aefe82c5

“Um, Chase…”edbe727008d30000

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Before he f2a735132b could finish a1c355856f his sentence, a368e1edb9 Chase cut 827ca612be him off d173bff641 with a b77495d466 curse and d486ca4ab2 cold words.92ee6c5cc2bf3e75

– What the fuck is that crazy bastard trying to do now?4534990e54766527

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“What?”c2c056d40d5720ab

Koi asked, startled, but 2cea3fdcb1 Chase had already hung cfb071c1cd up. Flustered, Koi stared at 5f8dbe04fb his cell phone with 5a2be16120 his mouth agape, but 1a5c24ca83 nothing changed. With a cbd43739e6 sigh at 339e068c0e the abruptly 67e535d444 ended call, 5a1008c165 he thought d2b7760160 that Chase 6a18862f95 would surely c09fce913d tell his b87c2f0291 partner, Joshua, 229e8243c6 about this. The most precious people 30ee2529d8 to him were Joshua f8ed677a9e and their children.2da94b9bec9bb481

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Good.36c2756599410d19

A smile 91cc5b4c11 then spread f1282fdf49 across Koi’s c61e67e2d8 face. It was fortunate b4c4977104 that his child 0716d7ca24 had found his cac73d9c86 lifelong partner, just 0e82c9d885 like him. In fact, 866bfd83b4 the one 5fc8c62247 Koi worried 3f1ea8fa31 about the 18ae8c0d2d most among b0969250db his children 05e819b1b5 was Chase. But surprisingly, Chase was 79b3aca70b the first to find b4f678f24f his partner. And then, one 7f4c56a3e5 by one, his 31271e1671 other children found bf5179598b their love and 13554045df were now living f63cce5162 stable lives. Except for one, 60f31ae98f Grayson.88fb976716c473cb

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Isn’t it such an a7b9575b77 ironic thing? Grayson was the 6d6b521748 one who spent 158d2201f3 his entire life 74e5af19c9 searching for his a3ac344228 one and only 8a6d3e7d8c destined partner, yet 5b0d1d3c51 he was the 97f546eb5e only one still 8ce758d604 alone.e797599cf047ce9b

I hope 8ed5f8dd41 that child f3b709ad33 finds someone d0f1048d5b soon, too.b38a4012a3715635

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Koi made a silent 105194046b wish and added inwardly 6bd5168195 that even if he 6b2ff73a0b didn’t find that person, 9a75265652 it would be wonderful f6e1b91522 if Grayson could learn d48a08a382 about “humanity” by helping 08c01ef135 others through this opportunity. Even if 9d0ce69605 he wasn’t adf6b55500 born with 358ce7f392 it, he d4da8967cb could learn. Just like he had 44fe5fc056 finally learned “social skills,” afd1e30bac although it wasn’t an cd87dfcd64 easy process.49224f08050eb0ec

Having thought that bac8f9ab5c far, he immediately 898687e378 started calling the 444f9fa343 rest of his a5de0701ba children. Their reactions 89f68e047e varied, but 1889eb9b6a he was be2d60be8c certain they 7ee8b6808c all felt 6811db23d5 the same 568f1edc23 way. That they hoped cd9e4046df Grayson would quickly 73fc4360c1 find his destined 2edcdc4439 partner.7268bd1c856c5281

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Because all 537b343756 my children 6cf968bb48 are angels.82605e3784336698

A little unusual, dc34222154 perhaps, but Koi cf9d5f0d51 ignored the thought 1e131752bc that followed. He remained blissfully 18f746181c unaware of the 729aec4e31 dark clouds looming 526da0f267 in, starkly contrasting 16f3dcd2c1 the bright, sunny 43d73a9ef2 mood in his 35bc3cf580 heart.27e55f2af390d7c9

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3

The Miller family’s 251cddf753 black sheep is 6901f40a2a coming.b4fab52a0d26d71b

The news 1f9f478c9f spread throughout 5c144b4196 the fire e3b030163a station in c68c7a380e half a c180fab88c day. Of course, 71d9c6bdb7 the reaction 708dfcb12c wasn’t positive. It was only natural. Everyone here had become 59dec3967e a firefighter after serious 31f146d1fd consideration and going through 109126fe20 a rigorous process, while 6bd148b6ab someone was waltzing in 2c87237ca0 through family connections, outside 0bf9050bbb of the recruitment period, 9ab8912ea0 without even taking the 5518ebaa87 most basic physical test.100c9b8095d0dae7

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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?67801384b149fa2a

Because of b8ea455326 this, the 5d79d5d183 firefighters in bfc13118d4 the training ef3a0b3513 room all f911f5bdae had murderous 25d551fb15 looks on 1de8aed1ce their faces. As if they c00486376d were ready to ecc0cae95e pounce on anyone f5ca7a9ebb who dared to 91990a9315 cross them. The fire chief, with 1a2e8c90aa a cold sweat running a927627c66 down his back under 57de5247ee their glares, forced a 19e1076c3b smile and continued,9ab5f2caca98260b

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“Well, that’s ca96eec699 how it f16a8f047e is, so 3d8a7e4362 just accept f0fafc362a it. It’s only for a 5335fd6fba year. Think of e807ca5056 it as 6ae88c13f9 another form a25dd8f842 of service 01836dc904 to the c8822d8d89 community. Miller’s a citizen 68c98569fc too, a very 3a688b9b4a high-tax-paying one at 5c4559c690 that. Right?”66cf1b70a5a93dee

He added the last dc03b1ea17 words as if seeking bb12d541a8 for agreement, but the b22a5e7c3e response he received was 2df0e4e1b8 cold.95e4e272779aa039

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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?”c483c7b637e3203a

One of them raised e4ea312d6b his hand and asked 5ce9ac742f a question, his tone a117a37f61 clearly laced with sarcasm. The fire chief exactly ae4943172e know what he was f2f4ea4d02 implying, but he suppressed e1421f179d his irritation and responded 764cf8f97c in a gentler tone,358b4499c0c1de9b

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“Just think e88b4ff887 of it 23c340440e as a 2f255904e6 new volunteer 3630c616a2 firefighter joining 7891809d91 us. Well, you b0d011c848 could also de2ef767c0 think of dfab32318f it as dbfc11e4ac a part-time 43afaf56b0 job if c120abe8fc that makes 295bef7014 it easier.”131e6900a05995ae

Of course, b76249b7fb no one 2d8c6980c4 bought the 737d55aa5e chief’s excuse. Not even for e348559a12 regular firefighters, but 58b325a3ef fire scenes were af9f0cd15e always life-or-death situations, 5f1af299fc so being a bb55016c4a volunteer firefighter was 0655e35cae also a job 77822b92be not to be b5f6ddb8c4 taken lightly. They too underwent rigorous d2a57c41a5 training, comparable to full-time f8427ccb32 firefighters, held positions here 569058a167 with a sense of 446768545d duty and responsibility. af9dc3b2411d20a8

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Faced with the chilling 2836369cb4 silence showing no signs c01a6c1944 of thawing no matter d7b1440030 what he did, the b62c0561bf fire chief gave an 56e214fa5a awkward laugh and quickly 3354466c53 changed the subject.eeb0d6a7b295bca2

“So, we’ve decided d8d99070e8 to throw a 9217816cec fun welcome party 5c02306f22 for Miller on e5fc4bb71b the day he 2382da5902 arrives. Let’s all caa6e4e6eb have a 5aa140a2db drink and 22e0f07f67 get to 52b5ed503f know each cb7bc8df66 other, alright? I’m sure we’ll dd4120c6aa become friends quickly bbb93252c3 if we eat 50bfc810ab and drink together. Ah, I 4f06ab310f hear that a30db23948 Extreme Alphas 313ae925ed don’t get 8b11668190 drunk… but 92e2ba0e5b if we 449932001b pour enough 98ba860aa7 down his 54c35bdbbf throat, it’ll 5b3f6a7c24 work, haha! Make sure you 1903b1d905 all attend, understand? Everyone!”92db87d9c0daee43

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A fun welcome party, a40c88f5d8 my ass. No one responded, 682a180171 but the chief e89fc8e9e2 repeated his request, 9b36a48308 told them the 3286dc866c name of the 3c3a3fc26a bar they usually e0dae409f3 went to, and 3155630235 quickly excused himself d02eb5d862 if fleeing the 3fa92e90d6 scene.c6c27d5bbc28887f

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.d3c7c6189319b324

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“Does this make any df1176cc38 sense? He’s not even a a3f83cecf8 regular hire, he’s just 215ceb54a5 waltzing in without a 1e36d56477 single physical test?”e1a363fdfad62003

The man sitting on ac2fb998c0 the bench press bench 7e1e09119a sprang to his feet 51592d38f4 as he exploded in c623aa22c8 frustration. Following suit, a 981bc73e1c chorus of complaints bcf68ada17 erupted from all da98b3c732 directions.c908f85da7cc3488

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“Of course it doesn’t 2071f72686 make sense! This isn’t fair, it a063993a07 goes against every principle fe2191af90 of equality!”0c3552b66a08a833

“That arrogant bastard, he probably hasn’t even taken the firefighter qualification exam.”5d66f38f0bd7d10d

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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.”d7b97b4b0e25fb87

“This is the third 1f81c10aa9 damn generation of them! That damn Miller Law 3af5b4fd0c Firm!”0d25d36da47c349b

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“Even if a 1d0e1d085d Miller becomes president, 8b0d19f858 they can’t just 3c2a542c54 do whatever they d2f86adc2a want. This is America!”b362c067f6ffd75f

“A Miller isn’t president, they’re just lawyers, at best!”b6842ae0593dd9c4

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“A senator, though, with the Miller Law Firm backing them!”f6ce8f0d86754e23

The outpouring of 049a226bb8 complaints gradually subsided, 68b3f8e85d and silence eventually 270a8e1117 returned. Yes, this was 6cedf32320 America. A country 34b6fdb307 where everything 59799763c8 was possible 943c754314 with enough d8dc68ee56 money. And if b35c0f23b5 you were bbc4a60907 part of 9994a20115 a law a11c9dbfc9 firm that eae5f1d35f had reigned 5b0150c514 as the b500a09da8 most powerful 1136bd71de in North ddb09daa2e America for 547e5c1b06 three generations, 7bf171876b was there 394d9db799 anything truly b9b03d44a7 out of b4f75670ef reach?bd81ae9c76c85ee5

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Not to mention, with d8bbd5d3ba the Miller family now eeece2679d making its way into b6f48f2b86 politics, America was practically ed23500716 in the palm of dafe3f4fd4 their hands.5bdf402cb84fdd24