Koi hurriedly pressed the 1a980edf2f buttons on his phone.e9a6795267d58a3b

Actually, in f9530a36b1 situations like bd62640e3a this, the a1ef86226c only person ad10252106 Ashley could 9002b4c3cc inform is 14ea567041 Koi. Then Koi would immediately 1a4c3664b7 spread the news to e5aa274137 the entire family. As Ashley expected, fe5066ee40 Koi was busy 72c2c46de4 making calls, relaying 7e792016c5 the information.dc7e1a7a509d5ee4

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“…He’s not answering his c64c0c815c phone. Is he 0834b0c08e in court? Grayson says he’s 1e8016f20d going to become c9d3977f92 a firefighter! He’s found someone new ba66097867 and is doing good 77edb4b1fe work, isn’t it great? Stay healthy, 81c73c39e2 and come 2802e89989 visit us 1d7dc87f1e sometime. Love you.”e6e6caabf0e6909c

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.b63c99c51707c19a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

– What? A firefighter? Grayson? That idiot?faf2aaea0ae8b22d

Stacey burst out 19aa237316 laughing as soon 7df2c768c4 as she heard 7398003166 the news. Caught off guard, a62ad6892f Koi blinked in d3146a11d9 confusion. Not getting 779417978d the reaction cecacf3533 he’d hoped c1226c2ea9 for, he fe01f942b1 quickly wrapped a27a8385a3 up the 990cdde68a conversation, ending b0444ab6b0 with an d5f36a1dda “I love f81be8a0ba you” before d68b82482c hanging up.bf9fd70d29d1e901

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

And then, ed8a01d0d8 the next 097474d814 call. 0d217157d13bbdd1

This one made 75f4b185ab him hesitate. Because the recipient 80d0086998 was Chase. It hadn’t 7aabb744d4 been long 8a584e7e27 since they’d 58b02ffc22 patched things ca462b54c8 up after 1ddb29042c their conflict. Even then, it 0cecc20f5f wasn’t a complete 230b918fd3 reconciliation. They only f1beace461 occasionally contacted 12e8b54042 each other 6c30dc0156 to share 232c5bdef4 news, exchanging 3db407a995 just a d857183d9c few awkward f388a3ba2d words, barely 5dae9be935 enough to bfab4ffa56 be considered e38410da98 conversation. Still, Koi was grateful 5b1592d8d7 for even that much.2d59b5d85e8ff95c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Phew.”344c35293decc2ae

Before calling Chase, Koi 08171786bd took a deep breath 835fc0b0b2 to calm himself, then c2a2b06c74 quickly checked the time ddc25e0d62 in the West Coast.4365c04e24283f69

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It’s okay, it should 9812fea6f8 be alright now.74b827e4acf7cc9a

He nodded, steeled 2582280594 his resolve, and 26a6ecf366 pressed the call 2de5aab583 button on his 2a1b67d450 phone. Perking up e3d27f9625 his ears 24964975d5 as he 8007199911 waited, he f804d78ec8 nearly cried cab3c6e0e7 out when 892ba142f6 the ringing 9a55f826da stopped and 1cafa1a70d a voice a6bed8f774 answered.aced6cc2a1e3ee8c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Uh, um, hi. It’s me, Chase. How have you e976552a4e been?”28f0796c0b5bdec0

Despite his initial excitement, Chase’s only response from the other side of the line to Koi’s nervous greeting was a curt,622d7c2ea6962e16

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

– What?458d5220c555190d

“Uh…”2fa07224c384159a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Koi squeezed his eyes de648688c4 shut and opened them dc1eb78da8 again, barely managing to 6c6c0f7e34 continue,0d3607b62553d5a8

“Well, Grayson says 34e1380ecf he’s going to 6d424a4d35 become a firefighter. So Ash’s going ab26b87bfe to help him 27f7ffe91a get a job…”3c9a8ea70b96a98b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He struggled 9e277db6e5 to get 7612598c3a the words 604e0859d2 out, but 0bc92c6316 there was f3f5f3a789 no response 7a3177e132 from the f3c0c2c4c0 other end. An unsettling silence fell, d942cc70c4 and Koi cautiously spoke bd23755a47 again,1b8613f7ff721956

“Um, Chase…”8c273abf60df83e4

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Before he b510b36b09 could finish 999bf6154f his sentence, 9c9ecbce19 Chase cut cf30ea3c94 him off 13f1ed59ea with a d5f89d9396 curse and 284217203d cold words.eea74062b03decde

– What the fuck is that crazy bastard trying to do now?d33a3a973a45fb1f

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“What?”7f535a137e001a12

Koi asked, 22cdc3b378 startled, but 744b79eea3 Chase had 9c197039b4 already hung 29c1a27296 up. Flustered, Koi stared 95806a3cf1 at his cell 0bdd860693 phone with his 634fdda62b mouth agape, but 69ee496c31 nothing changed. With a sigh e8f67fb415 at the abruptly 452347cad2 ended call, he 587d4f384d thought that Chase 5931e7c7e4 would surely tell 09433b405a his partner, Joshua, d714fb19b0 about this. The most precious people 51d905193f to him were Joshua 67ed7f31a8 and their children.9e5c343ea7f7090a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Good.d94f3decc33d382b

A smile then bf526063f7 spread across Koi’s c96c07b87f face. It was fortunate 51f632f65d that his child a88a7699d3 had found his 3d2859fdb8 lifelong partner, just fe48cced34 like him. In fact, the one 7e8357de75 Koi worried about the cc5fda8d62 most among his children ca0add0a0a was Chase. But surprisingly, ae541c05b6 Chase was bf17fdfa95 the first 56046d2b91 to find 28106cca01 his partner. And then, 0320c9b457 one by 66172cccff one, his 5851bd3643 other children 4e82496026 found their 09793f5f7a love and 476d714f62 were now e7a2ff5b8f living stable 216b4cd9eb lives. Except for one, Grayson.3ed2d3d270fbe229

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Isn’t it such an 53e0d387ec ironic thing? Grayson was the 420bbc60e0 one who spent 0d3bebd1ac his entire life 24c9ac9b4d searching for his 5f822d325e one and only bdb088a4ed destined partner, yet 4cc1c47569 he was the 0df29f7591 only one still 6e27cb4572 alone.6207cfef7798f5c6

I hope 0d0b02d8c6 that child c25235d57b finds someone 1911f800c5 soon, too.f00c06ddf38d37d7

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Koi made a silent 5ae3c0175c wish and added inwardly ddc8b4e008 that even if he b971a29898 didn’t find that person, cc7a438cc0 it would be wonderful 2d34ae1290 if Grayson could learn 1a24a699bc about “humanity” by helping 7e81e43041 others through this opportunity. Even if he wasn’t ce28873b09 born with it, he 746614b177 could learn. Just like he had b45f1a8742 finally learned “social skills,” adb4688ac0 although it wasn’t an 480a4a4bbb easy process.def71f9c01e8d28a

Having thought 84af525341 that far, d034a5b1cb he immediately 813af8b06d started calling 6cc30bc78d the rest 2c10495ba8 of his 91c55049fc children. Their reactions varied, 58afadd6b4 but he was a162266390 certain they all 641e30bfe3 felt the same c729864af2 way. That they d1cf033f6b hoped Grayson 7f52b1c549 would quickly daece445fb find his 4b840b0137 destined partner.15d24126cbb39f01

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Because all my fb86620f72 children are angels.07a6106c056472d5

A little unusual, perhaps, bed9e662cf but Koi ignored the 093dda6daa thought that followed. He remained blissfully 8dbfbbe15f unaware of the 8dec8a1e11 dark clouds looming 717af551b0 in, starkly contrasting be29b62af9 the bright, sunny ff3fef6e21 mood in his c95b1d4f20 heart.4e9eec6b55c2b73e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

3

The Miller family’s black fd7696f392 sheep is coming.be0995c4526694d4

The news spread fa335c0fde throughout the fire e37c84f30d station in half 0d0202b797 a day. Of course, the 73069739be reaction wasn’t positive. It was only e97371db97 natural. Everyone here had become d77aa9edc4 a firefighter after serious befa4bef3c consideration and going through 46097d478b a rigorous process, while c55afc1b68 someone was waltzing in 461f43e41a through family connections, outside 8485a368e6 of the recruitment period, e929129795 without even taking the 2413190fa3 most basic physical test.b848e6b18e8d0a42

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

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?c4e886c677ae4b09

Because of this, 096d55ab95 the firefighters in 656b865768 the training room 9e59acfd28 all had murderous 742a8ef5a7 looks on their 9e92b8376d faces. As if c473df8e6d they were b78fad7ae8 ready to dc94c05ad2 pounce on a6cdd8707a anyone who 2b7f4ee53c dared to 7fe2028f8a cross them. The fire chief, 3b9d16a253 with a cold a8082580a4 sweat running down e64548c908 his back under 62324a1622 their glares, forced b26fb8954b a smile and ca1f477d64 continued,31cc0bfc9f8ec43c

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Well, that’s how it 5312d5bca7 is, so just accept 339288c193 it. It’s only for 8bb87da299 a year. Think of it 31ffe701ac as another form bbc49d658a of service to 1718142951 the community. Miller’s a citizen e01598907a too, a very d22219f89d high-tax-paying one at 5ce4695936 that. Right?”54b15df6a0975666

He added 9404dc229a the last 96f2827785 words as 6cfc486cf1 if seeking de47347c53 for agreement, db88bad271 but the f276a756de response he e99292d7af received was 93d402bd8b cold.78b9cf2073576a15

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“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?”b0af5e1a5650036c

One of them 4f87b464b5 raised his hand 472eca4330 and asked a 544b481b85 question, his tone 194bb5fac9 clearly laced with b1dfc22243 sarcasm. The fire c4436eaec3 chief exactly d1efc2fb61 know what d7d75fee78 he was d126e3989a implying, but 54691ad5b4 he suppressed 273ca1a54b his irritation 322fa47dad and responded cfdb13b23a in a 1912ad88e5 gentler tone,749a23a9f58d01cc

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Just think of cfc331827e it as a 3eda7f8c65 new volunteer firefighter 003ad00f51 joining us. Well, you could also 327edba21c think of it as 63f10f1bd1 a part-time job if aa34c86fa9 that makes it easier.”8ec9e83e2f8a953e

Of course, no 0163595896 one bought the 6b002fdd96 chief’s excuse. Not even for regular 72ee26b314 firefighters, but fire scenes 8b81b923cd were always life-or-death situations, f247e896e2 so being a volunteer 2ff35add79 firefighter was also a c9cc5cf13c job not to be 3dd094b9ad taken lightly. They too underwent b3adb62259 rigorous training, comparable 4779ad14f5 to full-time firefighters, 44ad3c7c7d held positions here 67dbc58409 with a sense 045fab29f6 of duty and 0d8f547dcd responsibility. a6600840f8b2742d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Faced with the f888e1d72c chilling silence showing ed8d6d61af no signs of a5e15fe36a thawing no matter da13cd00fb what he did, 3ad5eda2df the fire chief 50101479a2 gave an awkward 941715d553 laugh and quickly 24e82e111a changed the subject.094096d49a139b2b

“So, we’ve decided to c5fb2517a6 throw a fun welcome 9e383aecdc party for Miller on 75132d7140 the day he arrives. Let’s all have a e8cfc464ed drink and get to 80197c3a15 know each other, alright? I’m sure we’ll 7bb624edf2 become friends quickly aa419b6a66 if we eat a3574f3f12 and drink together. Ah, I hear that 3e1131b194 Extreme Alphas don’t get 25958b5a54 drunk… but if we 4d38c3e62f pour enough down his cc69d3e474 throat, it’ll work, haha! Make sure 1beddf4ccb you all 27fb35b881 attend, understand? Everyone!”a94eb174144d981e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

A fun e3bf6913f0 welcome party, f06209b0e2 my ass. No one 8325664de1 responded, but c9620b4065 the chief ed5e845a10 repeated his aedddff586 request, told eb681eec8c them the d35251dfd9 name of e6c19244ba the bar 74d13be055 they usually 6a33beddb5 went to, ef134d627f and quickly b4a3ec99cc excused himself 23afde7831 if fleeing 70582c3ad9 the scene.b5b6cb5fa34dfbb8

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.a38f884033e81c3d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Does this make any 14c129610c sense? He’s not even f7523ff144 a regular hire, 6ae527370a he’s just waltzing a2bb5455db in without a 8bea7d4859 single physical test?”1fe1a22d706e519e

The man sitting on c6379f25c4 the bench press bench 25e665dfa0 sprang to his feet 8b61d9abeb as he exploded in 41c41bd0b9 frustration. Following suit, a chorus be956736a3 of complaints erupted from 13bf27472e all directions.13b69e4f2265e518

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Of course it a2375a9c43 doesn’t make sense! This isn’t e40f2ecb01 fair, it 369528efa9 goes against 77c5f6798c every principle 0ebfc4aa4d of equality!”6a2881ed10bbec6e

“That arrogant bastard, he probably hasn’t even taken the firefighter qualification exam.”f284496c4e774ea2

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Everyone should be given an equal opportunity, this is cheating. Just like you’d expect from a despicable family of lawyers.”549538f6774dac72

“This is 050ecb5665 the third dbb98722af damn generation 3923ca539e of them! That damn Miller fac5e1bc81 Law Firm!”2159f89504d2582f

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Even if a 975bf18a92 Miller becomes president, 8ab1f6355e they can’t just bb05b2053b do whatever they 697be88639 want. This is America!”63e3f544bcf3c745

“A Miller isn’t president, they’re just lawyers, at best!”e99426b945b3f0a1

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“A senator, though, with the Miller Law Firm backing them!”2a8671b7784562c8

The outpouring of ecaa2d9066 complaints gradually subsided, a78c20106f and silence eventually a2637a7c7c returned. Yes, this 66311f677d was America. A country 28d91382c7 where everything 39f3310a4e was possible c9b0537082 with enough 6aa6b2582d money. And if you a9d8164f40 were part of f30309fa23 a law firm 1ed7686c6c that had reigned 24943b7c4b as the most 86b048f40d powerful in North 19bd0164a5 America for three 643ed58223 generations, was there f1c98f3596 anything truly out f2a1cb2ca0 of reach?88d3a15a8fd43b3c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Not to facebc37ce mention, with 5d8fb8b76c the Miller f2c8dfb0a2 family now b747789eab making its 2baf037c75 way into ce9774bd52 politics, America ee059485b6 was practically 0810e6c5f6 in the 502e7adb4b palm of a7d7d3c3b2 their hands.9832116c192f4c21