Chapter 1306 The Chen Family Regrets

• At first, Osmond thought Mr. Lestrange would make a wild demand and force him to help unconditionally. Turned out he was overthinking it. Mr. Lestrange’s ask couldn’t be simpler. It was easy for him to pull off, left no trace, no leverage, and wouldn’t alert Aiden’s people. The request even made Osmond feel a little embarrassed. “You could ask for more, you know.” Osmond hesitated, then said it. His entourage all wore stunned looks. They’d thought Osmond would never agree, yet not only did he agree, he even offered to give more. Mr. Lestrange shook his head with a smile. “No need, Commander Osmond. As long as you get me back into the troop, I’m already perfectly content. I can’t pile trouble on you either. Don’t want to put you in a tight spot. If Aiden finds out you helped me, he might come after you.” “Like hell I’d be scared of Aiden!” Osmond waved a hand, bold as brass. But Mr. Lestrange stuck to his call. He didn’t want to make things harder for Osmond. After all, the man before him was one of the very few he truly admired. Ten minutes later, Mr. Lestrange left with Paul. He had Osmond’s handwritten letter in hand. With it, he could head to the borderlands of the the Norton family and take command of a unit under Osmond’s banner. That unit would be Mr. Lestrange’s springboard back into the military, the first step of his comeback—and the opening move of his payback against Aiden. For now, though, he couldn’t set out for the the Norton family’s border. Things in Fairlake still weren’t wrapped up, so he had to stall a bit. “This is great, Commander. With Commander Osmond’s handwritten letter, we can really spread our wings down in the the Norton family’s region!” Paul said, fired up. Sure, Osmond had given Mr. Lestrange only a three-thousand-strong unit. On paper, that looked thin. But Paul wasn’t the least bit disappointed. He was full of faith in what was ahead. Back then, Paul started as a lowly grunt. When he first followed Mr. Lestrange, the man was still a nobody. He’d watched with his own eyes as Mr. Lestrange shot up in no time to become a Nine-Star Commander—the youngest high-ranking officer in Chanaea—and even the Nation’s Commander. Now, Mr. Lestrange was stepping back in with three thousand men. That starting point crushed what they had before. With Mr. Lestrange’s chops, Paul didn’t see any way he’d lose. “Commander Osmond just did us a huge favor. We owe him big for this one…” Mr. Lestrange looked down at the handwritten letter and spoke quietly. “Commander Osmond’s got high hopes for you. Commander, you’re someone he recognizes.” Paul said it with weight. When they got back to Lillian and Lacey Lind, Mr. Lestrange was in great spirits, a big smile on his face. Seeing him so happy, the two women knew that his and Paul’s meeting with that mysterious figure hadn’t gone badly. They finally relaxed. Dusk deepened. Mr. Lestrange and Paul didn’t linger in the martyrs’ cemetery—there were kids with them, and once it got truly dark, getting them out would be a mess. So the two men and Lillian and Lacey Lind took all the children back to the orphanage. Night fell over the Chen family’s rear garden. Chen Weifeng, head of the Chen family, cradled a coffee pot, beaming as he poured the middle-aged man across from him another cup of water. That man was none other than Osmond, whom Mr. Lestrange had met earlier that day. “I went to the Fairlake Martyrs’ Cemetery. Saw many of my old subordinates, old comrades… Time flies. In the blink of an eye, I’ve been in uniform for over twenty years,” Osmond said with an easy chuckle, lifting his cup. Chen Weifeng nodded and agreed along. After a few pleasantries, he carefully ventured, “Commander Osmond, since you’re here in Fairlake, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” “Who?” Osmond looked puzzled. Smiling, Chen Weifeng said, “His name is Mr. Lestrange. He’s the foster son of Grady Lemar. He’s pretty capable. As soon as he reached Fairlake, he set up Lestrange Group and crushed the local giant Yilin Group. He’s been outmuscling everyone, forcing all the major families here to step aside for him…” Chen Weifeng talked on and on, not noticing how odd Osmond’s expression had turned. “He’s young but strong, with real drive and ambition. I think he’s worth your time.” He stopped there and fixed a burning look on Osmond, waiting for an answer. If Osmond agreed, then Chen Weifeng would’ve done Mr. Lestrange a huge favor—and all the bad blood between the Chen family and Mr. Lestrange could be wiped clean. What he didn’t expect was for Osmond to burst out laughing. “This Mr. Lestrange you’re talking about—does he have a man named Paul under him?” Osmond asked, still grinning. “Yes. How do you know… Don’t tell me you’ve already met him?” As the Chen family head, Chen Weifeng was sharp. Osmond hadn’t said it yet, but he’d already guessed. “I have. Today at the cemetery, I saw him taking a bunch of kids to pay respects, so I went over and chatted,” Osmond said with a nod. Chen Weifeng’s face went dark. Osmond continued, “I also gave him a little help. I’m guessing he’ll be leaving Fairlake soon.” Chen Weifeng’s expression got even uglier. “Since you’ve already met him, Commander Osmond… just pretend I didn’t say anything. Heh…” He was dying of embarrassment. Half an hour later, Osmond left. The moment he stepped out the Chen family’s front gate, Chen Weifeng called in his younger son, Chen Jiayao, and snapped, anxious, “Move! Get the car! We’re going to the orphanage now!” “Now? It’s almost ten…” “Cut the crap!” Chen Weifeng nearly kicked him, trying to vent the anger and panic boiling in his gut. Osmond had already met Mr. Lestrange—and even helped him. That meant the Chen family was officially out of the picture. With Osmond’s backing in his pocket, Mr. Lestrange’s rise would be unstoppable. If they didn’t mend fences now, once he left Fairlake, there’d be no second chance. The last thing Chen Weifeng wanted was to make a terrifying enemy for the Chen family because of his own screwup. A silver-gray, latest-model BMW shot out of the Chen compound and sped toward the orphanage. In the passenger seat, regret surged in Chen Weifeng’s chest. He couldn’t help muttering to himself, “How did I miss it? How did I not see Mr. Lestrange had that much pull? Was he just playing dumb to sucker me?” “Dad, don’t stress too much…” “Osmond was supposed to be my trump card. Now the card’s gone, and you think I shouldn’t stress?” He couldn’t hold it back anymore. He raised his hand and smacked Chen Jiayao on the head.