Goodbye, My Love

Loraine’s speech left Judie Looking pallid while the villagers broke into excited chatter. Some exclaimed, “Refuse help? Why would we reject such a benefit? We had no idea someone wanted to fix our roads!”

Shouldn’t Be The Case

Loraine furrowed her brow at the revelation and said decisively, “That shouldn’t be the case. I personally contacted the village chief multiple times before, and he informed me that everyone disagreed with the idea of road construction, so I didn’t pursue it.”

Could it be that the village chief never consulted anyone else?

The thought struck Loraine, and she immediately searched for the village chief’s figure. The villagers also turned their gazes toward him simultaneously.

The village chief was a tall, thin, middle-aged man. As Loraine broached the subject of road construction, he became visibly anxious, wiping the sweat off his face repeatedly.

The more she spoke, the more uneasy he appeared. When he wanted to flee, the villagers locked their gazes on him, immobilizing him.

Caught in a quandary, he forced a smile, his nervous hands wiping away the sweat, his eyebrows creased with tension.

When Loraine’s representatives approached him, proposing to construct roads for the village, he was naturally overjoyed. But once Judie learned of it, she pressured him into rejecting the offer.

How could he, a mere village chief, withstand the influence of the

Cooper family, known for their wealth and dominance in the village?

Enticed by the substantial benefits promised by the Cooper family, he began to obey as they commanded.

He never expected Loraine would expose the matter before so many people!

A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y

The intense scrutiny of the crowd seemed to penetrate him. Fearful of stirring up trouble, he thought about blaming the Cooper family, but the moment his eyes met Judie’s, he sensed her malicious intent.

His heart pounded, sweat cascaded down his face. He was unsure how much assistance Loraine could provide, but he knew he couldn’t afford to antagonize the Cooper family!

Fortuitously, he devised a cunning explanation. Clearing his throat, he spoke earnestly.

“Loraine, you were so young when you left that I barely recognized you. Besides, you’ve been absent for so Long, and you never even returned. We were no longer familiar, so I assumed the call was a scam and disregarded it.”

Judie’s face broke into a satisfied grin as she quickly chimed in,

“Exactly! Moreover, even if you wish to build the roads, wouldn’t the orphanage still need to be demolished? What’s the point of your idea?

Without the rural tourism, even if you build roads, what difference does it make? The villagers will still be stranded, remaining just as impoverished.”

Soon, Judie’s shrewd arguments swayed the crowd, and they unconsciously nodded along. “Yes, even if the roads are well built, we still won’t be able to make money without rural tourism,” they concurred.

Judie felt triumphant and elaborated, “That’s why the priority is to demolish the orphanage and build the rural tourism attraction! Once the rural tourism is thriving, you will naturally have money. And construction teams will help with road construction. This is the best solution for everyone!”

Some of the villagers, swayed by her persuasion, began to consider the idea of sacrificing the orphanage for their own benefit. They attempted to persuade Eloise, “Mrs. Harvey, for the greater good, why not make way for progress by relocating the orphanage? We can ensure that the children are well taken care of elsewhere. Our village desperately needs economic development, and we all want to improve our lives.”