Chapter 15: Linley

"Wipe the drool off your mouth first, you bastard," the man called Old Lin said to Troy with exasperation. "Why would you even drool whenever you see someone beautiful?"

Meekly wiping off the drools that were truly dripping from his mouth, Troy was about to retort with something vulgar when he noticed the person standing next to Old Lin.

"Don't act like an inn–Oh, Auntie is actually with you. I didn't expect that. Auntie still looks like a young woman even after all this year. You still look beautiful," Troy flattered.

"Just shut your trap, Troy."

Shawn put a stop to Troy's mischief, and approached Old Lin. He hugged the man while patting his back repeatedly.

"Long time no see. It's good to see you again after all this year," Shawn said.

Old Lin hugged him back, returning his pats. It's been a few years since he last saw this friend of his.

"Long time no see, too. All of us are wondering where you've been all these years. To think that you would actually be with Troy! That bastard hasn't mentioned anything about that. I'll definitely beat the shit out of him later," Old Lin said, not forgetting to throw a threat in Troy's way.

"Fuck off. I also just met this rascal today. He actually lives nearby and didn't think of telling me that. If you want to beat up someone, then Shawn should be your target," Troy resentfully said, feeling indignant about the sudden accusation.

Shawn and Old Lin just laughed it off, bullying Troy has become the norm for them.

"What made you come to Harper Town with your mother? Is there some business you need to take care of here? Do you need our help?" Shawn continued their conversation, offering their help.

Old Lin's expression turned serious. "Well, to tell you the truth, we're here to look for Mrs. Fritz. My mother's old wounds are acting up while I need to take a trip somewhere. I plan to make some money in order to alleviate my mother's pain completely."

After that, he pointed his chin at Lily's mother, who was still comforting Lily, trying to soothe the young girl.

"My mother used to take care of Mrs. Fritz a few years ago, and after I contacted her, she agreed to help me take care of her. Mrs. Frits is also a nurse, so I thought that she could definitely look after my mother. We agreed to meet here at Harper Town, and then, boom, this Origin Source or whatever arrived, leaving us stranded here."

At the end of his sentence, Old Lin looked helpless; he was obviously caught off guard by this sudden apocalypse, which threw all of his plans out the window.

Shawn squinted slightly but simply moved on, and continued talking to Old Lin and his mother.

Old Lin, or rather, Linley Thorne, is a friend of Shawn and Troy. There are a total of six people in their clique, with Linley being the oldest. He wasn't any different from the two, as he also had a rough experience growing up.

In fact, most of them have encountered different hardships in their lives. Well, aside from one, the youngest one in their group had a poor upbringing.

Unlike Shawn and Troy, Linley wasn't an orphan and had his parents with him. His father, however, died when he was eight years old, which saddened his mother so much that she almost committed suicide.

Unable to raise him alone, his mother had no choice but to head to her older brother and ask for help. Initially, there's no problem with them living aside with her brother. That man has a beautiful woman as his wife and a successful business. He's living the life most people can only dream of. They lived with him for another five years before their misfortune began.

The change happened when the business of his uncle hit a slump and then started to decline drastically. Within a few months, his successful business collapsed, leaving the man with only a pregnant, beautiful woman. Only to find out that his wife cheated on him and the child wasn't his. Both of them got divorced and went their separate ways.

His uncle, who used to be successful in life, transformed into a drunkard and used alcohol and drugs as an escape. He made a habit of beating up Linley and his mother whenever he lost his temper. He insulted them many times, calling them a burden, the bringer of bad luck in his life, and suchlike.

The beatings grew from bad to worse, sometimes leaving his mother unable to move, which he would then transferred to Linley. In addition to her husband passing away recently, her mother was enduring such torment so as to raise her son.

This goes on for another two years before Linley is able to earn enough money to finally get out of that damn house.

He forced himself to find jobs even as a young kid in order to get rid of his rotten and damnable uncle. That's also the period of time when he first met Shawn at one of his jobs.

Back then, they were the same age as Lily now, yet they were already toiling away just to eke out a living and survive.

Despite escaping the clutches of his abusive uncle, Linley's mother bore the physical and emotional scars of the misery they experienced. Her body was weakened by the years of abuse, with bruises marring her skin and bones weakened from repeated trauma.

Her once-vibrant spirit was dampened by the weight of her suffering, and she struggled with chronic pain and injuries that never fully healed.

Her physical and emotional pain might have gotten better over the years, but it still hadn't disappeared completely.

Fortunately, Linley was with his mother throughout all those years, supporting her with everything he had.

For him to support his mother's treatment, he even entered the business of the underworld, dealing with drugs, gangs, and criminals.

One of his primary endeavors involved drug trafficking, wherein he became embroiled in the distribution and sale of narcotics in the city they used to live in.

He did quit eventually, when his mother had gotten a lot better. Linley severed all ties with his former associates and partners, choosing to live in a more remote and peaceful place. His mother, recognizing the sacrifices he had made, supported his decision wholeheartedly.

In spite of all that, it seems he wants to do it again just to help his mother remove her pain completely.

Shawn, Troy, and Linley continued their conversation, reminiscing about old times and catching up on their lives. As they got older, they became more busy and less available, focusing more on their lives. Their clique contacted each other less and less, but their bond still remained strong.

Linley's mother, Vivian, looked at them with gentle eyes as these trios bantered with one another. Noticing this, Troy drew nearer to her and started conversing with her.

"It's been a long time, Aunt Vivian. I missed your cooking very much. It's been several years since I tasted a dish made with your hands," he said. His cravings can be felt from his words, with drool even leaving out of his mouth.

Food and women are really Troy's weaknesses.

Aunt Vivian chuckled lightly, her wrinkles becoming more pronounced. "Well, hello, young Sterling. I see that you haven't changed that much. I'll try my best to cook you a meal if we have the chance. It's just that I'm getting older now, so the dishes that I make might not taste the same as before."

Troy grinned happily after hearing her reply and said, "That's wonderful! But you really should stop calling me by my surname. It sounds really awkward to me. Besides, Aunt Vivian should just be in her 50s, right? I know some women who are still hooked on men even at that age."

Laughing lightly, Aunt Vivian just hit him softly in the shoulder and chided him. "I'm way past that age, Troy. I would just like to remain in bed and sleep peacefully."

The two of them keep talking with each other, sharing a laugh or two. Troy didn't have a mother growing up, so he used to go to Linley's house to eat with them. He really likes and respects the caring mother of his friend.

Shawn, seeing this, motioned for Linley to go with him outside and talk. Discerning his motive, Linley gestured to his mother that he'd talk with Shawn, to which she just nodded.

After going outside, they stop at the door and begin their chat there.

Shawn started it with a barrage of questions. "You planning to go back on doing those illegal shits? You know you don't have to do this alone, right? Did you ever think for a second what would happen if you got caught? I mean, what about your mother?"

Sighing, Linley took out two cigarettes, placed one in his mouth, and gave Shawn the other.

Shawn waited for Linley to take out the lighter and ignite his cigarette. Linley didn't take out a lighter, though, and just pointed his index finger at the tip of his cigarette.

Suddenly, a fire came from Linley's index finger. With that, smoke started to rise as the cigarette was successfully ignited. Linley also lit up his own.

"Yeah, I intend to go back. Although, I know you guys will try your best to help me. I just can't bring myself to take your time and disrupt your lives. We're starting to settle down with our own lives, so I just thought that I shouldn't bother you all," Linley said with a sigh, exhaling some smoke.

Sending smoke into the air, Shawn replied, "And you thought of dealing with drugs again? What a fucking idiot."

Linley burst out laughing, forgetting that he's still smoking. This resulted in him coughing repeatedly.

"Cough, cough. I'm an idiot, indeed."

Shawn just shakes his head and continues smoking. After a few puffs, he remembered something.

"Sister Heather will definitely kill you if she finds out about this, haha," Shawn said as he rejoiced at the possible misfortune that may befall his friend.

This sent a shiver down Linley's spine, forcing him to get up and blurting out the words, "Don't fucking tell her, you rascal!"

Shawn didn't give him his word, however.

"This black-hearted bastard," he can only mutter in his breath, afraid that Shawn will tell on him.

"Oh wow, that's quite a good laugh. Anyway, looking back on what you did earlier, take a look at this thing. This item might give you a slight comfort," Shawn said smilingly, as he took out an ancient-looking scroll and offered it to Linley.