Chapter 185: Let Find Ourself A Ranch

“Yeah, I do,” I said calmly, setting my tailored tuxedo jacket right on the counter. “It’s all yours.”

The old man stared at the rich, obsidian silk-velvet like he was looking at alien technology. He reached out a trembling hand, touched the fabric, and immediately realized it was worth a fortune.

“Well… sure,” the old man stammered, his eyes wide. “I’ll take that trade!”

Ruby sighed, letting go of the garment bag containing her massive purple gown and placing it next to my jacket. “Well,” she muttered, a small, amused smile tugging at her lips, “at least I don’t have to lug a heavy ballgown around the countryside. But Ethan… we still don’t have a single dollar of cash for food or a place to stay.”

She was right. Walking around with no paper trail meant we needed real money in hand.

I unclasped Mia’s bespoke timepiece from my wrist and set it down on the glass counter right beside the clothes. The exposed internal movement gleamed under the shop’s dim bulbs.

“How much cash do you have in your register and vault right now?” I asked smoothly. “Because I’m going to need all of it for this.”

The old man’s eyes almost bulged right out of his head. He dropped his newspaper, pushed his thick glasses high up onto his forehead, and leaned in until his nose was practically touching the crystal casing.

“Holy sweet Lord…” the old man gasped, his jaw hitting the counter. “Son… what kind of watch is this?!”

The old man leaned over the glass counter, crooking a finger at me. “Come closer,” he muttered under his breath.

I leaned in.

“Look, son,” he whispered into my ear, his eyes darting toward the front door before locking onto mine with genuine concern. “If you stole this thing from a museum or a billionaire, just be honest with me. I won’t judge, and I won’t call the law. Just tell me what’s going on.”

I burst into a genuine, rolling laugh, leaning back. “It belongs to me, old man.”

I reached into my pocket, slid out my sleek platinum black card, and let the metallic edge flash under the dim shop lights right in front of his face.

“I just don’t feel like using a bank tonight,” I said with a smooth, knowing smirk. “And if anyone comes around asking where you got a watch or a dress like that… you tell them we were heading south. Got it?”

The old man looked at the platinum black card, then back at the exposed, gleaming mechanics of Mia’s watch. A nervous, giddy sweat broke out on his forehead.

“South… right. You went south,” he repeated quickly, nodding like a man who knew better than to ask another question.

He bent down behind the counter, dragged out a metal cash box from under the shelf, and dumped every single thick stack of paper bills straight into a plain canvas bag.

“Take it all,” he muttered, shoving the heavy bag across the counter to me. “I don’t even care what south means. Safe travels, kid.”

I grabbed the bag of cash, offered my arm to Ruby in her new floral sundress, and walked out the door into the quiet countryside night—leaving behind a fortune on the counter and a trail pointing in the exact opposite direction.

We walked hand in hand down the quiet, unpaved road, leaving the small shop far behind us. The cool night air carried the earthy scent of wild grass and pine, replacing the heavy smog of the city. On either side of the dirt track, sprawling ranches stretched into the dark, framed by split-rail wooden fences and scattered log cabins nestled under a vast sky full of stars.

Ruby took a deep breath, her simple cotton sundress swaying softly in the night breeze. She let out a long, peaceful sigh, her fingers lacing tighter through mine.

“God, it’s so quiet out here, Ethan,” she whispered, looking up at the dark horizon. “No sirens, no flashing lights… just the crickets.”

“And no paper trail,” I added softly, squeezing her hand. “Now we just need to find a place to crash for the night.”

We kept walking deeper into the countryside until we spotted a small wooden sign hanging near a stone archway: WHISPERING PINES CABINS & RANCH – VACANCY.

A few hundred yards past the gate sat a warm, rustic main lodge with yellow light spilling out from its porch windows, surrounded by a handful of cozy, secluded cabins tucked away in the trees.

Ruby smiled, turning to me with a tired but happy glow in her eyes. “Think they take cash from two runaway strangers?”

“With the bag of money we’re carrying?” I smirked, leading her up the wooden steps toward the front door. “They’ll give us the best cabin on the ranch.”

We walked hand in hand down the quiet, unpaved road, leaving the small shop far behind us. The cool night air carried the earthy scent of wild grass and pine, replacing the heavy smog of the city. On either side of the dirt track, sprawling ranches stretched into the dark, framed by split-rail wooden fences and scattered log cabins nestled under a vast sky full of stars.

Ruby took a deep breath, her simple cotton sundress swaying softly in the night breeze. She let out a long, peaceful sigh, her fingers lacing tighter through mine.

“God, it’s so quiet out here, Ethan,” she whispered, looking up at the dark horizon. “No sirens, no flashing lights… just the crickets.”

“And no paper trail,” I added softly, squeezing her hand. “Now we just need to find a place to crash for the night.”

We kept walking deeper into the countryside until we spotted a small wooden sign hanging near a stone archway: WHISPERING PINES CABINS & RANCH – VACANCY.

A few hundred yards past the gate sat a warm, rustic main lodge with yellow light spilling out from its porch windows, surrounded by a handful of cozy, secluded cabins tucked away in the trees.

Ruby smiled, turning to me with a tired but happy glow in her eyes. “Think they take cash from two runaway strangers?” ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“With the bag of money we’re carrying?” I smirked, leading her up the wooden steps toward the front door. “They’ll give us the best cabin on the ranch.”

Power Ranking Weekly #10

Oct 13, 00:05 – Oct 18, 22:00

Mass release 50 chapters

Power Ranking Weekly #10

Oct 13, 07:05 – Oct 19, 05:00

Mass release 50 chapters