Chapter 213: Never underestimate the power of three determined women

[Outside the Bakery]

"I’m sure Clara has learned her lesson by now," Dorothy muttered, exchanging a wicked smile with Kevin.

She was thoroughly enjoying her supposed victory when the bakery’s door suddenly burst open.

To her astonishment, the burly men came rushing out, practically dragging their leader along with them.

"..."

"HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?" Silvia shouted from the doorway.

The men, now covered from head to toe in flour, stumbled over one another as they fled. One nearly lost his shoe, but none dared to look back.

"Hmph! Finally got a taste of their own medicine!" Silvia declared, proudly dusting her palms before disappearing inside.

Meanwhile, Dorothy and Kevin stood frozen.

"W-what on earth just happened?" Dorothy exclaimed, removing her sunglasses. "Where are those idiots running?"

Kevin was equally dumbfounded.

He had been confident that his men would frighten the women into abandoning the bakery. Instead, the very men who looked capable of terrifying anyone had fled like frightened mice.

"Let me check," he muttered, hurriedly pulling out his phone.

The moment his call connected, he exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? Why did you all run away? And why were your faces covered in flour?"

On the other end, the leader was still struggling to catch his breath.

"Sir! Those women are completely insane!"

Kevin’s expression darkened.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"They attacked us with flour!"

"FLOUR?" Kevin repeated incredulously.

Dorothy turned toward him.

"Did he just say flour?"

Kevin gritted his teeth.

"You’re telling me six grown men ran away because three women threw flour at you?"

"Sir, that’s not the problem! They recorded everything and sent the video to Officer Ethan!"

Kevin’s face instantly drained of color.

"WHAT?"

Dorothy’s smug smile vanished.

"Kevin? What happened?"

Kevin slowly lowered his phone, suddenly realizing that his supposedly foolproof plan had gone horribly wrong.

"You useless fools! You couldn’t even handle three women?" Kevin snapped, his face turning red with anger.

He couldn’t understand why they were panicking over something so trivial. It wasn’t as though they had never been detained before. Why were they suddenly terrified of the police?

"Boss, you have to help us!" the leader pleaded. "We can’t afford to go to jail!"

Kevin clenched his jaw.

If the women had truly recorded everything and sent the footage to Officer Ethan, there was a good chance the police were already on their way.

He needed to act quickly.

"Enough! Stop whining and let me think," he barked. "And listen carefully. Even if the police catch you, don’t you dare mention my name. Understood?"

"Y-yes, Boss."

"Keep your mouths shut. I’ll figure something out."

Kevin abruptly ended the call.

Dorothy, who had been watching him closely, immediately noticed the change in his expression. A terrible feeling settled in her stomach.

"What happened?" she demanded. "What did those idiots say?"

Kevin exhaled sharply, rubbing his forehead.

"Those women recorded everything. Apparently, they’ve already sent the footage to Officer Ethan. My men are convinced the police will arrive any minute."

Dorothy went rigid.

"What?" she whispered, her face paling.

Then panic flashed across her eyes.

"Kevin, you have to do something! What if those men get arrested and start talking?"

"I’ve already warned them to keep their mouths shut."

"And you think that’s enough?" Dorothy snapped. "What if they mention my name?"

Kevin glanced at her irritably.

"Panicking won’t solve anything, Mrs. Hayes."

Dorothy gripped her handbag tightly.

She had trusted Kevin to handle everything discreetly. Now, with Vincent already under investigation and the family’s accounts frozen, another scandal could destroy whatever remained of the Hayes family’s reputation.

"Listen to me carefully, Kevin," she said, lowering her voice. "Whatever happens, this must never lead back to me."

Kevin glanced at Dorothy before a confident smirk spread across his lips.

"Don’t worry, Mrs. Hayes. We’re not losing this one."

Dorothy narrowed her eyes, unconvinced.

"And how exactly do you plan to fix this mess? Your men just ran away from three girls covered in flour!"

Kevin’s smile faltered for a moment.

"Must you keep reminding me of that?"

"Then give me a reason not to!"

Kevin straightened his jacket, his expression turning sinister.

"Did you really think I’d come here without a backup plan?"

Dorothy studied him suspiciously.

"What backup plan?"

"Let’s just say those girls celebrated their victory a little too early." Kevin voiced.

He had anticipated the possibility of his men failing. And now that Dorothy was beginning to question his abilities, it was time to play his final card.

This time, he intended to make sure the women had no chance of fighting back.

Kevin pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The call connected almost immediately.

"It’s time," he said coldly.

"Understood, sir," came the response.

Kevin ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket, his eyes gleaming maliciously as he stared at the bakery.

Dorothy frowned. "What have you done?"

Kevin merely smiled. "Something they won’t see coming," and darted his eyes towards the bakery.

Meanwhile, inside the bakery, Lily stood with her hands on her hips, looking exceptionally proud of herself.

"See? I told you my plan would work! Did you see how fast those idiots ran?"

She was practically glowing with triumph, and neither Silvia nor Gen could deny that her ridiculous plan had somehow worked.

"Congratulations," Silvia said dryly. "You’ve officially discovered that six grown men are terrified of flour and a police officer."

Lily grinned. "Excuse me! That was strategy, intelligence, and excellent teamwork!"

Gen chuckled.

"And a little bit of luck."

"A little?" Silvia raised an eyebrow. "One of them nearly cried because he thought his girlfriend would marry someone else!"

The three women burst into laughter.

Lily wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.

"Poor fellow! Imagine telling your future children that you lost a fight against three bakers!"

"Assuming he gets married first," Gen added mischievously.

That sent them into another fit of laughter.

Silvia glanced around the wrecked bakery and sighed.

"Well, at least we managed to chase them away."

Lily proudly raised her chin.

"Obviously! Never underestimate the power of three determined women!"

Gen smiled. "Especially when one of them is armed with a rolling pin."

"Hey!" Silvia protested. "I didn’t even get to use it!"

The three of them burst into laughter only for the next second to stop when a loud sound from outside caught their eyes.