Chapter 15
Olivia put her phone down, gazed at the sky, and murmured, “The Evans family has really crossed the line.”
News of the Evans family getting blacklisted spread through Hillarica like wildfire. All the major families in the city were gearing up to take them down. After crossing the Shadow Syndicate, the Evanses were basically toast.
Lucas was absolutely thrilled. He shot Olivia a message right away: [Boss, you’re a genius! The Evans family’s always been bad news. Finally, we’re going after them. I’ll go dig up some dirt on them.]
Olivia didn’t reply. She turned off her phone, slipped it into her pocket, and walked back inside.
Nina wasn’t crying anymore. She was chatting and laughing with her grandma, the two of them looking so close and happy together. Seeing this, Olivia felt her heart melt a little. She couldn’t help but think of her own days with Grace.
Olivia slipped a note into Nina’s hand and said softly, “If you ever find yourself with nowhere to go, just come find me.” With that, she turned and walked away.
Nina unfolded the note. It said: 22 Willow Lane.
She would never imagine that the ordinary–looking girl walking away was none other than the mysterious Phantom Healer.
Meanwhile, Henry was sitting at the breakfast table, sipping his coffee and chatting with Cheryl, when a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Just then, Nathan burst in, stumbling over himself. “Dad, something’s wrong. Seriously wrong!”
“Calm down and speak clearly,” Henry snapped. “What’s the rush? Cheryl’s right here.”
Cheryl gave an awkward smile.
Nathan finally managed to calm himself down, walked over to Henry, and said in a strained voice, “Shadow Syndicate… they’re shutting us out. Every single industry, Dad. We’re finished.”
“What did you just say?” Henry shot to his feet, his cup crashing to the floor. He snatched Nathan’s phone, frantically scrolling through the messages again and again. It was real–the blacklist order came straight from Shadow Syndicate’s top boss.
“No way. This can’t be real,” Henry stammered, slumping into his chair, his face pale with shock. “We never did anything to piss off Shadow Syndicate. How is this even possible?”
Cheryi blinked in confusion. “Shadow Syndicate? What’s that?”
Henry was in no state to answer her–he could barely keep himself together.
Nathan noticed how awkward Cheryl felt and quickly explained, “Shadow Syndicate is a secret network that only industry leaders know about. It’s packed with big shots, and each division handles something different, selling everything from intel to rare medicines to secret recipes.”
The Evans family became Hillarica’s top medical group, thanks mostly to the info and rare meds they got from the Shadow Syndicate. Honestly, without Shadow Syndicate, the Evans family would be nothing like they were today.
Most people had no idea about any of this. But now, with the boss of Shadow Syndicate personally handing down the blacklist, the Evans family was doomed.
Suddenly, Henry thought of the broke student who read his fortune yesterday. ‘Could it be her?‘ he wondered. But he quickly dismissed the idea. No way. She couldn’t possibly take down the whole Evans family. I must be getting old, coming up with wild ideas like this
Why? Why is this happening? Henry wondered, utterly lost.
“Grandpa Henry, Cheryl said, noticing how grim they both looked. She stepped up to comfort them “The Evans family has been in Hillarica for decades. So what if some underground group wants to blacklist you? It’s really not a big deal”
Nathan gave an awkward simile. He wanted to tell her she had no idea what she was talking about, but kept quiet so he wouldn’t embarrass her.
He thought. Shadow Syndicate shot to the top of the world in just a few years–the power behind it is off the charts And she thinks it’s
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