Ch. 1691..1700

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1691-That was until an ignorant man came calling.

"I heard you're Ms. Lane's sugar baby," he said as soon as he entered. "How much is she paying you every month? I can give you five million dollars right now, but you have to leave her."

The man looked around his thirties, and his suit gave him the look of one of those successful city boys.

In contrast, Frank was wearing his loose pajamas as he sat in his garden, sipping tea and gaping at the man, speechless.

He had only allowed the man inside when the latter rang the doorbell, saying that he was from a major construction company in another city and partners with Lanecorp.

Frank was naturally stupefied that the man would immediately assert his authority as soon as he strode through the front door.

And seeing that Frank was stunned, he laughed coolly. "How about that? I guess dregs of society such as yourself would never have seen so much money!"

Looking smug just then, he waved for his secretary to bring his briefcase, opening it in front of Frank and revealing rolls of brand-new dollar bills.

"There's 1.5 million dollars in here, and here's a 3.5 million dollar check. You can cash it in at any bank owned by Pearce Group. Come to me if it doesn't clear."

His confidence left Frank laughing, waving him off. "Sir…"

"I'm Huub Droitner. You can call me Mr. Droitner."

Frank was at once annoyed at being interrupted and frowned.

"I don't care who you are," he said. "First of all, I don't know who told you that I'm Ms. Lane's sugar baby. Also, who do you think you are? Why should I leave her just because you said so?"

Pointing at the gates, he snapped, "Get out while I'm still being nice!"

"Get out?"

Huub narrowed his eyes coolly. "You're not satisfied with my price? Word of advice-you really should think about this and know your place, or you'll suffer terribly "You're telling me how to behave now too?"

QUMS Frank had actually thought Huub was agreeable when he first saw the man, but his behavior now left him thoroughly repulsed.

Snorting, he barked, "Someone get him out of here!"

Several security officers from Lanecorp's health and security department promptly hurried to the scene, scowling intimidatingly as they strode up in Huub's face.

"Fine. I guess you want to do this the hard way." Huub snorted and left with his briefcase and assistant.

One of the security officers even spat at Huub, "Hah! Who do you think you are, messing with our boss?!"

If he knew Huub was here to give Frank crap, he would not have let him through the front door!

"Frank…"

Helen's phone call arrived just as eline Huub was chased away. "Huub Droitner from Bralog is asking to see you. He's the heir to Droitner Inc. who's going to be a partner of Lanecorp, and he should be on his way. Please receive him in my stead." "He's already here." Frank snorted grumpily. "He called me a sugar baby as soon as he came in and demanded that I leave you, so I chased him away."

"What?"

Helen was obviously surprised and murmured, "But there must be a mistake. He seemed so polite and agreeable, which was why I was fine with him asking to see you.

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1692-"What?"

Helen was obviously surprised and murmured, "But there must be a mistake. Huub Droitner seemed so polite and agreeable, which was why I was fine with him asking to see you."

"Can't judge a book by its cover."

Frank chuckled. "You'd better watch out. I can see that he bears ill will."

"We're just business partners, and I was thinking about using his family's government connections. Since they mean to do harm, I'll just have to call it off."

Helen was determined, too-if Frank sensed an issue, she would not waste her breath.

However, after hanging up and Frank dismissed it as a brief interlude, the Southstream Lanes found themselves in trouble a few days later.

Gavin Lane, Helen's uncle, was supposed to return after a couple of days from a business trip, but it had been a week since he was last seen.

His family could not reach him and there was no sign of him in Zamri, and there was nothing suspicious about the people whom he met for business talks either.

They all testified that Gavin had left after their meeting-as to where, they had no idea.

Another couple of days had passed when the Lanes received a short and simple text from Gavin's number:

[Tell Frank Lawrence: It's the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom or the hostage.] "What's the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom?"

Roth Lane, who had come to Zamri looking for his father, was staring at Frank in confusion.

Frank scowled in turn.

Only Kornac's Keep, as well as the participants of their trial the other day, would have known about the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom. On top of that, none of them could have known that Yosil Darman had given Frank the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, as it was something they had agreed to in private.

And in Frank's mind, only one person was so obsessed and aware of its whereabouts-Horey Lindt of Cloudnine Sect.

And finding out how far she would take her obsession, Frank regretted sparing her that day.

Helen asked anxiously, "Frank, what's the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom?"

While Gavin was only her uncle, l Gavin had also shown her unreserved support, be it in recommending her as the head of the family or helping her with Lanecorp. That was why Helen wanted to save Gavin at all costs.

Frank frowned and explained, "It's… an herb."

"An herb?"

Both Helen and Roth breathed a sigh of relief right then.

And here they were wondering what the ransom was, but it was just an herb.

Moreover, Winter Lawrence was the current head of Zamri Hospital, a major medical facility-it just made this all the more easier!

Nheless, Frank continued, "You misunderstand. The Bloodcrane Spiritbloom is an extremely rare. herb. Forget Zamri Hospital-you won't find another in Draconia." Both Helena and Roth froze. "You mean…"

"Yeah."

swn Frank nodded. "Right now, I have the only one, and Gavin Lane's kidnapper wants it."

། Seeing the look on his face, Helen said tentatively, "Frank, it's rare… but it's just an herb. My uncle is in danger right now, so if we drag our wn feet…" "That's right, Mr. Lawrence."

Roth agreed anxiously. "I may be out of line, but I would like you to help save my father. I'll pay you however much you want!"

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1693-Despite Helen and Roth's pleading looks, Frank shook his head in refusal. "The origins of the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom is complicated. And I have use for it, so I won't give it up."

"What?"

Helen did a double take, especially when she saw Frank's determined expression.

It was the first time he refused her, and ever since she knew him, he never cared for worldly attachments.

He would definitely not hesitate to say yes in the past.

But today he did, and so decisively that it caused Helen's imagination to run wild.

"Frank! It's just an herb, isn't it?! Are you saying that the fertile soil of Draconia can't yield another?! Could you not be so stingy?! We just want that herb because it's an emergency!"

Gina Zonda, who had been listening to their conversation for a while, stood akimbo and snapped at Frank when she saw the troubled look on her daughter's face. "Gavin is the reason Helen became head of the family! What would the Southstream Lanes think of Helen if we don't save him?"

"Yes, Mr. Lawrence…"

Roth reasoned, holding back his anxiety, "We won't really give it to the kidnappers-we just need it as bait to ensure my father's safety."

"No." Frank refused once more, determined. "Anything else is up for discussion, but not the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom-even for use as bait. Nothing must happen to it under any circumstances."

Not only was the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom the embodiment of his mentor's hopes, but it was also proof that Yosil had kept his promise of twenty years. Frank would not give it up, even if he was not going to use it to improve up to Transcendent rank.

"It's just an herb, and you're acting like we're killing you! You're so stingy!"

Gina glowered at Frank's refusal.

"That's right, Frank." Helen quickly chimed in. "You're not using it for now anyway-we can use it to save Uncle Gavin, and I'll even go with you to search for it. Draconia is a huge place, so we'd definitely find another. I'm begging you, please?" "Mr. Lawrence…"

Frank took a deep breath despite Helen and Roth's simultaneous pleas and said quietly, "I'm sorry, but it holds a special meaning to myself. I really can't give it up."

His almost heartless refusal left Helen miffed, and she smacked her hand on the table. "How much do you want for it? I can buy it from you, can't I?"

However, Frank was left annoyed.

that she was throwing money at him again and waved her off. "Don't vent your frustrations at me, Helen. L won't sell it no matter how much you'd offer-it's simply something money can't buy." "Then what on earth do you want?!"

Helen's expression turned cool. "Do I matter less than an herb?"

She was really upset because Frank was being stubborn, even with her uncle's life on the line.

She actually felt disappointed-she and Frank had grown close, so why could he not be more considerate to her?

In fact, she was not entirely upset about the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom but from a feminine instinct that was especially sensitive toward emotional betrayal that left her dejected. After all, she turned down a partnership with Droitner Inc. just because Frank said that Huub Droitner had ulterior motives.

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1694-Despite Helen going that far for Frank, he refused to help even though her uncle's life was on the line, and it hurt.

It did make sense, however, with the many beauties hovering around Frank-even Helen was herself just one of them, and it would not hurt him to lose her.

Seeing her devastated reaction, Frank rubbed his brow in slight irritation. "Calm down. I said I'm not going to give the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to help."

"Help? How?"

Helen laughed miserably. "They have Uncle Gavin and would kill him at any moment, but you're refusing to give a single herb!"

"Can you stop being unreasonable?"

Frank retorted, "I'm telling you the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom means a lot to me, and it's not a question of money. I wouldn't even bat an eye if I had to give you anything else, but this is really impassive."

"Did you just say that I'm being unreasonable?!"

However, Helen was clearly insulted, and her temper flared as she turned her head aside. "Right, I'm unreasonable! You have so many others that you wouldn't even miss me! I'll do something about this myself!"

Her heart broke even as she ranted.

First, it was Vicky Turnbull, and then it was Winter Lawrence.

Winter was supposedly Frank's 'sister', but how could Helen not see the way Winter looked at Frank?

And to make things worse, it did not stop at Winter either, as soon came Draconia's top actress, Noel York, and Kat Yego out of nowhere.

Did Frank really think that Helen was fine with all of that? It was only natura that the time bomb she swnevelne 1.ne buried deep inside herself blew up!

He was clearly treating her differently now, as he would agree to her requests in the past, no matter how absurd it was.

But now, she was only asking him for an herb-not for herself at that, but to save her uncle.

And everyone had seen that Gavin thought highly of Frank, even admiring him and calling to check on him from time to time.

It would have been fine if Frank refused because Gavin was some vile character who insulted Frank in the past. However, Helen owed him plenty, and he also supported Frank immensely-it simply would not fly for Frank to abandon him for an herb. Moreover, the Southstream Lanes were waiting for Helen to do something-they would definitely talk if they heard Frank's refusal to help.

Even Mark Lane would be displeased, as Gavin was his favorite son.

It would look to them as if Helen was unnecessary with Frank's new love interests, and he could dump her at any moment he wanted.

Nearby, seeing Helen on the verge of tears left Gina especially upset.

"Frank Lawrence! And here I was going to change my mind about you, but you're even more callous than before?!"

Gina snapped coolly, taking Helen's hand and pulling her toward herself, "He doesn't care, so we don't have to ask him for anything! I doubt there's any other man who would refuse my daughter's request!"

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1695-Frank was not bothered by Gina's outburst at all, since he knew very well how rare the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom really was.

As a treasure that would only appear once over a thousand years, she was saying that someone would be willingly parting with it?

Only Gina herself would be believing such bullshit.

However, Helen could not pretend that she did not hear what Frank said.

Even if Frank knew it was slightly inappropriate to say it, women never liked to hear them being called unreasonable.

Since Frank could not change what he said, he braced himself and said, "Just give me time, Helen. I'll have someone search and rescue Gavin." "Hah! It'd be too late!"

Gina snorted in disdain and kept pulling Helen away, huffing. "Let's go. All men are pigs and are always ready to dump you when they have someone new. See here? He doesn't care about you even before you remarry! What do you think would happen once you remarry? Who knows how many others he has out there!"

Frank was left bristling. "What are you talking about?! It's slander if you have no proof!"

"Really?"

Gina laughed. "Then what's got you so upset? Did I get it right? See, Helen? All men are pigs-it's just like I said!"

"That's enough!" Roth snapped, shaking his head. "I only came to discuss how we should save my father with Madam Lane. If it's possible, I'm certainly pleased. If we can't…"

Roth trailed off, his voice quivering even as he continued. "Well, it can't be helped. Kunderstand that Mr. Lawrence has a reason and that the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom must be very important to him. We shouldn't force him into anything, and don't want his marriage to become strained because of my father-" "Marriage?! Hah!"

Gina laughed again. "They have yet to remarry! But I'll ask one last time—are you giving up that shitty herb or not?!"

Frank took a deep breath, scowling as he said a single word: "No."

I "Fine!" Gina snapped coolly and started to put Helen along again. "You won't be seeing Helen ever again from now on! Since you refused to help her uncle, we will do something about this ourselves! Let's go, Helen!" There was a reluctant look in Helen's eye, and she pleaded with Frank, "Could you please help Uncle Gavin?

I'm really begging ove "I…"

Frank's heart skipped at the sight of the stoic girlboss showing him such a face and almost gave in to her request right then.

But he remembered Mystic Sky Sect, his mentor's instructions, and regrets…..

Gritting his teeth, Frank shook his head. "I'll handle this, Helen, but I can't give up the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom."

Helen sighed, at once dejected that her plea did not change Frank's mind.

She turned, hiding from Frank's eyes with her hair while smiling bitterly. "But you'd agree to it if it were Vicky asking, wouldn't you?" And with those words, Helen left with Gina.

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1696-Roth nodded politely at Frank before leaving too, leaving him alone in the spacious drawing room of Cologne Court.

Frank reclined against the couch in silence but eventually jumped to his feet.

"Helen, wait!"

Frank ran out of the mansion, ready to say something when he saw the black Cadillac parked outside, and a thirtyish man in a suit was speaking with Helen and Gina.

Naturally, it was none other than Huub Droitner, heir to Droitner Inc.

"What…"

Before Frank caught himself, Gina turned and sneered at Frank. "Hmph. Speak of the devil! Even if you refuse to give us the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, Mr. Droitner here just happened to have one and is willing to part with it. It's really frustrating when someone one-ups you, isn't it?"

"What?" Frank was left frowning.

Huub turned on Frank right then and sneered. "Hmph. It's just an herb, but you're treating it like treasure? How embarrassing."

"Do you even know what the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom is?"

Frank's expression was cold, and though he was staring fixedly at Helen, she kept her head turned away, clearly avoiding Frank's gaze.

"I know much more than you do! Also, you should be worried about yourself right now!"

As he spoke, Huub opened the door for Gina and Helen while adding pointedly, "Don't worry, I'm not a liar like certain people. And while my family business isn't that impressive, I'm serious about Ms. Lane."

"Frank…"

Helen turned toward Frank, intending to say something, but all the thoughts in her mind only came to a look of exasperation.

In the end, she and Gina got into Huub's car and left.

Frank remained standing by the gates, crushing a portion of the steel into tiny pieces where Helen and the others could not see. "Pretty words, but there's no way a Bloodcrane Spiritbloom could be so easily found."

Frank was furious, but he was still worried that Helen would be tricked.

If Horey Lindt was really the one who kidnapped Gavin, only to receive a fake Bloodcrane l Spiritbloom, she would be furious and would hurt Gavin in retaliation. Feeling troubled, Frank threw the steel fragments to the ground and whipped out his phone to call Trevor Zurich. "Find Gavin Lane. Investigate where he went missing, and screen through any suspicious faces nearby when it happened." Still, even as he hung up and returned to the drawing room, he felt increasingly annoyed the more he thought about it.

Seeing Helen get into someone else's car left him especially uncomfortable—he knew she was doing it to get the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, but it still did not sit well with him. While Frank was left fuming and waiting for Trevor to contact him, an impressive convoy arrived outside Cologne Court.

Most importantly, every vehicle had the standard of Zamri's police force, meaning that they were from the government. As the doors opened, a man with a poker face and a military uniform strode into Cologne Court.

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1697-The man with the poker-face was flanked by a dozen officers armed with guns, which they trained on Frank as soon as they strode through the front door.

"Frank Lawrence?" the man asked.

"Who are you?"

Frank glared at them coolly, noticing soon that they were law enforcement officers with ties to the government.

He realized it with a start when he remembered Huub's threat.

It seemed that despite the modest scale of Droitner Inc., it was still the first time Frank had a government official in Zamri moving against him.

"I'm Podrick Daffey, a captain working directly under Zamri's commissioner."

Podrick flashed his badge at Frank and announced coolly, "You're accused of being directly involved in the deaths of Larry Jameson and Kit Jameson. Considering the seriousness of the accusations, you must come with us for questioning."

Frank did a double take. "An anonymous tip? Who, exactly?"

"Don't worry about it." Podrick snorted. "We will never reveal them to ensure their safety, while you should come quietly to assist our investigation. I'd advise against resisting arrest."

Frank remained silent for a while before standing up.

These were government officials after all, and he could not fight them even if it's for Helen and Lanecorp, or Lanecorp would suffer if they pressed the issue.

That was why Frank decided to see what Huub was capable of doing to him.

And seeing that Frank was not resisting arrest, Podrick snapped his fingers at one of his men. "Cuff him."

His men quickly threw cuffs around Frank's wrist, even placing a black sack over his head to blindfold him.

"Mr. Lawrence!"

Frank then heard a rush of footsteps, and judging from the voices, it was the security officers from Lanecorp's health and security department. He promptly barked, "Don't move! Don't break the law!"

"But, sir…"

"That's an order!"

Frank's bellow stopped the men right then, even as he heard the click of bullets being loaded.

"Don't worry-I have done nothing wrong, so I have nothing to worry about," Frank assured the security officers.

He did not want to let things get out of hand and would certainly not allow his men to die to gunfire.

Frank's supervision had definitely helped the security officers from Lanecorp's health and security department grow in terms of martial arts. However, they were still too inexperienced, especially against guns and bullets. There would be pointless casualties if a fight started here, so they could only do nothing but watch as Frank was shoved into one of the SUVS before the entire convoy sped away.

Swr However, Frank was still observing with his touch where and how fast the SUV was traveling, and hence guessed his position.

Feeling the bumpiness as they sped е forward, he could tell that they were leaving the city and had reached the mountains judging from how much the SUV was shaking. He asked in surprise, "Captain Daffey, aren't you taking me away for interrogation? Why does it feel like we're leaving the city?" Podrick merely laughed coolly, and seeing that he was not answering, Frank tactfully kept quiet but continued memorizing the trail.

The bumpy journey over the mountain road lasted for over two hours, until the convoy finally stopped.

Even before he got off, Frank immediately frowned.

He could smell the scent of blood and rust, as well as hear trickling drops of water.

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1698-As they advanced, Frank could feel air getting more damp, with the stench of blood and rot getting even more pungent, to the point that one could throw up.

"A torture chamber?" Frank asked interestedly.

He was no stranger to torture chambers as he met Burt Yorkman in the one at Riverton.

In this case, this place was definitely the one in Zamri.

"Cut the chatter," someone growled as he was led into an elevator that descended below the surface.

Eventually, the thick steel doors parted, and Frank immediately heard the screams.

And they were all, men whose very will was crumbling under the audible crack of whips, and the sizzling hiss of branding iron burning into their skin.

There was maniacal laughter on top of that, along with a stench that was worse than before. And he could feel from the wetness of the floor that it was flooded with ankle-deep puddles down the hallway.

The rug sack on Frank's head was then taken off, and he found himself staring down a pitch-black hallway, as well as the screaming inmates who were being tortured in the distance.

On both sides of the hallway cells with steel bars, with horrific torture tools and inmates who were sitting or crouching inside.

It was clearly an underground prison, and each of the inmates had a hauntingly savage glare in their eyes. Some were shaking the cell bars, and some were kowtowing and begging for mercy, while others were rambling and spewing expletives.

It was a place no one would want to stay.

"Move!"

Someone shoved Frank from the back, forcing him forward.

They walked over a few dozen yards, where someone looking like a jailer was waiting.

He opened the cell door and smacked Frank inside, shutting the door behind him and leaving without a care, never once looking Frank's way.

Even before Frank studied the cell, around seven men were already surrounding him in the darkness, their eyes flashing like nocturnal predators as they sneered viciously at Frank.

"Newbie, huh? Take off your pants!"

"What?"

Frank turned to find a savage looking man with a prominent scar on his face.

Though the cell was pitch-black, Frank could see with his sharp eyes that he was barely covered in rags, and his feet were swollen and filled with sores from dipping in water constantly. And seeing that Frank was not moving, the burly man bared his teeth threateningly. "What are you looking at?! Are you taking them off or "Hehehe…"

Kon As Scarface closed in, sinister laughter could be heard from the nearby cells.

"A new face… I'm surprised we'd still get newbies here."

"What amazing feat could he have achieved, I wonder?"

"Well, he's out of luck now that Scarface has his eyes on him."

The buzzing comments gave Frank an is on his situation-this was an prison, where the worst villains were confined. Content belongs to en.kikistorit Nheless, Scarface felt belittled as Frank ignored him. "I'm talking to you, brat. Are you playing dumb on me?"

He reached out his arms, ready to strangle Frank.

He was such a huge man that his palm almost dwarfed Frank's face.

And yet…

"Argh!!!"

A blood-curdling scream soon resounded from the cell.

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1699-The jailer who just left did not turn back in spite of Scarface's screams, as it was way too common around here.

He paused for a moment before chuckling and left without looking back.

Meanwhile, Scarface was clutching his almost broken thumb and cowering in a corner, wheezing.

"Yo!" Someone chuckled. "It seems the newbie can throw down, almost snapping Scarface Tucker's thumb in an instant. Interesting!"

Hearing the gleeful laughter around him, Frank looked around and asked, "Can anyone tell me where I am?"

"Eh…?"

"Pfft…"

"No way. The kid doesn't know where this place is?"

"Makes sense. Just look at his blank stare-doesn't look too smart, does he? Someone must have tricked him."

Clang…

"Ahem…"

As Frank's fellow inmates chuckled and commented, silence quickly ensued with the clanging of metals.

A geezer could then be heard coughing, as every eye turned toward him in the darkness.

Even the cells nearby were silent, a far cry from the liveliness when Frank had just entered the cell.

Realizing that the coughing and metallic clanging was from deeper within his cell, Frank turned to see a frail, elderly white-haired man sitting in a corner, chained in oversized fetters.

Anyone with keen eyes could see that his shoulder blade was pierced with metal hooks forged from a special alloy.

The geezer was clearly a powerful martial artist, as the metal hook that cut into his bone effectively stopped his meridian nexus from charging.

"This is Blackwater Prison, where Draconia's worst criminals are kept. So? What have you done that got you in here?"

The geezer looked up, his chains clanging whenever he moved.

He was an especially eerie sight in the dark.

Still, Frank was surprised that the geezer would answer his question.

et And as the saying about 'doing unto others' goes, he responded nonchalantly, "Killed a couple of morons, and then someone framed me-they told me there would be an interrogation, but I was brought straight here instead." "Hehehehe…"

The fettered geezer laughed eerily but coughed violently before he el could talk, "Well, then it seems you've upset someone important in the government, or you wouldn't have been thrown in here just because you butchered a couple of mooks." Frank frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hehehe…" The geezer chuckled. "See, kid those who end up here in Blackwater are all real scumbags, the worst of humanity who are beyond saving-murderers who massacred dozens.

"You, on the other hand, have been framed, or you wouldn't be here otherwise… Well, you're not getting out now that you're here."

Frank's brow creased further at the geezer's summary.

He was not worried about himself, however, but was merely surprised that Droitner Inc. had government connections powerful enough to have him thrown in here.

He certainly would not worry about making it out-the bars of the prison cells had been persistently eroded by dampness, and he could just kick it down.

The Girlboss Begs For Remarriage Chapter 1700- If Frank really wanted to leave, not that many people could actually stop him.

His brow easing, he turned toward the fettered geezer again. He could certainly notice from the other inmates' reaction that they feared the geezer too.

"In that case, may I ask how you ended up here, sir?" Frank asked.

"Oh, it's really not worth mentioning…"

The geezer avoided the subject, shaking his head and smiling when he discerned Frank's mood. "Word of advice, kid-you're not getting out of here now that you're here. I tried to escape with the strength in my arms… and well, you can see how that went."

He gestured with his chin at his fetters, and Frank walked up to him.

He studied the geezer and saw that he had overflowing vigor and a rich meridian nexus.

Judging from that, he was definitely halfway into Ascendant rank.

And if someone of his caliber was kept here, it was clear that this prison was worse than it looked.

The geezer then calmly continued, telling Frank about the brutal truth. "Kid, this place is infamous because no one ever leaves. Doesn't matter who you are—your future is as dark as the black puddles flooding the floor. There's just no hope to be had.

"Good behavior? Parole? None of those things apply-here in Blackwater, you have two options. Either die here, or survive on food that's worse than chicken feed."

"Interesting," Frank murmured, nodding thoughtfully.

Seeing that Frank was not giving up, the geezer shook his head, sighed, and closed his eyes, refraining from talking at all.

It appears that the young man doubted him after all, but such was the willfulness of youth.

When he had hit the wall enough times, he would understand that the geezer was being serious.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A metallic clang echoed down the hallway just then.

et Every inmate straightened at the sound right then and backed away from the steel bars of their cells, and it was suddenly even quieter than when the geezer spoke. "What's going on?"

Frank leaned against the steel bars to look down the hallway and found a jailer with obese cheeks advancing upon his cell, followed by a couple of flunkies.

"Hey, on your feet or I'm chopping them off! Use your feet, or you have no reason to keep them!"

et The clanging was clearly from the jailer hitting his baton against the steel bars of the prison cells, and every inmate in every cell was at once standing at attention. Even Scarface, who was the first to attempt bullying Frank, was standing upright respectfully.

Seeing that the jailer was approaching their cell, the geezer turned to Frank and asked, "Hey, kid. Did you give a pay-off when you came in?" "Pay-off? What are you talking about?" Frank asked, bemused.

"A bribe, basically…"

The fettered geezer sighed exasperatedly, coughing as he explained under his breath, "It's one of the unwritten rules here. Every inmate must pay off the jailer, or he won't be nice to you. Do you have anything valuable?" Frank shook his head at the old man. "They took everything I had when I came in. They didn't even let me keep my phone."