Chapter 108: Some People Don't Count as People

Stefano's smile was sincere, and he seemed harmless enough.

But Mark couldn't help but recall the scene caused by Antonio, his associate, who had already been responsible for two fatalities.

And Antonio had claimed to have killed more than twenty thousand people...

Of course, Mark was skeptical. Even the most vicious murderer might claim a hundred lives, but that was the extreme. People aren't bugs by the roadside – they resist, they flee; besides, had Antonio truly killed over twenty thousand, Diony Country would never have let him be.

Even if the body count wasn't that high, Mark was still too frightened to go.

He didn't feel as though his life was worth any more than Mr. Flores's.

"Could I... perhaps not go?" Mark asked tentatively, his anxiety palpable. He kept a close watch on Stefano's expressions, ready to backpedal at any sign of trouble.

Stefano's brow furrowed; this was now a tricky situation - Antonio had clearly intimidated him.

Mark couldn't be compelled to attend, yet the thought of Isabella's disappointment was something he couldn't bear.

Even if Henry wasn't his boss, he still couldn't stand to let down Isabella; she was such a sweet girl.

"Mr. Miller, our intentions are genuinely good," Stefano assured him. "My master is very keen on meeting you. If you go, there's no danger, only benefits." Knowing that Isabella wanted to surprise Mark, Stefano avoided mentioning her name; otherwise, things might have been easier.

If only he could speak on behalf of Isabella, he thought. "She was ready to repay the kindness you once showed her, to help you transform your life completely. If you wish to keep running your restaurant, you may do so, but she'll provide you with the best one in all of Freton City. And if you desire to rest and travel, that can be arranged too - with tens of millions of dollars at your disposal."

Stefano pondered for a moment, then turned his head to issue a command. His subordinate hurried back to the car and brought out a bag.

"This is a modest gift for Mr. Miller, a personal offering from me - apologies if it seems slight."

Mark hesitated for a long while before daring to reach out for the bag. He feared it might contain a severed head or a dismembered hand.

The bag was indeed heavy. He held his breath and slowly peeked inside, his eyes going wide and vacant in shock.

"What in the world?!"Miranda, seeing her husband's expression, thought it contained something gruesome and hurriedly knocked the bag to the floor.

As the bag hit the ground, its contents spilled out, rustling as they fell.

Frightened, Miranda squinted at the spill and then, in a split second, her eyes widened in astonishment.

Money!

Bundles and bundles of cash!

"It should be a million dollars, I guess?" said Stefano, somewhat unsure. "I'm always losing cards due to a bad memory, so I keep some cash in the car. I haven't been using it much, so it might as well go to Mr. Miller."

He felt indebted for the secret care the other party had shown Isabella over many years. A bit of money was a small thanks.

He felt indebted for the secret care the other party had shown Isabella over many years, a bit of money was a small thanks, even though he was the villain who had exiled the General from Freton City.

Reflecting on this, Stefano felt regretful; the money seemed too meager an offering.

"Please, Mr. Miller, take it and use it as you wish. If it's not enough, you can always ask for more. To me, this stuff is worthless, just like scrap paper,"Stefano urged with sincerity.

Mark was stunned, exchanging a look with Miranda. They both started to think that Stefano might not be joking after all.

"So, I should take the money, then?"Mark asked tentatively.

"Of course," Stefano replied indifferently. "Mr. Miller, you'd better do it quickly. In a moment, we need to get you and your wife changed into fresh clothes. You are both invited to a banquet."

At this point, Mark's doubts vanished, replaced with astonishment and joy. He wondered who he had done a favor for.

A mere servant tasked with receiving guests was doling out money as if it were junk, claiming it as useless as plain paper. Such generosity was unheard of, even for Freton City's four major families!

"Alright, I'll pick up the money now and then head home to change into clean clothes." Mark bent to scoop up the bills, bundling them back into the bag.

"You won't need to go home to change; we've arranged everything here. Shortly, a stylist will be at your service, providing all the clothing and accessories you need," Stefano continued, "Just bring yourself over."

At this, Mark almost wished his wife would slap him to see if he was dreaming.

While they spoke, two figures suddenly darted over, frantically grabbing bundles of cash.

"What are you doing?!" Miranda's eyes blazed with anger, unable to believe her father and brother's shamelessness. They'd just declared they were cutting ties, but now here they were, scrambling for their money.

"What do you mean 'what?' I'm your dad, and this is your brother! What's wrong with taking some money?!" Miranda's father barked, with quite a payload already in his arms. Wearing a sly grin, he turned to Stefano and said, "I'm Mark's father-in-law, and this is my son. We can attend the banquet too, right?"

He'd clearly figured it out; Mark's luck was about to turn, and with someone of stature poised to help him, the banquet could present a lucrative opportunity - if they could take advantage of Mark's seniority, they could make a fortune.

To them, money was life, not just paper.

"That's possible," Stefano agreed, not knowing the full story, but on the other side, the until-now silent Antonio stepped forward.

"You've just severed ties; you cannot go."

"You..." Kenneth, who had been eagerly collecting money, assumed it was the worthless Mark trying to meddle and was ready to curse at him when he looked up to meet Antonio's unmoving gaze.

Quickly plastering a smile on his face, he said, "We were just joking earlier, we're family after all, blood-related. How could we really sever ties?"

"No! You were being serious!" After a series of events, Miranda had completely lost hope in them, her voice cold: "I have no relationship with those two. They can't take this money nor can they attend the banquet."

Her father became furious, "After all the hard work in raising you, now that you have money, you disown us?"

"Don't forget! When Mark was still with the Miller family, you siphoned off money using all kinds of excuses, totaling up to a million or two in U.S. dollars!" Miranda regretted not seeing through it sooner. "If it weren't for your insatiable greed, even after being kicked out by the Miller family, Mark wouldn't have been without savings!"

"And when you came to me asking, or rather pretending to borrow money, you never repaid a cent. Instead, it was Mark working three jobs a day to save up enough to start this restaurant!"

"You're asking for it!" Miranda's father raised his hand to strike her, but in a blink, Mark grabbed his arm.

Simultaneously, Antonio approached, inquiring as he walked, "Stefano, may I intervene with these two?"

Stefano offered a faint smile, "As you wish, but I agree with you. Some people truly cannot be considered human. Even if you were to beat those two to death, it wouldn't count."