Chapter 144 The Dobbins Family's Blades
Chapter 144 The Dobbins Family's Blades
Fortunately, none of the problems Tessa had imagined occurred—the helicopter landed smoothly.
From the air, Tessa looked down to see that Eden was an island, surrounded by water on three sides, with only a narrow strip of road providing access in and out.
Though called a small island, it was actually massive. The southeastern side featured rolling mountain ranges, and she could make out several enormous white buildings constructed on the central plains.
The helicopter wobbled slightly as it touched down on the rooftop of one of the buildings.
Adam and Eve jumped out first, then Ryan climbed down and extended his hand to Tessa.
The helicopter's noise drew people from inside the building. They'd barely steadied themselves when they heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.
"Adam, Eve!"
Three girls who looked to be in their early teens burst out, circling Adam and Eve excitedly.
Several boys followed. Tessa counted them—thirteen people in total.
Six girls and seven boys.
The oldest appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen, while the youngest looked no more than seven or eight.
None of them recognized Ryan and Tessa, eyeing them with guarded suspicion.
Because Adam and Eve had brought them, the children remained cautious but made no defensive moves.
"This is the heir, and beside him is the future Mrs. Dobbins," Adam said, making brief introductions.
"Mr. Williams, Ms. Garcia, hello!"
Their voices rang out across the small island, echoing off the nearby flatlands.
Tessa touched her nose, a bit embarrassed but not refusing their greeting.
While Adam spoke with them, Tessa observed the children carefully.
Their bodies remained tense, their expressions carrying a steeliness that didn't belong to their ages.
Tessa took the bag from Ryan's hand, rummaged through it, and pulled out a handful of lemon candies.
Ryan had originally brought them in case Tessa got airsick—now they could be shared with the children.
She'd heard Adam mention that Eden had fallen into decline and assumed no one lived here anymore. She hadn't expected to find so many children.
Having prepared nothing in advance, she could only offer them the candies.
"Thank you, Ms. Garcia."
A chorus of thanks filled the air. The older children spoke first, and the younger ones followed their lead.
It made Tessa's heart ache. Seeing how nervous they were made her feel even worse.
"You can all relax a little."
A flash of confusion crossed the face of the oldest child, as if he didn't quite understand what Tessa meant.
Eve stared at them for a moment, then turned her head, her gaze drifting toward the mountains.
Tessa could only cast a helpless look at Ryan, who looked equally at a loss.
"You can all head downstairs now."
At Adam's command, the children ran off cheerfully.
"From the moment they started living here, they've never learned how to relax or how to fit in with others."
As someone who had come from this place, Adam had the most authority to speak on it. His expression remained calm, but each word fell like a hammer.
"Mr. Dobbins saved us and provided us with everything we need. This is how we repay him."
People like them could only repay Brian in this way.
Tessa looked up at Adam. "...Do they live on this island all the time?"
"Not after they turn eighteen," Eve suddenly interjected.
Eve stopped mid-sentence with no intention of continuing. Adam picked up where she left off. "After eighteen, they serve Mr. Dobbins, just like we do."
"They're assigned to the Dobbins family territories to handle problems for Mr. Dobbins."
Tessa began to understand their role.
Like the loyal retainers in TV dramas.
These children were specifically cultivated to serve the Dobbins family. Their mission was to protect the family's members.
This also explained why Adam and Eve had been sent to Astoria on assignment.
Sawyer leaned against the helicopter door. After listening to them talk for ages, he stretched lazily.
"Are you done yet? I'm exhausted."
Tessa nodded to Ryan, and they headed downstairs together.
After Adam had sent the children away, they hadn't gone back to rest.
Tessa finally saw what filled the space between the buildings.
Training equipment—all of it. Beyond the standard gear for strength and agility training, there were devices Tessa couldn't even name.
Seeing the scene before her, Tessa felt slightly dazed, a bitter taste rising in her throat.
She knew she had no standing to criticize Brian.
These children didn't have healthy, happy families. If Brian hadn't kindly taken them in, they might have ended up on the streets.
They could have become homeless or turned to stealing. The younger ones might have even starved to death.
"The heir and Ms. Garcia are here—you don't have to train today."
At Adam's command, the children stopped one after another, staring at him blankly.
Like wind-up machines, they seemed not to know what to do once they stopped.
"Have you eaten yet?" Tessa asked.
The children exchanged glances. Not one spoke up.
"Eden only serves breakfast and dinner. To maintain their physiques, there's no lunch."
Tessa's eyes widened. "But they're children."
"Ms. Garcia, Mr. Dobbins hired the most professional nutritionists to ensure each of them receives adequate nutrition."
On this point, Tessa truly couldn't question them.
No one wanted these children to grow strong and healthy more than the members of the Dobbins family.
Ryan shot Adam a warning look, then handed the bag to Tessa. It still contained some of Tessa's favorite snacks.
"They can have these snacks today," he said gently.
He distributed the snacks to each child one by one. Tessa muttered under her breath, "Kids should still get to be kids."
The children remained standing, motionless.
They didn't even know what children were supposed to be like.
By afternoon, Tessa volunteered to cook for them herself.
Adam started to refuse, but Ryan silenced him with a single icy glance, forcing him to swallow the words at the edge of his tongue.
Tessa used the pre-portioned ingredients to stir-fry dishes—her specialties.
The food looked, smelled, and tasted delicious. When mealtime arrived, the smallest child quietly approached Tessa.
"Ms. Garcia, can you stay here forever?"
After she spoke, Tessa noticed two older children watching her expectantly from a distance.
The words were right there, but Tessa couldn't bring herself to refuse or agree.
Either way, it wouldn't reflect what she truly wanted to say.
Ryan had been by Tessa's side the whole time. Seeing her struggle, he walked over and ruffled the child's hair.
"Ms. Garcia will come back. When you're older, you'll have more chances to spend time with her."
The little girl thanked him and turned to leave with steady, measured steps.
Even when happy, her lips only curved up slightly.
After dinner, the children had another training session scheduled for the evening. Just watching made Tessa feel tired.
When bedtime arrived, the oldest girl looked troubled.
"Everyone else has left. There's no one here to clean the spare rooms—they've been empty for so long, they're not fit to sleep in," she said, head lowered.