92. Austin Montague

Chapter 92

Austin Montague

The gunshot came so suddenly that Barlyn was caught completely off guard.

He turned his head quickly, only to see the bullet speeding toward him.

In that instant, time seemed to freeze; he felt paralyzed, the chill of imminent death enveloping him.

As an elemental metahuman, Barlyn would have had countless ways to protect himself from a regular bullet if he had been prepared.

But now, he was helpless

He thought to himself, "Am I going to die?"

At that moment, regret washed over him like a tidal wave. Barlyn regretted letting his guard down just because the attacker was a child, and he regretted being so careless despite knowing the enemy was a gang member.

But it was too late for regrets.

Time resumed its course, and the bullet continued its deadly path. There was no escaping it, and his frail body was no match for the projectile

But then, a cold voice cut through the tension.

"Stop!"

Instantly, the bullet came to a halt right in front of Barlyn, suspended in mid–air.

It was Osborne who had intervened.

Osborne emerged from the villa, his gaze

fixed on the scene.

Barlyn, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, turned toward Osborne with a look of sheer relief and gratitude.

"Osborne!"

Osborne smiled faintly. "Barlyn, you really need to be more careful. If I hadn't been keeping an eye on things, you'd be a goner.

"You'd look pretty pathetic if you got killed by a kid."

Barlyn managed a wry smile.

"Osborne, enough. I get it. I didn't expect a seven or eight–year–old to be a Maelstrom member."

He then glared at the child who had shot at him.

The kid, now bound by Osborne's ocular energy, was trembling in fear. He struggled desperately, trying to lift the gun and continue shooting, but it was futile.

Osborne's power could lift up to 2200 pounds. There was no way a child could break free from such control

"Damn kid, mixed up with a gang at your age? Does your mother know?"

Fuming, Barlyn kicked the child away.

He conjured a sharp piece of stone spire with his powers and held it to the kid's head

The child's eyes were wide with terror, tears streaming down his face.

At that moment, Barlyn could have easily ended the child's life, but he hesitated.

Watching the tears and the pleading look on the child's face, he was filled with turmoil and indecision

"Get out of here!

"I can't bring myself to hurt a child. Get lost and don't show your face around here again!"

With a final shove, Barlyn dismissed the stone spire.

Osborne gave Barlyn a thoughtful glance but said nothing

He wouldn't have been able to kill a child either, despite the gang affiliation.

Even if Barlyn had decided to kill the kid, Osborne wouldn't have stopped him, given the threat the child posed.

But since Barlyn chose not to, Osborne wasn't going to either.

Using his ocular energy, Osborne flung the child far away.

"Everything's been cleared out. Let's go!"

Osborne quickly jumped into the truck, started the engine, and sped away.

Just as they left, a convoy of vehicles roared towards the villa

Davy, emerging from a luxury car, stormed into the now–empty vault, his furious roar echoing through the empty space.

"Who did this?

"Who dared to steal my money?

"I don't care who you are,I'll hunt you down and make you pay!

"Ahhh!

"Get them!"

In a frenzy, Davy and his crew scrambled to chase after them, but the culprits were long gone.

Meanwhile, on the truck, Barlyn had finally pulled himself out from the impact of the brink of death.

"Osborne, you saved my life. I owe you one. If you ever need anything, just let me know. I'll do whatever it takes to help you out!"

Barlyn's voice was heavy with sincerity.

Osborne gave a calm, reassuring smile. "It's not as dramatic as you're making it out to be. After all, I brought you into this mess. If something had happened to you, I wouldn't have felt right. It was only natural for me to step in."

"Still, I owe you a life," Barlyn insisted, his gaze unwavering

Osborne didn't argue further.

He was already mulling over how to transform this truckload of cash and valuables into something legitimate.

With the dubious origins of the money, it couldn't simply be deposited into a bank account

It had to be cleaned first

Barlyn said decisively. "Osborne, leave this to me. I know someone who can handle this a top heir from Mayby City. If we give her these assets, she'll sort it out for us."

Osborne nodded in agreement.

Barlyn quickly made the necessary calls. Before long, the truck rolled into a warehouse by the docks.

Inside, a striking young woman awaited their arrival.

The young woman, around twenty–two or twenty–three, stood tall with a striking figure. Her delicate features were framed by a round face, making her both beautiful and endearing

As Barlyn stepped down from the truck, she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Mr. Radcliffe, what's this all about? You were so secretive on the phone and wanted me to find a warehouse for a truck? Where's your fancy car? Planning to play poor with me?"

She raised an eyebrow, adding with a hint of amusement, "Just so you know, I'm not lending you any money. If Ms. Donna Radcliffe finds out I did, I'm toast. So, if you're here for a loan, forget it."

Barlyn was immediately put on the defensive

He looked exasperated and retorted, "Austin, do you think I came all the way here just to ask for money? I have plenty of my own."

Austin shot him a scornful glance. "Oh, really? If you had money, would you be in Mayby City? Save the act. I know you've had your credit card cut off by Ms. Donna Radcliffe."

Barlyn flushed with embarrassment.

Rather than argue, he turned to Osborne and said, "Osborne, let me introduce you. This is Austin, the heir to the Montague family. She's a bit sharp–tongued, but she's been a friend of mine since childhood.

Then he addressed Austin, "Austin, this is Osborne Augustine, my brother from another mother. Just call him Osborne."

Both Osborne and Austin were taken aback

Osborne was surprised to learn that this round–faced girl was indeed an heir to the Montague family.

It was one of the most formidable families in Mayby City, which surpassed the Ashford family.

The Montague family dominated shipping with a sprawling dock, dozens of massive freighters, and a fleet of luxury cruise ships worth billions.

Before Osborne's divorce from Ophelia, he often heard members of the Caldwell family mention the Montague family and each time, their tone was filled with utmost respect and envy.

Austin was astonished by Barlyn's casual tone and close relationship with Osborne.

She thought to herself, "Who is Barlyn? He's from an old family too, not the heir but still on par with me, an heir to a top–tier family

And yet, he treats Osborne like a lifelong friend?

Osborne must be one of those young masters from some big famibes."

She smiled, extending her hand to Osborne, "Hello, Osborne I'm Austin Montague Just call me Austin"

Osborne smiled, saying. "Nice to meet you, Austin"

Harlyn said, opening the truck door with a smug grin. "Alright, let's get down to business."

"Austin check this out."

Austin's curiosity piqued, she walked to the back of the truck and gasped.

"You… you didn't rob a bank, did you?"

Barlyn chuckled triumphantly, "No, I'm not that stupid. We only rob a gang leader. There's roughly 300 to 400 million in cash. here, plus valuables of equivalent worth. I need you to sort this out, assess its value, and then launder it. The money should be transferred directly to Osborne's account.

"I'm worried that if it goes into my account, my mom might just seize it."

Austin relaxed slightly.

"Oh, it's just gang money. As long as it's not from a bank heist, that's fine. I'll get someone to sort and appraise it and then transfer the funds to you once it's all sorted.

"Just to be clear, the fee for laundering this amount is ten percent, which is a favor. Normally, it would be thirty percent. The reduced rate is because I'll have the cooperative gang handle it. Can't have them working for nothing "

Hearing the ten percent fee, Barlyn grimaced.

Just as Barlyn was about to speak, Osborne pulled him back

With a friendly grin, Osborne said, "No problem at all! Thanks a lot, Austin. Once everything is settled, we'll take you out for a grand meal and show our appreciation Without you, we'd have been stuck with this dirty money.

Austin smiled at the praise.

She shot a sharp look at Barlyn. "See how well Osborne handles people? And look at you…"

Barlyn rolled his eyes in response.

"What's your point?"

"You're just a fool!" Austin snapped back.

The two began bickering, their playful argument filled with sharp jabs and laughter. Meanwhile, a group of people arrived to start sorting and valuing the cash and valuables from the truck.

It took a solid three hours for them to complete the meticulous inventory.

The cash totaled 350 million.

The valuables were worth another 400 million.

So, Davy's assets amounted to 750 million – far exceeding the liquidity of most top families.

As per their agreement, Osborne and Barlyn would split the proceeds, with a total of around 680 million.

Osborne's share was 70%, about 480 million, while Barlyn would get 30%, exactly 200 million

Both Osborne and Barlyn were pleased with the outcome, though they were disappointed that they wouldn't see the money for a while

"Hey, Osborne, Austin, how about we go out for a drink to celebrate?" Barlyn suggested eagerly.

Austin rolled her eyes "You two made a profit, but I didn't. What's there to celebrate? Seems pointless"

Osborne smiled at her words, saying, "Barlyn, Austin, are you interested in making another big score?