Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 805

An hour later, a sleek black SUV bumped along the gravel road.

The car rolled to a stop at the mine's entrance. Vincent hopped out, spotting Hudson by the tent, and jogged over.

"You're making quite the racket out here. This gold mine is massive, isn't it?"

Hudson's lips curved, ignoring the question. "Why did the Duchess suddenly decide to invite me to dinner?"

Vincent had no clue what was going through his mother's head, so he just made something up on the spot. "Probably because she's interested in your TBM tech..."

Hudson raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn't press it. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, a chaotic roar erupted behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder to see over a hundred locals surging from the direction of the village. Armed with iron bars and farming tools, they screamed unintelligible local slang, looking ready for war.

Leading the pack was Leon Vance. Swapping his earlier clothes for a filthy work jacket and gripping a heavy crowbar, he pointed it straight at Hudson, shouting aggressively.

Vincent frowned, trying to make out the words. He didn't speak the local dialect well, but the furious gestures and weapons made their intentions painfully clear.

He leaned toward Hudson, lowering his voice. "Is this the trouble you mentioned?"

Hudson nodded, his expression totally unbothered, his smirk even deepening slightly. "Yeah. He's all yours."

Vincent was speechless.

Before he could argue, the mob surged to the perimeter.

Leon stood at the front, waving the crowbar toward Hudson and shouting in broken English. "This land belongs to our village! What gives you outsiders the right to dig here? We demand answers today! Or none of you are leaving this place alive!"

The crowd roared in agreement, hoisting their pitchforks and tools into the air. A few of the braver locals crossed the gravel boundary, advancing toward the heavy machinery. They clearly intended to trash the equipment, but Arthur stepped up, his face an emotionless mask, blocking their path.

Jude Winslow hurried over from the far side of the site, taking in the chaotic scene with a deep frown. "Did you call the cops?" he asked Hudson quietly.

"Yeah."

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