When the Dead Still Call novel Chapter 371

**TITLE: Broken by Destiny by George Orwell**
**Chapter 371: They’re Complete Opposites**

By a twist of fate, the few households that stood firm against the deal were none other than the families of those middle-aged brothers and a handful of their loyal companions.

They had listened to the mayor’s speech with rapt attention, his words ringing clear in their ears, and they understood perfectly well who had just given them a good kicking.

The moment they comprehended that those city slickers had come groveling for their signatures, their chests swelled with an inflated sense of pride. They erupted into loud, boisterous shouts, clearly reveling in the power they believed they held.

“Hah! So you’re those highfalutin city folks, are you? You want our signatures, huh?” one of the brothers bellowed, a smirk plastered across his face.

“If you want us to sign, you’d better cough up ten times the going rate!”

“And that imbecile who gave us the boot? He better drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness!”

“And that girl standing next to him? She’s got to stay with me for a whole month! Otherwise, you can forget about our signatures!”

They rattled off their absurd demands with an air of self-satisfaction, as if their outrageous requests were perfectly justified.

True, they had never ventured far beyond their small town, nor had they ever witnessed the grandeur of bustling cities, but in their minds, anyone seeking their precious signatures was obligated to meet every single one of their whims.

If they didn’t, those outsiders would walk away empty-handed from the land deal, and they took immense pleasure in that thought.

The town had an unyielding rule: even a single household refusing to sign could bring the entire deal crashing down.

Anderson’s eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at the brothers as if they had completely lost their sanity.

Had Jeremy’s kick scrambled their brains?

Did they even hear the ridiculousness spilling from their mouths? It was laughable!

Expecting an apology from the top dog of the Curran family in Novaterra? What a fantasy!

Jeremy’s laughter was cold and dismissive.

It wasn’t just Anderson who found their demands absurd; Josie and Amelia shared the same sentiment, each of them shaking their heads in disbelief.

In the end, silence reigned. Jeremy didn’t even bother to respond to their ludicrous demands.

She detailed every bizarre aspect of the place, careful to omit the part where she had found herself snuggling up to Jeremy in her sleep.

After all, nothing romantic had transpired.

“Holy moly, the soundproofing there was absolutely insane!

“But Anderson wasn’t much better. The man is a total chatterbox.

“We ended up crashing at a local’s house, and he just wouldn’t stop talking. It was as if he had been programmed to go on forever.

“They were visibly exhausted, yawning and barely holding on, while he was like a walking call center—nonstop chatter. It was astonishing how he and Mr. Curran were polar opposites.”

One was a fountain of words; the other spoke only when it truly mattered. How on earth did they forge such an unlikely friendship?

“Not bad. You’re the staunch anti-marriage girl who gets flustered around men. I’ve never heard you talk about a guy for this long.”

Amelia shot back at Josie, her playful banter returning with a spark.