X-MEN- CH-83. Manager

"Call the police?"

"You can report it if you want. I don't dare."

"I don't dare."

"Fuck, I'm unemployed again."

"..."

Seeing their boss in this state, the four repairmen could only grab some electrical tools still worth money from the store as payment for their wages.

Two hours later, the boss woke up in a daze. Looking at the mess in the shop and the two corpses beside him, while feeling the intense pain in his limbs, he collapsed.

He wanted to smash something in frustration, but the pain was too severe, so he dared not move. He could only cry and curse at the cold, lifeless bodies beside him.

Don't ask how he didn't bleed to death; Martin wouldn't let him.

Now, there was one more person in the world who hated mutants.

---

Two days later, the agency called and said they had found someone who met the requirements.

The candidate was a British man who had originally been a professional farmer and moved to the United States with his family. However, shortly after arriving in the land of freedom, an accident struck. Their small farm was lost, their house and car gone, and they were still in debt.

It's a melodramatic yet all too realistic situation.

One accident can bankrupt you.

In the U.S., they were still somewhat lucky—at least their family members were unharmed.

Martin arranged for the man to come over to his house for a meeting in the afternoon. His family members were out—some busy, some enjoying themselves, and even Wendy had been taken out by Raven.

That afternoon, the man arrived as scheduled.

"Mr. Horne, my name is Charlie Evans, and we have an appointment for this afternoon. I'm outside your house now."

"Okay, come in."

The gate to the house opened, and Charlie drove in. Martin got up and walked to the front door to meet him.

Charlie stepped out of his car. He had a very British look—neatly styled hair, wearing a suit, tie, and leather shoes. He stood about 1.7 meters tall, with a faint, kind smile on his face.

First impressions matter, and Martin found Charlie immediately likable.

Martin took a step toward him, and Charlie quickly approached with two steps of his own, almost as if they were running toward each other.

"Mr. Horne, I'm Charlie." Charlie greeted, shaking hands.

"Hello, just call me Martin."

"Okay." Charlie said, glancing back at his car with a bit of hesitation, "Uh... do you mind if...?"

Martin followed his gaze and saw two pairs of bright eyes peeking out from the backseat.

"Who are they?"

"My kids." Charlie explained apologetically, "Sorry, my wife had to work, so I had to bring them with me. They're too young to stay home alone."

It wasn't ideal to bring children to a job interview, but Martin waved it off, "It's okay. Let them come out. They shouldn't stay cooped up in the car."

Charlie looked relieved, went to the back door, and opened it, "Kids, come out." He smiled as he carried the children out one by one.

The two kids, a boy and a girl, were about seven or eight years old. It was clear Charlie and his wife took good care of them. They had golden hair, rosy cheeks, and large, curious black eyes that boldly stared at Martin.

"What are your names?" Martin asked, bending down to their level.

"Jeremy." The little boy responded quickly.

"Jerome?" Martin clarified.

"No, Jeremy. Jeremy."

"Well, hello Jeremy, nice to meet you." After greeting the boy, Martin turned to the shy little girl, "And you?"

"Nina."

"Hello, Nina. I'm Martin." He said with a warm smile, extending his hand.

Nina hesitantly shook his hand before quickly letting go, still a bit timid.

Martin straightened up and turned to Charlie, "Let's go inside and chat."

"Okay."

Inside, Martin gave drinks to the children and let them play in the living room. He and Charlie settled on the sofa for a casual conversation.

It was informal; Martin just needed to ensure Charlie was qualified. Martin himself wasn't an expert on farming.

"I'd like to leave all matters of the farm to my manager." Martin said.

"Of course." Charlie listened attentively.

"But you mentioned your wife works. What does she do?"

"She's a chef at a restaurant downtown."

Martin nodded, "If you're both working—your wife at the restaurant and you focused on the farm—who will take care of your children? Where will you live, and where will the kids go to school?"

Charlie explained, "We rent a house in Manhattan, near where Lucy works. Nina attends a nearby elementary school. It's convenient for both of us to take turns picking her up."

"That sounds like a tight schedule, especially since the farm is a bit far from here. It's about a ten- to twenty-minute drive."

Charlie hesitated but replied, "We can manage."

Martin looked at him for a moment before nodding. It was clear Charlie was eager to find work, "Alright, then. Let's take a tour of the farm."

"Good."

Martin stood up and told the children, "Kids, your dad and I are going to show you the farm."

"Okay." They said, reluctantly tearing their eyes away from the aquarium.

Martin didn't have any pets, just a large tank of colorful tropical fish. The tank was two meters long, nearly a meter wide, and over a meter tall, filled with dozens of fish.

"Don't worry, you can come back and look at them later." Martin assured them.

Jeremy then asked, "Will you give my dad a job?"

"Maybe. Do you want me to?"

"Yes."

"..."

Martin opted to ride in Charlie's car and directed him toward the farm. After a ten-minute drive, they arrived.

Compared to a few days ago, two wooden houses now stood on the open land, built in an authentic farm style. Martin had built them himself.

Initially, he had planned to hire someone, but in the end, decided to do it himself. One of the houses was for him; the other, for Logan.

"I agreed not to use superpowers!" Martin reminded himself with a grin.

He and Charlie, each holding a child, walked to the hillside north of the farm. Martin pointed to the wide-open land below, "All of this is mine. There's nothing except those two houses. What do you think?"

__________

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