Lancer looked at the smirking guy in front of him, his brows furrowing.
Every month, most of his salary went to supporting his two children, leaving him extremely tight on personal expenses. He knew that this money was likely mostly used by this jerk.
But for the sake of the children, Lancer endured.
He just wanted to provide a decent living environment for his kids.
Now that he had a better job, he wanted to make some changes.
Lancer said, "The kids need better education. Sending them to a private school will provide them with a good learning environment for their future."
"The child support is mainly for living, education, and medical expenses. From now on, I will handle this money separately, and I will not provide less than what is agreed upon."
Looking coldly at Lancer, the man said, "So, you mean you don't want to pay child support anymore? Well, if that's the case, I won't agree to let them transfer to another school. If you want to visit the children in the future, it will depend on our convenience."
To him, Lancer was a long term meal ticket. How could he agree to stop receiving money now?
"Carol—"
Lancer's ex wife, Mary, wanted to say something, but as soon as she uttered the man's name, he turned fiercely towards her.
"Shut up. You have no say here!"
Mary trembled and immediately fell silent.
"Go back inside."
The man scolded her.
Mary glanced at Lancer and then turned back into the house.
Lancer clenched his fists with a cold expression.
At 19, he fell in love and married Mary. They were happy at first, but later, after having two children, he joined the army when World War II broke out. Due to his university education, he quickly rose through the ranks. At that time, he and Mary wrote letters to each other every month and were still very affectionate.
He never imagined that the woman he loved would eventually betray their marriage out of loneliness.
He resented her, but even though he no longer loved her, seeing Mary in her current state still pained Lancer.
After Mary left, Carol stared harshly at Lancer, pointing his finger at him with an unfriendly tone:
"If you want them to live well, then provide more child support. We have custody of them and plenty of ways to handle you."
A parked sedan's window opened.
Richard, with his one eye, coldly observed the arrogant laughing jerk.
His right hand moved towards his revolver.
He had heard their conversation clearly, and felt sick.
At that moment, two girls ran out of the house, each carrying a small backpack. "Dad, we're ready to go. Can we leave now?"
Lancer took his daughters' hands, preparing to leave. Carol glanced at the two girls and grinned, "Gina, Samantha, aren't you going to say goodbye to Uncle Carol?"
The two girls shivered, looking somewhat intimidated at Carol. "Goodbye, Uncle Carol."
Carol raised an eyebrow and said, "Heh heh, good bye. Have fun and remember to come home early."
Lancer led his daughters towards the car. Richard withdrew his hand from his pocket, exited the car, and opened the back door.
"Gina, Samantha, this is Uncle Richard," Lancer said softly to his daughters.
"Hello, Uncle Richard."
The two girls greeted politely.
"Hello."
Richard faced the two girls, a rare smile appearing on his face.
The two girls got into the car, sitting on either side of Lancer. Richard closed the car door for them and glanced at Carol, standing at the door.
His gaze was indifferent, extremely indifferent.
The sedan drove away. Carol smirked and prepared to leave when Mary came out of the house, grabbing Carol's arm, pleading:
"Carol, can you give me a hundred dollars? We're out of money and need to buy food and essentials."
Carol looked at Mary with disgust. When he first met Mary, she was so young and beautiful, dressed elegantly. Now, she looked like a typical middle aged woman.
But this jerk never considered that, Mary used to live comfortably and gracefully under Lancer's care. Since being with Carol, she has not only had to take care of two children and manage the household but also find ways to earn money. She couldn't expect any financial support from Carol, and even the money Lancer provided was mostly taken by him. The way Mary looked now was completely a result of his abuse.
With a wave of his hand, Carol pushed Mary's arm away.
"Get lost. Isn't Lancer rich now? When he brings the girls back, remember to ask him for living expenses. Otherwise, you'll go hungry this month."
Carol's strength was significant, and Mary was thrown to the ground.
The man left.
Mary knew he was either off to the bar or the casino.
Thinking about her current life, tears welled up in her eyes, and she sobbed into her hands.
She used to have a happy family.
Now, she had fallen into this state.
Who could she blame?
She had been deceived by this jerk's sweet words in the beginning.
Now, she was suffering the consequences of her own choices.
There was no turning back.
Lancer took his daughters to an amusement park. The two girls hadn't played outside for a long time, and their faces were filled with joy.
While playing a shooting game, both girls failed.
The Younger daughter Samantha looked disappointed and said, hugging her dad's neck, "I really want that plush teddy bear."
Richard glanced at Samantha.
He picked up an air gun from the stall.
"Bang bang bang bang~~~~~"
Four shots in a row, without any pause or aiming, hit the targets one after another. The owner blinked and looked at Richard, then handed him the largest stuffed bear.
Richard turned and handed the bear to Samantha.
"Wow~~"
Samantha exclaimed in delight.
"Thank you, Uncle Richard."
The little girl hugged the teddy bear happily.
The older daughter Gina also looked at Richard.
"Do you want one too?" Richard asked.
Richard had a naturally cold demeanor and rarely engaged in conversations with people. Even in the Marines, he kept to himself. His closest companions were hardly as close as Hardy and Bill.
But when he saw the two girls, he felt affectionate towards them and wanted to be close.
"Can I, Uncle Richard?" Gina asked.
Richard picked up the air gun again.
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang~~~~~"
Another series of shots.
Three targets were knocked down.
The owner was just about to place a new teddy bear on the top shelf when Richard hit the jackpot again.
The bald owner helplessly threw the bear into Richard's arms.
Richard took the bear and turned to give it to Gina.
Gina hugged it joyfully, then thought for a moment, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed Richard on the cheek.
"Thank you, Uncle Richard."
Richard was taken aback, taking a while to recover.
The two girls hugged their bears and went to play on the carousel. Richard and Lancer stood outside, watching. The girls on the carousel had radiant smiles on their faces.
Richard pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Lancer. They both lit up.
"Major, I think we need to sort out the matter with the kids," Richard said casually.
Lancer sighed lightly.
"I want to gain custody of them, but I know Mary won't give up, and that jerk won't easily agree. Going through the legal system will probably be troublesome," Lancer said.
"Major, sometimes the law isn't effective against certain people," Richard said indifferently.
Lancer was surprised.
He suddenly remembered that Richard and the others were now part of the Gang.
Having recently joined, Lancer wasn't very familiar with how the mob operated.
"What do you think we should do?" Lancer asked.
"There are three options."
Lancer was astonished; he couldn't even think of one, let alone that Richard had three.
"What are the three?" Lancer asked.
"The first, let me handle it. The second, let Henry and Matthew handle it. The third, let Hardy take care of it," Richard said.
"What's the difference?" Lancer was curious.
"The difference is quite significant."
"If you choose the first, that guy will be shot dead on the street by bullets coming from who knows where."
"If you choose the second, Henry and Matthew will tie him to rocks and throw him into the bay. He'll become a missing person."
Richard exhaled a puff of smoke and said casually,
"Hardy will help you regain custody of the girls, and the rest can be left to either me or Henry and Matthew."