CHAPTER 574: CHAPTER 562

"Who’s there?" Chase immediately started struggling in his attacker’s grip, and elbowed the person hard.

"Calm down, it’s just me." Joanna awkwardly removed her hand from the man’s eyes and rubbed her aching stomach." I was just messing with you! I didn’t expect that you’d be so skilled at martial arts-that elbow of yours nearly killed me!"

"Oh, it’s you, Miss Pierce! I’m so sorry, please punish me as you see fit." Chase lowered his head guiltily, about to kneel. He was wearing a white suit, which made him look gentle and elegant.

"Please don’t. You don’t have to be so careful in front of me, I’m not like my brother." Joanna glanced at Quinton’s bedroom, then quietly asked, "Is my brother asleep?"

"Yes, Miss Pierce."

"Let’s go and grab a bite then."

"Miss Pierce, we can’t. You’re my superior, so how-"

"Chase, I told you before that I’m not my brother. Let’s go." Joanna dragged him to a street nearby that was full of hawker stalls.

"Sir, we’d like to order burgers, chips, and two dozen beers!" She casually shouted at the owner who was busy cooking.

"Sure, please wait a moment," the man called back while tending to his stove.

This was the messiest and most chaotic place in the City. Many gangsters frequented the place, and the place was always crowded until dawn. People were playing drinking games, clinking their glasses, and cursing endlessly. The atmosphere was wild, lively, and very inviting.

Chase was rather rigid at first, being polite and respectful to Joanna. However, after a few beers, he started to relax and open up. "Miss Pierce, let me be frank with you... I’ve been wanting to eat here for many years, but as the main attendant of Carmine Pawnshop, I was hesitant to do so. You’ve helped me fulfil my wish today, and I’m very grateful forthat."

"Heh, you flatter me. Just tell me if you want to eat this kind of food next time. Ignore my brother; if he dares to scold you, I’ll scold him back on your behalf!" Joanna declared.

"Haha! Miss Pierce, you’re so nice. Although you’re my boss’ sister, you’re both so different. He leads a very conservative life, which is really quite pitiful." Chase took a sip of his beer, staring off into the distance sadly.

When Joanna saw Chase let down his guard, she carefully asked, "Chase, I heard from my brother that you were the one who founded his business with him. Both of you came out of that small fishing village and established Carmine Pawnshop together, right?

"No, I was just a lackey. It was all because of my boss’ great wisdom that Carmine

Pawnshop became successful. You don’t know how hard he worked back then. He was even dragged a few dozen metres from a car just to get an item his enemy had! He truly risked his life to establish Carmine Pawnshop bit by bit."

"I know he’s always been a hard worker. I feel like a worthless piece of trash who muddles through life compared to him..." Joanna admitted.

"You can’t say that, Miss Pierce. You come from a totally different background. You’re a rich, young lady that enjoyed luxury and led a worry-free life... but my boss was different. He couldn’t even afford to eat when he was younger, and his foster parents used to abuse him.

Only his sister was a bit nice to him, but at last, she also..." Chase stopped, realising he had said too much, then quickly continued, "In short, you can’t blame him for being extreme.

He’s had to suffer his whole life just to survive."

"I know that he’s suffered, we’re all at the mercy of fate, after all. However, we’ve found each other now, so as his sister, I just hope he can let go of that stress and live a happier life. You see it, don’t you? His hatred has blinded him to everything but revenge, and I’m afraid if he keeps challenging Ace, something bad might happen one day..."

Joanna sighed and leaned her head back to gulp down some more beer. "Ace let my

brother go this time, but he might not be as generous the next time. Honestly, I’m just

wondering if there’s a way for them to let bygones be bygones. It’ll be for the best if they end their rivalry and become friends instead."

"Are you kidding?" Chase’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head. "My boss holds a deep grudge against Ace. Not killing each other is already generous, but you want them to become... friends? Even if there was an apocalypse and they were the only two people left on Earth, it wouldn’t happen!"

"I don’t know why Quinton hates Ace so much, but I think it’s more than just a conflict of interest. There has to be something that I’m unaware of, right?" Joanna asked Chase bluntly, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer. In her opinion, Chase probably knew most

of Quinton’s secrets since he knew him the longest.

If Joanna wanted to resolve the grudge between Quinton and Ace, she had to find out what was troubling Quinton.

"Er..." Chase shook his head, then said helplessly, "He won’t let me say."

"But I’m his sister! We’re bound by blood. I’ll keep it a secret and pretend not to know, I promise." Joanna nodded eagerly.

"Hah... Miss Pierce, please don’t make things difficult for me. This secret pains him more than the scar on his face, so we should just let it be. There’s no point in reopening old wounds."

"But this wound will only get worse. How long does he plan to hide it?" Joanna argued stubbornly.

"This..." Chase leaned back in his chair, looking around guiltily.

"If this really is the thorn in his side, I need to see his wound before I can treat it." Joanna looked at Chase imploringly." You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? His actions are often extreme, impulsive, and even twisted. If he keeps fighting Ace, one of them will be sacrificed one day, and that’s not something I want to happen."

"I agree with you, I don’t want unnecessary death either. I want this rivalry to end too,"

Chase said hesitantly.

"Then tell me, Chase. What’s been troubling my brother?" Joanna asked, gripping Chase’s arms earnestly.