Chapter 22: Journey Diego wanted to refute the other party's insolence...

Diego wanted to refute the other party's somewhat arrogant words, but suddenly remembered that it was Mary who first discovered the President and helped him avoid the bullet, so he swallowed the harsh words.

Mary didn't notice his complicated expression, but lowered her head to calculate how much it would cost to buy supplies for the journey.

According to the route shown on the map and their speed, it would take at least two weeks to reach the edge of the desert, no matter how hard they tried. During this time, not only was accommodation not an expense, but food and weather-resistant clothing alone were expenses Mary couldn't afford.

"Um...about the expenses..." Mary stammered, unsure how to politely and gracefully tell him she was currently broke. But to her surprise, Diego readily replied, "I'll cover the expenses until we reach the desert."

Before I could be shocked, Diego quickly added, "After I get the money, I will deduct your expenses from your $100,000."

It is true

Mary felt relieved, as long as she was not allowed to take orders and make money midway.

The two did not communicate with each other anymore, but rushed to the market.

Then Mary learned what real bargaining is.

"Oh, sweetheart. Although you are beautiful, your goods are really not worth the price."

"Don't be ridiculous, man. Your kettle is of shoddy quality. If I wasn't in a hurry to use it, I wouldn't even take a second look at it."

Mary watched Diego's prowess from behind, a wave of admiration rising in her heart as she saw him bargain down a two-dollar kettle to a nickel. When he was working as a maid at Johnny's, she hadn't been aware of this. She'd just paid whatever the other person asked. Now that she thought about it, it was a waste.

Following Diego's example, Mary picked up a riding whip and asked the owner, "How much is this?"

The man yawned lazily: "One dollar."

"It's too expensive, can you give me a discount?"

"You call this expensive?!" the sleepy man yelled, "Ma'am, do you still have a conscience? Look at the quality of this whip! If it were sold in a department store, it would be worth five dollars. You really don't know the value of it!"

Without speaking immediately, Mary recalled Diego's expression and tone when he bargained, and at the same time manipulated her facial muscles to replicate that feeling.

"I'm telling you, you're blowing your own trumpet!" The stall owner frowned in disdain at the woman before him, his tone contemptuous. "This shoddy workmanship doesn't even qualify for sale in a shopping mall. Three cents, will you sell it?"

The stall owner naturally wants to sell

As Mary walked towards Diego with a whip in hand, the man in front of her said in an ambiguous tone, "You have a strong learning ability."

He observed the entire process and discovered that Mary had an absurdly strong ability to imitate. Although he didn't know if this could be used, Diego silently took note of this incident.

After tying the supplies to the horse, Diego took a long step and jumped on the horse: "Let's go!"

"Okay." Mary followed closely.

The two of them officially set off, following the map all the way. During the journey, they only had each other for company, and after a few days of getting along, they became irresistibly familiar with each other.

For example, Mary thinks Diego is a beast in the skin of a nobleman. He hates waste in his heart and will never leave any food just because it tastes bad. He also despises Mary's picky eating behavior.

He ate without much grace, but with remarkable speed, and whenever Diego devoured a meal before her, Mary would have a vision of a wolf gnawing on a bone.

He could sleep in the open air and endure the fatigue and boredom of a long journey. His hard work and perseverance far exceeded Mary's expectations.

Diego actually thought Mary was a bit of a freak. She seemed completely insensitive to hunger and thirst. His water bottle was often empty, while Mary's was still full. Almost every day, Diego would take Mary's water bottle to replenish his water and even consume most of her rations. Yet, even under such intense travel conditions, Mary remained energetic and unfazed.

They had been traveling for seven hours today. Diego wiped the sweat from his head and looked down at the map.

"There's a small town about fifteen kilometers away where we can replenish supplies." He quickened his pace and said to Mary.

"I see."

"Are you a taciturn person? You only say one thing after I say one thing?"

"You're too talkative."

"What did you say?!"

"I was wrong."

“Tsk!”

This kind of conversation had been repeated countless times, and Mary really couldn't understand where Diego got so much to say. He chattered non-stop every day, sometimes boasting about his horse racing glory, sometimes complaining about the quirks of the upper class, sometimes talking about his million-dollar inheritance, and sometimes even telling jokes that Mary couldn't find funny.

"Are you naturally so aloof?" Diego asked. "Don't your parents have a headache about your social problems?"

“I don’t know…” Mary shook her head. “I don’t know if it’s innate.”

Diego raised an eyebrow and repeated Mary's words with interest: "Don't know? Your answer is beyond outrageous."

"But I really don't know." Mary's voice was so soft, so soft that it seemed to float away in the wind. This was also the first time Diego saw the woman beside him show a helpless expression.

She was riding a gray horse and wearing dark clothing, looking completely out of place in the lush forest. Like a figure from a dark painting, cut out and deliberately pasted into a fairy tale illustration. Even though the look was fleeting, Diego inexplicably remembered the scene.

"Have you ever considered it was Fanny Valentine's doing?" This thought suddenly struck Mary's mind, and her eyes widened in disbelief. The man beside her began to analyze the situation methodically, "I don't know how you and the president met, but I do know that those in power like quiet yet capable people like you. Were you born this way, or was you trained by the president? I think it's the latter."

This sentence made Mary silent for a long time. She bit her lip anxiously and then started picking at her fingers. This restless state continued until they arrived at their destination.

It was getting late, so the two of them found a random hotel to stay in. Since Diego was paying, Mary accepted their request to share a room.

"You agreed quickly." Diego laughed strangely in his throat: "You do this so often, are you used to it?"

"Pretty much. For a while, I was Fanny Valentine's personal guard," Mary explained. She had wanted to say that she didn't think Diego posed any threat, given his skills. But her instincts told her that Diego would be furious.

Diego's frown relaxed, but he didn't reply. He walked straight upstairs, Mary following silently behind him. They entered the room one after the other, Diego showering first while Mary packed up their supplies. They only had three days' worth of rations left, and not much water either. They wouldn't be able to buy supplies on the road ahead, so they had to stock up in this small town. Oh, and going into the desert would definitely require goggles and a hat, which would also cost a lot of money.

It was unclear if Diego's money would allow them to buy all these things. He had always been frugal, except for being generous with his horse. Mary had no idea how much money he had left.

Does she need to find a way to make some extra money?

While Mary was thinking about how to make money, Diego had already come out of the shower, his body emitting steam and heat.

He sat frivolously beside Mary, his wet hair plastered to his cheeks, making him look even sexier than usual. Drops of water rolled down the ends of his hair and dripped onto the back of Mary's hand. He leaned in close to Mary but said nothing, his rich, vibrant features reminiscent of a cunning fox.

"DIO, you're so handsome." Mary tried to imitate Manden's compliments: "You're the most handsome boy I've ever seen."

"A boy?" Diego frowned in dissatisfaction. He clamped Mary's chin and deliberately closed the distance between them. "You actually said I was a boy?"

Although she knew Diego was an adult, he was still only eighteen. Compared to Manden Tim, he was indeed more impulsive and impulsive, and sometimes a little childish. But since he was angry, Mary quickly changed the subject: "You are the most handsome man I have ever seen."

Diego's pupils contracted for a moment, but then calmed down in an instant.

"Boring woman." He released Mary's jaw, turned and walked to the bed next to him, wiping his hair with a towel.

Mary didn't bother with the moody man before her. She carefully checked the room inside and out, and only after she found no danger did she enter the bathroom to take a shower. As the warm water washed over her skin, she prayed quietly to the sound of the water before she began to clean herself.

Is Johnny okay now? Although he'd been in contact with her, he knew nothing about it. The President probably wouldn't give him any hardship. But would her sudden departure have hurt him? If she really did get the $100,000, would Johnny be willing to live with her in another country?

Fani Valentine had clearly agreed with her not to interfere in her life, so why did he suddenly appear this time? Was there something big going on that she needed to deal with?

Will Diego really keep his promise?

She doesn't know

Looking at the dagger on the sink that was once stained with countless blood, Mary finally looked away.

When she came out of the shower, Diego was already asleep in bed. He was a hundred times cuter when he was quiet than when he was awake.

Mary tucked the quilt in for him before she lay down on her bed and fell asleep. Just as Mary's breathing became soft and long, Diego opened his eyes, and there was no trace of sleep in them.

He observed the woman with her eyes closed in the moonlight. Her skin looked like a high-end pastry, its soft whiteness evoking a strong desire to destroy. Her lips weren't as vibrant as those of other women her age, but a very pale pink. Yet, this bland color held Diego's gaze fixed on it.

Someone who is neither arrogant nor pretentious... For some reason, this sentence suddenly flashed through his mind.

But so what? If someone could offer him the price he wanted, he would sell Mary. His life goal was to stand at the top of society, and everything else was insignificant.

After taking a last look at Mary, who looked peaceful, Diego turned over and fell asleep.

The next day, they woke up on time. After quickly packing themselves up, Diego gave Mary some money and told her to buy dry food for ten days, while he went to look after the silver bullets and fetch water.

Mary simply took the banknote and quickly got the job done.

As she was walking back, she saw Diego walking towards her with two horses.

"Is every kettle filled?"

"Are you questioning my ability to do things?"

"Just checking."

Knowing that he would never hear the words he wanted from Mary, Diego quickly jumped on his horse and said, "Hurry up, we don't have much time. If Lilith leaves the desert in the meantime, we will lose her again."

"Yes." Mary mounted her gray horse, and the gentle mare began to gallop. For the next week, they had a smooth journey until the eighth day, when they encountered a downpour.

"Fuck!" Diego cursed in the sudden heavy rain.

Mary also found it a little strange. This place had already transitioned from forest to desert. Normally, there would be no heavy rain. Moreover, there were no tall forests here, only shrubs that barely reached their waists. How could they find shelter from the rain?

Mary had to stand on horseback and look around hard, and finally saw the dilapidated house in the southwest.

"Follow me!" Mary shouted, and the horse began to run according to its owner's wishes. Diego followed closely behind and soon arrived at the abandoned house.

Leading their horses into the house, they found the conditions inside were just as bad as they had imagined, with leaks everywhere. Without prior agreement, both parties began to fill the holes with whatever was left in the house.

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