Chapter 340: The Price of Caring

He was quiet for a moment, before turning his head away.

"What else could I have come for other than the ledger?"

"I don’t know..." Izumi replied, her tone dropping like that wasn’t what she hoped to hear.

Yohan knew it but he wasn’t going to tell her he cared for her, not when she just made it clear that they weren’t even friends.

What else was he to say after that?

"In that case you have no other business here, so you should leave" she said firmly.

"Already planning on it," Yohan replied nonchalantly.

He didn’t even bother to look at her and it only made her blood boil.

"Jerk..." she muttered as she pushed open the car door.

Yohan watched as she slammed it and walked away.

’I can’t believe she actually said I’m the same as that bastard’ he sighed and started the car.

He was just about to drive off when he remembered that Jenna was still back at the village.

"She’d be fine..."

He knew Izumi wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her,

’she would just have to find her way back’

He stepped on the gas and turned the wheel.

They already made it clear that they didn’t want him around so there was no reason to hang around for a second longer.

This brief journey had left him with a lot to think about.

He didn’t want to admit it but he had definitely become far more prone to violence since he began using the book.

It wasn’t always his fault, and it was mostly to protect the people he cared about, the only cause of concern was the fact that he felt comfortable with beating people up.

He had never lost a wink of sleep over it.

’Maybe I’m just built like that...’ he let out a small chuckle.

He tried to lift the mood but he just couldn’t force it. The problem with the woman from the city hall only made him even more bothered.

Somehow the drive back felt quicker due to the endless thoughts floating inside his head.

Now that he had the ledger, he didn’t even know what to do with it. It was another reason for concern because he just couldn’t hand it over to the police commissioner and the mayor.

At the same time, keeping it hidden didn’t seem like the best idea.

He made it back home right when the first crack of sunlight poured through the sky.

"Finally..." he sighed as he collapsed on the couch.

"I should try to get some sleep before heading out..." he was already dozing off as he mumbled the words.

Vivian came out to find him sleeping peacefully, she could tell he was tired so she didn’t want to disturb him.

She prepared for work and was just about heading out before gently shaking him awake.

"Yohan, you should go sleep inside..."

His eyes shot open,

"What time is it?" He asked with urgency in his voice.

"Past ten, but I don’t think you should go to work today. You seem very tired..." Vivian gently rubbed his arm.

"No, I have to go to the City Hall," he was already getting up.

The woman had instructed him to come first thing in the morning so he didn’t want to take any chances.

"City Hall? Why are you going down there?" Vivian wondered.

"It’s not that important," he forced a smile that did little to convince her.

From his reaction alone, it was obvious something was going on, but Vivian didn’t know if it was in her place to press further.

She wasn’t his mother, or his wife... in fact she didn’t even know what she was to him anymore.

"Okay..." her gaze shifted for a moment, "There’s breakfast on the table so try to eat before leaving,"

She couldn’t tell why she was so concerned about his well-being, or if she had always cared this much.

It was very different from what she felt for husband yet she couldn’t help but compare the two.

She quickly stopped thinking about it before she was forced to admit something to herself. It didn’t really matter because she already knew the truth, she had fallen completely for him.

’He is young but far more competent than any man I have ever met’

As she stepped out of the house she imagined if it would really be weird to be married to him.

’He’s your daughter’s age... what are you thinking?’

Even though women around the world did things like this all the time, she couldn’t bear to think of what people would say.

"Leaving your husband for his nephew..."

Just saying it out loud felt wrong in a number of ways, even as she tried to convince herself that they were both adults.

But at the same time it made her feel a tingle in-between her legs.

Yohan headed out shortly after, he wiped the food from the side of his mouth as he hopped inside his car and headed for the city hall.

On his way he made sure to stop and withdraw the money the woman had requested.

Looking at the fifty thousand in cash, he almost turned the car around but with gritted teeth he grabbed the money and headed inside the building.

City Hall sits in the middle of the city, six stories of gray limestone stained black under every ledge. Wide stone steps lead up to tall bronze doors. Inside, the lobby has a yellowed marble floor, a brass directory board, and a long counter behind glass.

He approached the counter,

"I’m to see Jennifer Davis,"

"She’s currently in a meeting so take a seat and wait for a bit," The male clerk only took one glance at him before returning his attention back to the monitor.

’He didn’t even bother to get my name’

Yohan sighed and went to join the other people seated at the lobby, there were a number of them so he was sure he would have to spend all morning here.

"Yohan?" Emily Michael called out to him as she spotted him. She approached him cheerfully making everyone that knew who she was follow with their eyes.