Let’s start all over again,shall we?

Chapter 236 Food Snatcher

Maggie’s eyes shimmered with moisture as she gave a weak smile, shifting the conversation.

Leo shared a similar background with Maggie, yet their paths diverged.

His mother, once Joshua’s mistress, was a fleeting figure that disappeared soon in his life.

She had hoped to manipulate Joshua through Leo, using cunning ways to conceive his child.

But when she tried to leverage the child, Joshua had grown indifferent, showing no interest in the child she had schemed to bring into the world.

The woman’s efforts to manipulate Joshua blew up in her face, resulting in threats, bribes, and finally. expulsion with a stern warning.

This descent into madness left Leo to navigate a childhood marred by abuse.

In her rare moments of clarity, she’d shower him with maternal affection, but in her darker times, she’d unleash verbal and physical torment upon him.

Raised without a father and in such tumultuous conditions, Leo forged a resilient and hardened shell,

Yet, he quickly learned that sheer strength wasn’t enough without a solid support network by his side.

Hence, the lad who once frolicked in the mud mastered the art of projecting the image of a model. student, at least on the surface.

He realised that by adopting the persona of a courteous and capable individual, he could earn trust effortlessly, bypassing the necessity for physical confrontation.

Experiencing the dark side of human behaviour from an early age, he cultivated a frostier demeanour, seamlessly merging it with his natural aloofness.

His interactions were always polite, never condescending, yet his true essence remained veiled. He observed others discreetly, responding to provocation with calculated ferocity.

Similar to Maggie, he was thrust into maturity ahead of his time, relegated to the role of a supporting

character.

every gesture of affection exacted a toll.

mind of the moments when Maggie had been his

that seemed

trouble?” she asked, a touch of exasperation

bristled at her interference, pushing her away as he struggled to stand amidst the pool of blood, snapping. “Stay out of it, just leave me be.”

he found her naivety and acquiescence irksome.

236 Food

into a cold

she observed. She commented, “Stubborn

of sweat trickling down

determined girl knelt before him, her eyes bright and unflinching, undeterred by

they prefer in orphanages?”

mute, the torment of his fractured bones engulfing his mind.

sensible ones. They won’t even feed bread crusts to children like you,” Maggie declared earnestly.

his eyes shut

from the rest, a girl with a darkness that matched his own, a depth that drew him

teased, holding out

the allure of the hot, fragrant buns, even though he didn’t meet her

the buns in his current condition, but the girl caught on with

a thief. But with a few nice words, I’ll gladly hand them over. I might even

a twig, let alone

Leo quietly tallied how many she devoured. One, two, three. Her pace slowed down, showing

buns, and two remained

might convince her to hand over the last two buns.

every cent in his pocket came from his hard–earned job. He was accused of stealing another’s work and

stomach gnawed

plead for help, but in the blink of an eye, she

Farewell, she/bid politely, yet

her past actions, Leo chuckled softly, marveling at