Ronan chuckled, shedding the chilly aura of his daytime persona, Bennett. "No need to worry. He won't give up that easily. He's been itching to make a move. Think about it, a big juicy steak almost within reach and then snatched away? He won't rest until he's had a bite."
"That's for sure!" I laughed, all too familiar with the tenacity of the Dawsons.
Ronan went on, analyzing the situation for me, "Especially with the current situation, as soon as he sets foot back in Goldenvale Town, he'll be bombarded with troubles. With all these pressures bearing down, he'll be thinking it's do or die! And let's not forget, he's got a plan B up his sleeve!"
Of course, I knew Ronan was talking about Irving.
"You're right, he's still got that ace, Irving!" I couldn't help but snicker, "Poor Irving, he's about to get hit with some bad luck too!"
"Maybe he'll try to strike a deal with me." Ronan seemed to have Jaylan's next moves down to a science. He continued, "In his mind, having Irving equates to owning a factory. That's a bargaining chip for him, and even without the mess with Hazel, he'd be desperate to get back to the city to scheme with Irving!"
I said with confidence, "Then I'll swoop in and take Irving off the board in one fell swoop. Nobody's getting out of this free."
I might have sounded a bit too brash, as Ronan looked at me with a hint of admiration.
My heart skipped a beat, wondering if I had been a tad too bold.
"By the way, did Logan tell you? Irving's likely the mastermind behind Janetta's car accident. It could've been him who orchestrated it." I quickly changed the subject to avoid my embarrassment.
"He did! We're digging into the witness statements from back then!" Ronan didn't deny it.
"Ronan, can I ask you something?" I glanced at him, gathering my courage.
He looked at me and shrugged. "Of course!" he claimed, feigning indifference, but his eyes were filled with anticipation.
"Why are you guys helping us?" I asked, "I mean, this is all our private mess!" The real question I was dancing around was, 'Is it because of me?' 'Am I special, and that's why you're helping?'
The anticipation in his eyes flickered and vanished - I hadn't broached the subject he was anticipating.
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