Chapter 246: A Real Treasure
"Indeed, it's rare to see such high-quality growth. Each of these plants is at least six feet tall. This isn't grass anymore—it's basically a forest. Just one of these could sell for several thousand," Frank said as he walked up to a tall, vibrant plant and ran his fingers over its lush leaves.
"So, what are you planning to do with all this?" Frank turned to ask.
"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I've never tried selling this much before," Kevin replied.
"No. Absolutely not. We can't sell any of it. It all needs to be destroyed," Veronica cut in before Kevin could finish.
"Wait, what? Destroy all of it?" Kevin asked in disbelief.
"Baby, this isn't a little weed stashed in an ashtray where we get pulled over and talk our way out of it. This is cartel-level stuff—we're talking about the kind of sentence that'll get you sixty years."
"If we process all of this, we're looking at hundreds, maybe thousands of pounds. If anyone finds out—"
"And don't forget," Veronica shot Kevin a sharp look, "I'm a Black woman in America. I'm not risking prison for this."
"This all needs to be handled. Gone. Cleaned out by tomorrow. I'm not messing around," she declared firmly.
"It's a damn shame to just burn it all," Anfisa remarked.
"It really is. So just give it all to me," Frank said, an idea sparking in his mind.
"What?" Everyone turned to look at him.
"Since you're going to destroy it anyway, hand it over. Forget the power bill—I'll throw in twenty grand. No, make that fifty. I'll pay fifty grand and take the whole lot. Think of it as me buying out the entire inventory," Frank said.
This was a goldmine. With quality like this, a single plant could go for ten grand. And there were hundreds of them.
At fifty thousand dollars, Frank wasn't just buying wholesale—he was practically robbing them blind. Even a professional scammer wouldn't push margins like this.
"That's not a small number," Veronica said cautiously.
"You don't need to worry about anything else. I guarantee no one will trace this back to you. No one will know you were growing it," Frank assured them.
"Alright then. It's all yours," Veronica finally said.
Truth be told, the stash was worth way more than fifty grand—easily into six figures. But since they were planning to burn it anyway, getting fifty thousand was like free money. Veronica understood the value of knowing when to cut your losses and walk away.
"That girl... she really is a treasure," Anfisa said, watching Ethel carefully water one of the plants.
"Yeah. A real treasure," Frank nodded, looking at her with newfound admiration.
Ethel had grown up in a cult—abused by the cult leader and forced to give birth to a child at just thirteen. After the cult was dismantled, she was taken in by Kevin and Veronica.
Having never attended school and raised in such a warped environment, Ethel lacked basic life knowledge and thought very differently from most people. But she excelled at one thing: planting and gardening.
In the cult, she spent most of her time doing chores and growing vegetables. Her farming skills were maxed out. What might seem like a basic ability turned out to be an incredible asset when applied to cultivating these plants.
In the hands of someone with a plan, Ethel was a literal gold mine—a human printing press for cash.
To put it bluntly, Ethel was on the same level as Walter White.
Kevin and Veronica had truly struck gold by taking her in—it was fate.
"You two haven't officially adopted her yet, right?" Frank asked.
Kevin and Veronica had taken Ethel in under a foster care program. Just like how Debbie had been taken in by that old lady a while back, the government provided money to support these kids.
At first, Veronica's motivation was financial—using the system to earn a bit by fostering kids. It was a survival tactic. Poor people had to hustle however they could.
But unlike some heartless foster parents, Kevin and Veronica genuinely cared for Ethel. Especially Kevin—he doted on her like she was his own flesh and blood.
"No, not yet. Why?" Veronica replied.
"You should adopt her," Frank said.
"Adopt her?" Veronica was surprised. She didn't expect Frank to bring that up.
"If you don't, I will," Frank added, glancing at Ethel. It was a sudden, instinctive decision.
He had always liked Ethel—she was obedient, sweet, and nothing like the wild brats in his own house. Now that he'd discovered her talent, he was even more drawn to her potential.
"No way! Ethel is my daughter," Kevin said quickly, before Veronica could respond, clearly panicking at the idea of someone trying to take Ethel away.
"I could adopt her legally, but still let her live with you. Think about it," Frank offered.
If someone—like a blood relative—petitioned for custody, Kevin and Veronica couldn't legally stop them. Only through formal adoption could they secure full legal rights and make sure no one else could take her.
With adoption, Ethel would be legally theirs. At most, others might get visitation rights.
"We'll talk about it at home," Veronica said, pinching Kevin to stop him from saying something rash.
After chatting a bit longer, Anfisa left to run the bar while Frank, Kevin, Veronica, and Ethel stayed behind to deal with the entire basement full of plants.
It took them a whole day to clean up the place—bagging everything up. And that was just the beginning. There was still a lot more to handle.
"Don't grow any more of this stuff in the building," Frank said once the basement was cleared.
The electricity for the grow lights had come from the bar's power supply. A $9,000 electric bill was bound to raise eyebrows. Frank had plans to use the bar to launder money—discretion was key. Things like this couldn't happen again.
"Right, right. We won't grow anything else," Veronica quickly answered, cutting Kevin off with a sharp look.
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