The relentless autumn storms had finally broken over Los Angeles. Weeks of typhoons and torrential rain had washed the city clean, transitioning the weather so abruptly that it felt as if summer had bypassed autumn and plunged directly into winter.
"Bang."
Rising from a concealed vantage point on a desolate hillside, Hunter swiftly stowed his customized sniper rifle back into his System Inventory. He didn't even bother to look through the scope at the morning jogger bleeding out two kilometers away.
He pulled a heavy motorcycle from his inventory and vanished into the thick morning fog.
Three hours later, Hunter was behind the wheel of a brand-new pickup truck, pulling into his fortified farm in Pomona.
"I'm back!" Hunter called out warmly.
He stepped out of the truck, his arms loaded with heavy grocery bags packed with premium food. A few hours of cold, calculating work had just netted him a smooth 1.6 million dollars. Naturally, he was in a fantastic mood.
The rhythmic clopping of hooves immediately answered his call.
Two young girls, both roughly the same height, came riding down a dirt path on a pair of Quarter horse ponies.
"Hi, Hunter!" the girl on the lead pony called out.
It was Mindy.
"Hey, Mindy," Hunter replied, smiling at her before glancing at her companion. The second girl was Mathilda, and a rare, genuine smile was just fading from her lips.
Ever since Damon and Mindy had relocated from the gritty streets of New York to the West Coast, their lives had fundamentally changed. It had taken Big Daddy a long time to adjust to the tranquil, slow-paced life of a California farm owner.
Mindy, on the other hand, had adapted instantly. She absolutely loved it here.
She was enrolled in a local Pomona school, with Damon driving her back and forth every day. The academic pressure was light, and she had over a thousand acres of private land to explore.
Hunter and Telly had spoiled her relentlessly. They bought her ponies, hunting dogs, beautiful clothes, and even the Barbie dolls she had always secretly wanted. Whenever she had asked for those things in the past, Damon had only given her looks of profound disappointment until she stopped asking.
Most importantly, Mindy had finally made a real friend her own age.
She and Mathilda were practically inseparable, spending almost every afternoon together after school.
Perhaps it was the death of Frank D'Amico or the miraculous return of his eldest daughter, but Damon's iron grip had loosened. He still trained Mindy rigorously, but he no longer consumed every second of her life with violence and vengeance. If Mathilda came over to play, or Telly invited her to the main farm, Damon allowed it without complaint.
The Macready family had successfully started a new life.
"Hi, Mathilda," Hunter said, offering a polite nod.
His relationship with Mathilda wasn't particularly warm, but it wasn't hostile either. The girl was incredibly mature for her age and had quickly figured out the intimate, physical relationship Hunter shared with her stepmother, Maggie. That discovery had understandably made her a bit cold toward him.
"You're back," Mathilda replied evenly, though her eyes lingered curiously on the massive grocery bags.
"Keep having fun, but don't ride up the mountain," Hunter warned them both.
"The weather report says it might snow later. Besides, it's Christmas Eve. I expect you both inside soon to help decorate the house."
"Got it!" both girls chorused.
Their eyes lit up instantly, unable to hide their raw excitement.
Both girls had endured miserable childhoods. One had grown up with an abusive, drug-addicted father in a rotting apartment. The other had been raised by a paranoid vigilante consumed by bloodlust.
They had experienced the concept of Christmas before, but only as an empty calendar date. They had never known the warmth of a family coming together to string lights, decorate a tree, and prepare a massive holiday feast.
Seeing the sheer volume of food Hunter had brought back, the girls completely lost interest in riding. They exchanged a thrilled look, turned their ponies around, and sprinted toward the stables.
Chuckling to himself, Hunter carried the groceries into the main house.
The moment he walked through the door, he found a bustling scene. Maggie, Sam, Telly, and Slat were all busy cleaning and decorating the massive living room.
As the passive influence of his System skills deepened over time, the women under his roof had reached a bizarre equilibrium. They all knew Hunter wasn't a loyal, one-woman man. They were fully aware he had other lovers outside these walls.
Yet, their absolute dependency and devotion to him kept any jealousy to minor, fleeting pouts. Lately, Hunter could even gather all of them in the same room for dinner, and they would chat and laugh together like a chaotic family.
"I'm back," Hunter announced, setting the bags on the kitchen counter. "I got all the ingredients."
"I'm going to head up the mountain right now to chop down a proper Christmas tree."
The Pomona compound included vast stretches of private forest, so finding a perfect pine tree wouldn't be an issue.
Maggie and Sam were sweeping the floor, while Telly and Slat were hanging garlands on the walls. They all paused to look at him.
"Go ahead," Telly said with a soft smile. "But make sure you drop by Telly Farm and Sunshine Farm while you're out. Invite Dad, Mindy, and Yen over for dinner. It'll be livelier if we all celebrate together."
Telly Farm was the sprawling property Hunter had purchased for Damon and Mindy, which Damon had stubbornly renamed in his eldest daughter's honor.
Sunshine Farm was the neighboring property Hunter had helped Yen acquire. Ever since Yen secured his temporary green card, the acrobat split his time evenly between the sunny farm and a luxury villa in Los Angeles. He was clearly thriving in his new life.
"No problem!" Hunter agreed easily.
Leaving the women to their decorating, he walked back out the front door, planning to hike up the rear mountain for the perfect pine.
Before he could even take ten steps, his cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket.
He pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID. It was Diana.
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