Chapter 72 Chapter 72

"I reckon you're waiting for me because there's no one else around here," Puller said. Trent was wearing dark slacks and an open-necked white shirt, and held a cigar in one hand.His face was flushed, and the superficial blood vessels around his large nose were swollen.Puller smelled alcohol as he approached him. "Are you sure you can still drive this thing around in your current state?" Puller asked. "What's my status?" "Some would describe it as drunk." "Not so far. My desire for everything is seldom fully satisfied." Puller stared at his stomach and said, "I can see that. Haven't you thought about going to a weight center?"

"You've been picking on me ever since we met." "You're a hard-to-like fellow, Roger." To Pooler's surprise, the other party laughed. "Well, at least you're honest. I know you had lunch with my lovely wife, at Vera Fe-licita." "She invited me, not me." "I didn't say you asked her. But you accepted." "Yes, I accept." "Did you have a good talk?" "It was a pleasure to have her company. Did she tell you what happened after lunch?" "Someone put a bomb under your car, and yes, she mentioned it. That's why I'm here. I'm telling you, she had nothing to do with it."

"Thanks, that's a relief." "I'm thinking there's a lot in common between the two of us." "Oh, is it? What's it all about?" "Someone obviously wanted us both dead." "They just called you and I was the one who got the bomb." Trent leaned on his Bentley. "Have you ever wondered why I don't move from here? I could live anywhere, you know that." "Your wife likes Italy, I know that." "That's my wife. I'm talking about me." "Well, yes, I do have some curiosity about it, and I bet you're itching to tell me something. Is it one of those little fishpond complexes that big fish sometimes have? "

"It's not that simple. You know, Puller, I don't need people to like me, I don't think like that. You're in the business of digging coal, you can't get people to like you. I Being willing to be hated is what keeps me alive. I love it, to be exact. At Drake, you know, everyone is against me. I'm a weakling, a rich weakling. In fact The richest here, but still a weakling." "Have you never considered counseling?" Trent laughed again. "I like you, even though I don't know why. Hell, I probably know why. You hate me, too, but you hate me on a different level. You don't hide it from me, not like here Others, they only dared to show that emotion behind my back."

"And your family too?" Trent leisurely exhaled a smoke ring and watched it slowly rise until it disappeared. The chirping of cicadas resounded in the nearby forest. "Probably. Sam can't stand me, and Randy's a queer guy, and it's my money that matters." "One big happy family." "But I don't want to blame people. Remember when I said people were jealous of me? It's true. I bet you're a great soldier, maybe fought in the Middle East and got a row of medals or something." "Is this all your guess?" "I looked up your situation. Yeah, I'm sure it's tough in the Middle East. But let me tell you what a real war looks like. Business is a battlefield, and in order to win, you have to be a Asshole. If you're cotton candy, you can't get to the top of the industry. Or get killed, or get killed. If you don't get to the top, it means you're at the bottom, and most people They all end up at the bottom of their lives."

He flicked the ash from his cigar and put it in his mouth again. "Thank you for your business experience, Roger. Why don't you tell me about your financial crisis now?" His cigar hung down from his lips, and the complacent expression was gone. "What financial crisis?" "You checked me, and I checked you too." "The information you have been given is inaccurate." "Strong, burly ex-Marine is now your bodyguard. By the way, where's he? Now that you've been given death threats, I wouldn't be wandering around here alone. "

"I'm touched by how much you care about me." "But I hear those bankers in New York can't stand your cash-flow troubles." Trent dropped the cigar and crushed it with his foot. "What did Jane say to you? The stupid bitch." Less than three days, that's what Puller had in his hands.He decided to give it a try. "You're in a lot of business, Roger. Besides coal, you also run a natural gas pipeline, don't you?" "So what's the matter?" "please tell me." "There's nothing to tell you." "Are you sure?"

"Totally sure." "It's not good to be in debt, but treason is much more dangerous than that." "Did you take the wrong medicine or something?" "I just wanted to give you some advice." "Why do I have to accept your suggestion?" "Because they came out of good intentions." Trent smiled again. "You're a ridiculous fellow." "No, it's not funny. If things do go my way, you're going to need more Marines to keep you safe." "Are you threatening me?" Trent growled. "You're smart enough to know that the threat is not from me, Roger."

Trent climbed into his Bentley and drove away. Puller has clearly suffered yet another setback.He could only hope that Dickie would report something more useful to him.