Xo Novel
Chapter 301
Chapter 301
Chapter 301 The Augustine Family's Situation
Inside the helicopter, Brian sat across from Osborne, scrutinizing him.
His eyes danced between disappointment, hope, and skepticism, a whirlwind of emotions flickering beneath the surface.
Osborne, however, maintained an air of calm, allowing the scrutiny to wash over him.
Brian finally broke the silence, his voice steadying. "Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Brian, your uncle. After your father, Allen, passed away unexpectedly, I took on the role of head of the Augustine family."
Osborne smiled faintly, "Actually, I need to correct you on that. Allen isn't my father, and you're not my uncle."
Brian coughed, a hint of irritation creeping in.
"I know that, but this is your current identity. You need to play the part. Otherwise, you won't be able to step into the shoes of the Augustine family heir, and I won't be able to fulfill what the big shot expects of me."
"So, even if it's just for show, you need to call me 'Uncle' and treat Allen like he was your father."
Osborne realized the "big shot" Brian mentioned was likely the Godfather.
He hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Fine, in public, I'll call you 'Uncle'."
Brian visibly relaxed, nodding back.
"The big shot said you could help solve the Augustine family's problems. When I first saw you, I have to admit, I was disappointed. You're so young, and I honestly didn't believe you could tackle the mess we're in."
"But now, I'm a bit more hopeful. You've kept your cool in front of me, and that counts for something. Let's hope you can really help the Augustine family."
Brian sighed, the worry etched on his face.
Curiosity piqued, Osborne leaned in. "Can you fill me in on the situation with the Augustine family?"
Brian paused, taken aback. "You know nothing about it?"
Osborne replied, a hint of exasperation in his tone, "Yep."
"I'm not only clueless about the troubles the Augustine family is facing, but I know next to nothing about the family itself. All I know is that you're an old family, now in decline, almost at the bottom of the nine old families in Dampston. That's about it."Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
Brian's jaw dropped in disbelief.
The helicopter's rotors whipped up a fierce wind, but he barely noticed it.
Disappointment flickered in his eyes once again.
"I thought you'd have a better grasp of the Augustine family's situation. If that were the case, maybe you really could help us, just like the big shot said.
"I didn't expect... Well, let's throw caution to the wind! I don't have many options left anyway. Let me give you a quick rundown of the Augustine family."
"The Augustine family in Dampston has been around for 921 years. In the realm of old families, that's not particularly long. According to records, our ancestors moved to Dampston to escape a war up north."
"At its peak, the Augustine family was definitely among the top three families in Dampston. We had over three hundred direct members and more than five thousand collateral relatives - a pretty sizable old family if you ask me."
"However, over the past century, the Augustine family has gradually fallen from grace. Especially recently, our situation has become dire; we're barely hanging on."
Osborne raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What caused the decline?"
Brian's face flushed with
embarrassment. "Because none of us know how to make money! It seems like the Augustine family just doesn't have the knack for it. Despite being an old family, we've always been the poorest among the old families."
"In the past, things were a bit better. We had a lot of underlings, gangs and powerful families, who would pay us off to keep up appearances and cover our expenses."
"But in the last hundred years, every business venture we've tried has flopped. We've drained our resources, and life for our family members has become increasingly tough. The quality of life has plummeted."
"To be honest, even these six helicopters we're flying around in? We rented them! Just to maintain our image. In short, the Augustine family is broke - poorer than many top-tier families out there."
Osborne stared, with his mouth slightly agape, momentarily lost for words.
After a beat, he shook off his surprise and asked, "What's the latest situation with the Augustine family? Are you facing trouble from other factions?" Brian hesitated, then replied, "Maybe."
"Maybe?" Osborne raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
Brian nodded slowly. "I say 'maybe' because we still haven't figured out what's causing all these incidents."
"The Augustine family's main source of income right now is our luxury cruise line. We've invested dozens of billions of dollars into buying a fleet of fancy ships and launching high-end cruise tours around the globe."
"At first, everything was smooth sailing. Business was booming, and we were raking in cash. For a moment, we thought we'd never have to worry about money again. But then, disasters struck."
"Our luxury liners, packed with
passengers, started experiencing a series of poisoning incidents, injuries, and even attacks by wild animals shortly after setting sail Honestly, it was a nightmare. Not only didn't we make any money, but also had to shell out massive compensation, which only made our already dire situation worse."
We
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"If it had stopped there, we might have managed, but then things took a turn for the absurd. Every time our ships went out to sea, they were hit by pirate attacks. We suffered numerous injuries among our passengers, and our vessels took a serious beating."
"Our escort fleet? They took heavy losses too!"