Chapter 86

"Marguerite, I know the slums well. I grew up there. I can be your guide," Nancy said once they were back in the car.

Marguerite would never have guessed Nancy came from such a place. She smiled. "Okay, thank you!"

She'd always known that Northpine had a slum district—a remote area where the city's poorest residents were concentrated. She remembered going to an orphanage there with her parents as a child to donate money. But with the economy booming, in the year 2025, she was surprised it still existed. Logically, as society developed, so should that area.

Then again, this was the world of a novel.

The moment they crossed into the slum's territory, it felt like they had entered a world completely cut off from the rest of Northpine. It was filthy and chaotic, with dilapidated buildings and a foul smell hanging in the air. Homeless people begged on the street corners, and tough-looking guys on motorcycles tore through the streets.

Two of them whistled at Marguerite. "Hey, gorgeous," one of them drawled, "hop on, I'll give you a ride you'll never forget."

Nancy, who usually had the sweet demeanor of the girl-next-door, instantly transformed. She shrugged off her blazer, rolled up her sleeves, and her entire expression hardened.

"Why don't you go screw yourself? Say one more word and I'll cut your balls off!"

Marguerite's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly realized that any girl who could make it out of a place like this and land a job at a major corporation couldn't possibly be a pushover. In places of poverty, meek girls didn't stand a chance.

The hooligans, who had assumed the two girls would be easy targets, were taken aback by the ferocity of her response. They exchanged a look and sped off.

Hidden in the shadows nearby, two large men relaxed the fists they had been clenching.

"Nancy, that was amazing!" Marguerite said with genuine admiration.

Nancy instantly reverted to her sweet self, her dimples reappearing as she smiled. "Sorry you had to see that, Marguerite. You have to be aggressive with guys like that, or they stick to you like flies on filth."

"This way," she said, pointing down a narrow alley at a fork in the road.

Marguerite, who had been looking at the street signs, noticed Aaron's address was likely at the far end of the main road. "Oh, is this a shortcut?"

"No," Nancy replied. "I'm a very sympathetic person, and I probably know some of the people begging on that mam road it see them 11 feel obligated to give them money, so it's better if we just take a detour."

Marguerite was speechless.

She followed Nancy through a labyrinth of twisting alleyways.

"It looks a lot better here now than it used to," Nancy explained along the way. "It

was much worse before. At least now, any kid who wants an education can get one."

"Where does the money come

from?" Marguerite asked. There were hundreds of thousands of

people living in poverty here

with a

significant number of children who couldn't afford schooling beyond the mandatory nine years.

“Mr. Spencer set up a charity fund here," Nancy said with a smile. "Any student who wants to continue their education can apply. The fund covers all their living expenses and tuition."

“I was able to go to high school and university because of that fund.”

“George?” Marguerite was surprised. She knew he was involved in philanthropy, but she hadn't realized his reach extended here.

Nancy nodded. "Yes. I heard he used to live in this slum, but I don't know if that's true."

Marguerite's long, curled lashes fluttered. Her image of George grew even grander. After achieving success, he had truly dedicated himself to giving back to society.

She wondered if Aaron's schooling was also funded by his foundation.