Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 45: The Deluge

Nancy was taken aback—Barry had moved incredibly fast. Did he really trust her word that much?

The security team worked with ruthless efficiency, quickly sealing off the road leading down the mountain. As the birthday banquet was winding down, other guests had begun their departures and were now stuck in a growing line of cars.

When word spread that Nancy was the reason for the roadblock, the complaints were immediate and biting.

"The weather is perfect! Where is this supposed rain?"

"I bet she’s just bitter about not getting a contract with Mr. Goodman. She’s using that wolfdog’s liking for her as an excuse to overstay her welcome."

"This is ridiculous. I have a meeting with a client at seven-thirty tonight!"

"If she really could talk to animals, the boss would have already paid a fortune to hire her as the dog’s private vet."

Suddenly, the crowd fell silent.

Barry appeared in their line of sight, leading Star on a leash.

Errol, unable to leave to help his youngest grandson, looked grim enough to kill. He slammed his cane against the ground, glaring at Barry. "Haven't you done enough by driving Foster to bankruptcy? Now you’re teaming up with this woman just to spite me?"

The old man’s voice was trembling with rage.

Barry adjusted his cufflinks with methodical calm, not even bothering to look up. "Foster?" He let out a soft, mocking laugh. "You give him far too much credit. The profit from a measly twenty-million-dollar contract..." Finally, Barry looked up, his eyes cold and vacant. "...wouldn't even cover the maintenance fees for one of my yachts."

Errol gripped his cane tighter. "Fine, you’re successful, you’re high and mighty, and you look down on everyone. But for Foster, this was his chance to prove himself to me. This was his way of showing respect!"

Nancy was speechless. The old man was exactly like Chandler—totally incapable of seeing reason. He casually dismissed a three-hundred-million-dollar contract from his eldest grandson while treating him like dirt, yet he was falling all over himself to be a guarantor for a loser who had squandered a fortune.

Facing the hysterical Errol, Barry offered a flat response. "Suit yourself. I simply don't want anyone involved in a Goodman event to meet with an accident. It's bad for the family image."

With that, Barry began making calls to coordinate the emergency response for the storm and landslide.

In that moment, the sparrows inside Nancy’s carrier began to chirp frantically. Nancy immediately quickened her pace back toward the villa. As she passed Barry, who was still on the phone, she paused.

"Miss, the storm is approaching fast! The air is getting even more humid!"

Thinking quickly, she thrust the large black umbrella she was holding into Barry's arms.

Ignoring his startled expression, Nancy blinked and said urgently, "Now! It's going to rain any second. Get back inside as soon as you're done with your calls. And don't you dare let my precious Star get wet!"

With that, Nancy took off running. The heavy umbrella would have only slowed her down; her best bet was to outrun the storm.

Barry stared at the umbrella in his hands, a flicker of emotion passing through his cold eyes. He watched her retreating figure with a complex gaze.

Above them, the sun was still shining brightly. To the shock of everyone watching, Barry actually opened the umbrella.

Using an umbrella on a sunny day? Has that woman put a spell on him?

Once Barry finished his calls and confirmed all routes were secured, he turned back toward Critters Villa.

At that exact moment, a sudden crack of thunder tore through the clear sky.

In the blink of an eye, the sky turned a bruised, heavy grey.

A torrential downpour slammed into the earth without warning. Raindrops pelted everyone’s faces like hail. It was as if someone had blasted a fire hose from the heavens.

Those who had stepped out of their cars to watch the drama were drenched instantly. Water cascaded off their chins as they screamed and scrambled back into their vehicles.

Errol stood frozen in the middle of the storm, his white hair plastered to his forehead. He watched Barry disappear into the curtain of rain, his hand trembling on his cane. It was only when Lincoln hurried over and forced him back into the car that he finally moved.

By the time the guests managed to flee back into the main banquet hall of Critters Villa, they looked like drowned rats.

Nancy, meanwhile, was wrapped in a plush blanket, curled up on a sofa by the window, quietly watching the rain. She sipped hot floral tea and elegantly enjoyed a plate of afternoon sweets.

The butler had even prepared a resting spot for the squirrels and sparrows—a flower basket lined with soft fleece. The little creatures were happily rolling around in it.

The guests, on the other hand, were a pathetic sight. They huddled in the corners of the hall, expensive evening wear clinging to their bodies and makeup smearing across their faces like a messy palette. The socialites' carefully styled curls now hung like limp seaweed, dripping onto the floor.

Even the birthday boy himself, Mr. Errol, had lost every bit of his earlier radiance. He was practically carried inside by his driver.

Seeing Nancy so relaxed, with a squirrel perched on her shoulder casually nibbling a pine nut, the room was filled with a thick, suffocating wave of embarrassment.