069 Harrington Manor
The plane landed, and Richard and Steve finally arrived in New York. Standing outside the terminal hall and looking at this city, he felt an air of countless potential disasters.
Good old New York City—it was the darling of Hollywood then and would be the favorite of disaster movies in the future. Whether it was supernatural phenomena or alien invasions, it seemed anyone could easily trample on this city.
Richard was now stepping onto this land as well. He prayed the next few days would give him some peace of mind; he was out to relax on vacation and didn't want to observe any more weirdness from another dimension. He also hoped that while he was away from the small town, no idiot would try to break into his haunted house filled with traps. He didn't want to have to clean up the corpses of strangers when he returned.
Steve's family was already waiting outside the designated airport exit at the agreed time. A lean middle-aged man sat in the driver's seat of a black Jeep, while a graceful woman wearing a fur coat sat in the passenger seat. They both called out to the two of them through the rolled-down passenger window.
They were Steve's parents, and this was the first time Richard had met them.
"Come on in, boys." Steve's mother waved to them. Her smile was warm and cheerful, making it easy to like her.
Steve hopped into the car with Richard, grinning. However, upon seeing his father's flat expression after getting in, he immediately reined in his usual cocky attitude, coughed a few times, and sat down obediently alongside Richard.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Harrington, Mrs. Harrington." Richard's gaze swept over the couple in the front row as he smiled.
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Li. Thank you for being willing to be friends with my good-for-nothing son." Mr. Harrington nodded to Richard, immediately starting off with a cutting remark about his own son.
Steve lowered his head, speechless. He was already used to his father's passive-aggressive tactics.
"Hey, the kids finally have a vacation to spend time with us, what are you saying right off the bat?" Mrs. Harrington expressed her dissatisfaction with her husband. Mr. Harrington gave a dismissive laugh. Seeing she couldn't do much about him, she could only glare and pout before turning back to Richard with a smile. "Richard, welcome to New York. We will definitely show you a good time."
"Thank you, I'm looking forward to it," Richard replied with a composed smile.
As Mr. Harrington drove, he didn't miss a chance to take jabs at his son. Mrs. Harrington initially defended her son by snapping back at her husband, but eventually, seeing she couldn't stop him, she simply ignored her son and showered Richard with warm inquiries.
Richard wanted to laugh seeing Steve's look of utter despair, and in the end, he couldn't hold it back.
On this trip, it seemed Steve was the only one getting hurt.
After a drive of about an hour and a half, Richard and Steve finally arrived at their destination: the Harrington family's villa in a wealthy district of New York.
From the scale of the residence, which resembled a Victorian manor, Richard realized he had still underestimated the Harrington family's wealth and their title as the "Richest in Hawkins." His perspective had simply been too narrow.
"Sorry Richard, the staff were all given time off for the holidays by grandfather. Now the whole big house has to be managed by us, his children and grandchildren. If there's anything lacking in our hospitality, please don't mind," Mrs. Harrington said to Richard with a slight apology just as he got out of the car with his luggage.
Richard smiled slightly. "Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for putting me up and letting me crash here for free these next few days."
"Let's go, Richard. I'll give you the grand tour and introduce you to my cousins." Steve, finally free after getting out of the car, felt liberated. He immediately pulled Richard away, giving neither his mother nor his good friend a chance to chatter further.
"Be careful!" Seeing this, Mrs. Harrington didn't forget to caution her impulsive son.
"Got it!" Steve called back loudly. He slung an arm over Richard's shoulder as they walked into the villa, excitedly pointing out the way.
"The house is huge and the layouts are similar, but if you look closely at the paintings and decorations on the walls, you'll know which hallway you're in."
"This is the first-floor study..."
"This is the butler's pantry..."
"This is the first-floor living room, over there is the kitchen, and that's the dining room..."
It was clear Steve was genuinely happy. Ever since they entered, his mouth hadn't stopped moving as he introduced this and that to Richard. Richard's eyes constantly scanned the winding corridors of the burgundy mansion; it was an impressive and refreshing sight.
They stopped by the fireplace in the living room, where they met more of Steve's relatives: his uncle's and aunt's families, as well as his grandfather and grandmother, with whom Steve was exceptionally close.
After Richard briefly greeted everyone, Steve led him upstairs to drop off his luggage and took him to the guest room where he would be staying for the next few days.
"Hey man, I'm right next door. If you feel bored or uncomfortable staying here, just come find me anytime. We don't have to stay here; we can get a hotel, which might be more relaxing. Anyway, we have money now." Steve felt confident when he spoke; having money he earned himself certainly made him talk with more confidence.
Richard nodded with a light smile. He could tell Steve was speaking from the heart. From the brief meeting with the Harrington family in the living room just now, he sensed that Steve's immediate family didn't carry particularly high status within the clan. Except for Steve's parents and a few cousins he was close to, almost no one else took Richard, the outsider, seriously. The perceptive Richard could even catch a hint of condescension from Steve's uncle and his wife; it was a kind of old-money arrogance.
"Don't worry, I think I'll get along fine with your family." Richard grinned. He didn't actually care about those trivial matters; as long as no one actively provoked him, he wouldn't retaliate.
After all, he believed in treating people the way they treated you—kindness for kindness, and giving back what you get...
Knock, knock, knock.
While Richard and Steve were discussing their plans for the coming days in the room, there was a knock on the door. Steve stopped helping Richard unpack and went to open it.
Two siblings with auburn hair just like Steve's poked their heads into the room, waving and smiling at the two inside.
"Hi, handsome guys." The girl had a well-proportioned figure, fair skin, bright eyes, and a radiant smile. Her demeanor had a sweet quality to it.
"Oh, Grace, Kyle, awesome that you came by. Come on, Grace, let me formally introduce you to my best friend again. He..." Seeing his aunt's children had arrived, Steve immediately called his cousin over with enthusiasm to introduce Richard, but as he spoke, he found himself stuck.
At this moment, Steve's mind was full of Richard's heroic figure slaying monsters and fighting in The Upside Down. However, due to the non-disclosure agreement with Hawkins Lab, he couldn't mention those things. He could only say awkwardly, "He... look how cool he is! He's a great cook, he can write scripts, and... and he's good at business."
"Hehe, sounds like a very interesting friend. Nice to meet you, I'm Grace." Hearing her cousin's clumsy introduction, Grace didn't mind and instead proactively reached out her hand in greeting.
"Steve was bragging about how beautiful his cousin was all the way here. Seeing you today, it was definitely worth the trip. Nice to meet you, Miss Grace. I'm Richard." Richard shook her hand.
"I'm Kyle." The man standing next to Grace with a gentlemanly smile followed up with his own introduction.
And so, Richard officially met two friends of his own generation in New York.
[Reader Support Milestones]
500 Power Stones → +1 Chapter
10 Reviews → +1 Chapter
Enjoyed the read? Leave a review.
20+advanced chapters on P1treon Soulforger