The Bride Ran, So I Wore Her Crown and Married the Valley's Don novel · Chapter 4 of 24
Chapter 4: The Packing House
On Thursday he took me to the packing house, so that the Valley could see me beside him.
It stood on the rail spur outside Selma, a long steel building with the Kasparian name painted down the side in red.
Inside it smelled of raisins, sweet and dark, and the noise filled every corner.
Women in hairnets stood along the sorting belts with their hands going, and the belts carried the fruit past air jets that popped out the stems.
Every worker I passed stopped what she was doing and looked down.
My husband walked through them with his hands at his sides and did not look at anyone.
A broad foreman in a canvas apron fell in beside me and spoke into my ear over the machines.
"First time on the floor, Mrs. Kasparian?"
"First time."
"You should have seen it before the flood." He nodded after my husband's back. "Before the flood he'd have broken a man's arm for a late truck. Now he sends flowers."
"Flowers?"
"To the man's wife. Last month a driver rolled a pallet and put himself in the hospital. Flowers, and full pay."
He shook his head.
"Funny thing. He never held a wrench in his life before. Now he can strip a sorter blind."
I would have asked what he meant.
A scream cut through the noise from the third line.
Everyone turned.
A young packer stood at the end of a sorter with her sleeve caught in the feed rollers, and her hand was in up to the wrist.
The whole line froze, and no one went near her.
Keep reading free with an account. Start The Bride Ran, So I Wore Her Crown and Married the Valley's Don from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.
← Chapter 3 · All chapters · Chapter 5 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend