Chapter 7

After Calvin's emphatic protest, Roxy said nothing more.

Back at the other booth, Sylvia, who'd been eavesdropping the whole time, clinked her glass against Ashton's.

Chuckling, she remarked, "That Calvin sure is trying to act all tough and imposing. Just how desperate is he to show off in front of Roxy? Unfortunately… he's a bit stupid. He probably doesn't even know who he has offended. You've done too good a job protecting Roxy, Ashton.

"Do you know who owns Noir Bar?"

"Nope, and I'm not interested in knowing either," Ashton replied. "All I care about tonight is drinking."

"I'll join you, Ashton. We won't leave until we're drunk!"

Sylvia leaned closer, deliberately letting the air carry the scent of her perfume over to him.

Calvin was still urging Roxy to drink up when, soon, a murderous air loomed over them.

Moe had returned and was now standing behind a muscular man in a suit. He pointed at Calvin and Roxy while saying, "That's them, boss! It's not about me getting slapped. It's because they had no regard for the fact that I'm with you!"

"Gene Larson? Who offended him?" someone exclaimed.

Instantly, half of the people in Noir Bar looked over at Roxy and Calvin. Everyone familiar with the criminal underworld knew the weight the name Gene Larson carried.

Gene had been a top student during his school days and graduated with an impressive SAT score. That was why they called him Gene, which was short for genius.

He was the epitome of a thug in a suit. Relying on his relentless grit and ferocity, he managed to carve out a place for himself among Javonbury's criminal underworld, in spite of the sheer number of established criminal bosses around.

Over a dozen stern-faced men stood behind him, all radiating a murderous presence. It was clear that these men had killed before.

Surrounded by such domineering pressure, Calvin sweated profusely and swallowed hard. He'd never been in a situation like this. His knees were starting to buckle.

Forcing a weak smile, he stuck his hand out and said, "I'm Calvin Emerson of Emerson Group. My father is Frank Emerson."

Calvin wasn't stupid. He knew if he didn't state his family background, he wouldn't get out of this situation unscathed. He couldn't afford to be humiliated in front of Roxy.

Gene simply tugged at his tie and ignored Calvin's outstretched hand.

"Oh, so the son of the Emerson family is here," he said curtly. "Sorry for the poor welcome."

Calvin exhaled in relief. At least Gene seemed to have some manners.

"However, you hit one of my men. How do you intend to settle this score? If word got out about this, it would be a humiliation to me, no?" Gene remarked coolly.

Frowning, Calvin said, "How's this? I'll give him 100,000 dollars to cover his medical bills. Would that work for you?"

"100,000 dollars? Do you think that's all my dignity is worth? Does that mean that if anyone else pushes around one of my men again, they can just smooth things over with 100,000 dollars? If that's the case, who would show me any respect?"

As soon as Gene finished speaking, a murderous chill swept across the bar again.

Alarmed, Calvin stumbled back a step before asking, "H-How much do you want, then?"

He was kicking himself in regret. Why did he even try to act tough in front of Roxy in the first place?

Although his family owned Emerson Group, the company was no longer as influential as it used to be. Apart from that, he wasn't favored in his family either.

The main reason he returned to the country was to marry Roxy and seize the Sloan family's assets so that he could have some clout in his family. Before that happened, he couldn't possibly cause trouble for them!

"Do you think this is about money, Mr. Emerson?" Gene snorted.

"First of all, it's only natural that a beautiful woman catches the attention of a man. Moe here just wanted her number. This is a regular occurrence here in Noir Bar.

"If you guys didn't want to let him have her number, you could've just said so. He might be a bit impulsive, but he's not the type who'd keep badgering her. He certainly wouldn't have forced himself on her either. But what did you do instead?"

Gene's voice turned icy as he continued, "You didn't even bother talking to him properly before you slapped him across the face. That's a blatant attempt to cause a scene on my turf!"

"This is all a misunderstanding. That was never my intention at all! I sincerely apologize for that!" Calvin immediately cowered.

"It doesn't matter what your intentions were, Mr. Emerson. What's done is done, and I demand a proper explanation. This isn't something that can be smoothed over with a simple apology!" Gene declared.

"I won't make things too difficult for you. Here's my proposal. You're going to get on your knees and apologize to Moe before crawling through his legs. Then, you'll let him slap you three times. After that, you'll let this young woman spend the night with him.

"Once that's done, I'll consider this matter settled. What do you say?"

The looming threat in Gene's voice was unmistakable. Calvin felt like he was being crushed under a mountain. His body trembled uncontrollably as he said, "I made a terrible mistake. Could you please show me some mercy and not hold it against me?"

After glancing at Roxy, he continued, "Even if not on my account, then for her sake. My girlfriend is the CEO of Summit Group. You've heard of them before, right? I'm sure you agree there's no reason to blow things up, yeah?"

Gene's hand whipped across Calvin's face, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"You talk too much," Gene said coldly. "Since you don't want to accept my proposal to resolve this matter smoothly, I'll help you. Men, hold him down and make him kneel!"

Two strong men grabbed Calvin, one on each arm, and forced him to his knees. All of his attempts to resist were futile.

"Wait a minute!" Roxy couldn't just stand back and watch any longer. "Calvin was wrong for what he did earlier, Mr. Larson, but he has already paid the price for that. Can't we just end things here?"

She slipped him her business card. "Perhaps we can work together in the future."

Gene glanced at the business card before tossing it aside. "So it's you, Ms. Sloan. I hear Summit Media has signed quite a few celebrities. When are you bringing them to the bar for some fun? It'll help boost my bar's popularity.

"But as for the matter at hand, I'm afraid it's non-negotiable. As their boss, it's my duty to protect my men. I hope you understand, Ms. Sloan."

Roxy's expression turned frosty. She hadn't expected him to show her so little courtesy. Her instinctive reaction was to summon Ashton.

She'd been in similar situations in the past, and it was always Ashton who stepped in to resolve everything for her. Every single time, it ended with the other party apologizing and offering compensation to her.

But that day, she no longer had Ashton by her side.

"Are you forcing me to call the police, Mr. Larson?"

"Call the police?" Gene repeated before guffawing. "Even after setting aside my ties with the local law enforcement, if we simply look at the situation, it was your friend who started the fight. What we're doing now counts as reasonable self-defense."

Roxy bit her lips, unsure of what to do. After combing through her network, she said, "I'm acquainted with Mr. Fergus Chase. Would you be willing to release my friend as a courtesy to Mr. Chase Senior?"

Gene was visibly startled to hear Fergus' name. He eyed Roxy intently and asked out of curiosity, "How did you get acquainted with Mr. Chase Senior?"

"A friend of mine introduced us," Roxy replied.

By friend, she meant Ashton, of course.

She'd scoffed at the idea when Ashton first introduced Fergus to her. But later on, she found out just how powerful he was among Javonbury's underworld. He was the only person she could think of now who could settle this matter.

Gene remained silent for a moment before chuckling. "Since you're acquainted with Mr. Chase Senior, you're free to go, Ms. Sloan."

Roxy exhaled in relief. She was just about to help Calvin off the floor when Gene stopped her.

"I only said you could go, Ms. Sloan. Mr. Emerson here is staying put," he said, his voice firm.

"Save me, Roxy!" Calvin cried out. He didn't want to end up in these men's hands.

"Can't you make an exception, Mr. Larson?"

"My apologies, but nope!" Gene held his ground. "In our world, Ms. Larson, dignity is everything. How will the others view me if I don't make Mr. Emerson pay for what he did today? How's Noir Bar supposed to keep its standing in Javonbury?

"I'll have to trouble you to understand where I'm coming from, Ms. Larson."

Roxy's expression darkened. "Mr. Larson—"

Although she had more to say, Gene pulled a dagger out of nowhere and toyed with it in front of her. "You're a member of the upper society, Ms. Sloan. Naturally, I don't wish to offend you unnecessarily. But we have rules in our line of work, too."

"What are you people going to do?"

"That's none of your concern, Ms. Sloan."

"Save me, Roxy! You can't just leave me behind…" Calvin howled.

He knew what men in the criminal underworld were capable of. If he ended up in their hands, he could very well lose his limbs and even his life! Nothing was off the table for people like them.

Roxy was panicking. She pulled out her phone, but even after racking her brains, she couldn't think of anyone who could step in to resolve this matter.

If she were the one in trouble, she could still get in touch with Fergus or some other influential figure she knew. However, it was Calvin who needed help right now, and he was the one who started the fight…

But most crucially, most of her connections had been gained through Ashton!

After much hesitation, Roxy finally marched straight over to Ashton.

"Did you need something, Roxy? Ashton and I are busy reminiscing about the past together," Sylvia said with a smile as she pressed herself against Ashton.

Roxy's expression was stormy. The physical intimacy between Ashton and Sylvia intensified the discomfort she felt in her heart.

"Ashton! Go and get Gene to let Calvin off the hook!" Roxy commanded.