Chapter 3

Dominic took the card and tossed it to Kevin.

I lay on the ground and struggled to crawl forward as much as I could, exclaiming, "That's the money that I saved up for my mother's medical bills, Mr. Langdon! My mother will die without that money!"

Dominic looked down at me from the tip of his nose. "Whether your mother lives or dies doesn't concern me. This is the fate that you brought upon yourself for daring to steal my money."

I glared at Uncle Steve and Jordan.

"How dare you use my mother's life as a cover-up for your despicable schemes, Uncle Steve? I'll make sure you suffer a fate worse than death!"

Uncle Steve spat at me and sneered, "How dare you curse me, you thief?"

Dominic looked at me and said, "Transfer the money out of his account. Buy some premium seafood with it."

"No!" I roared hopelessly.

I managed to wrench myself out of the subordinates' grasps and lunged at Kevin.

Kevin kicked me square in the chest, sending me soaring six feet away before I crashed against the wall.

Stars exploded in my vision. I felt as if every organ in my body was rattling violently.

Dominic strode over to me, saying, "Since you returned my money to me, I won't kill you, brat. Get out of my sight."

I lay on the floor and watched as Kevin took my card away. My heart felt as if it was being stabbed by countless blades.

Uncle Steve walked over to me and spoke in a hushed voice. "You're still too young to challenge me, Caleb."

I looked up and glared at him. "Where did the 80,000 dollars go?"

"I used it to pay off Jordan's debts, of course," Uncle Steve said with a grin. "Jordan lost 10,000 dollars in Mr. Langdon's casino, so I used his own money to pay him back. An ingenious plan, no?"

My entire body trembled from anger.

"You beasts!" I spat as I pounced on him and clamped my hands around his neck. "Give me back my money!"

Uncle Steve's eyes rolled to the back of his head as I strangled him with all my might.

Jordan rushed over to us and smashed his bat against the back of my head.

My vision briefly blacked out, and I loosened my grip around Uncle Steve's throat.

Jordan kicked me over and over again, shouting, "Fuck you! How dare you hurt Dad? You're just a damned deliveryman! How dare you act out of line?"

I gritted my teeth, refusing to make a sound as I covered my head.

Meanwhile, Dominic's subordinates stood on the sidelines and watched us. No one stepped forward to stop Jordan.

Dominic finally spoke up when my face turned into a bloody mess. "That's enough. I don't want anyone dying on my turf."

Only then did Jordan finally stop beating me, heaving for breath.

Uncle Steve massaged his neck as he glared at me. "Mr. Langdon, not only did this brat steal your money, but he also raised his hand against me. We can't just let this slide!"

Dominic arched his brow and asked, "What do you propose?"

Uncle Steve's eyes flashed. "Although he returned your money, he still hasn't paid the interest that he owes you, Mr. Langdon. According to the rules, he needs to repay you ten times what he stole from you. Thus, he needs to pay you another 800,000 dollars!"

I looked up at him and shouted, "Have you lost your mind, Steve?"

"800,000 dollars?" Dominic asked with a smile. "He's just a deliveryman. How will he pay me such a large sum of money?"

Uncle Steve pointed at me and said, "He can work at your establishments to pay you back. He can work as a dealer in your underground casino. Or he can serve as a punching bag in your underground boxing ring. Essentially, he'll be selling his life to you."

My eyes widened. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Uncle Steve scoffed. "Kill you? You're the one who couldn't keep your hands to yourself!"

"It's not a bad idea," Dominic said while stroking his chin. "Get some paper and a pen, Kevin. We'll have him sign an 800,000-dollar promissory note."

Kevin threw a piece of paper and a pen in front of me. "Sign it."

I tore the paper to shreds and exclaimed, "I refuse! I didn't steal your money!"

Kevin slapped me hard across my face. "I see that you want to do things the hard way."

He pulled out a knife and stabbed it through the back of my left hand.

I screamed in agony as sweat drenched my clothes.

The tip of the knife had embedded itself into the wooden floorboards.

Kevin yanked out the knife, causing fresh blood to spurt from the open wound.

"Are you going to sign the note?"

My body spasmed from the unbearable pain. "I won't…" I mumbled.

Uncle Steve strode over to me and stepped on my wound.

"You truly are stubborn to your core, Caleb. It's fine if you don't want to sign the note. I'll just have to stop by the hospital to have a little chat with your mother."

My eyes widened. "Don't you dare do anything to Mom!"

Uncle Steve grinned. "What are you going to do about it? Your mother's heart is weak. Do you think she can handle the stress if she finds out that you're a thief who now owes Mr. Langdon 800,000 dollars?"

My eyes reddened. "I'm going to kill you, Steve Cutterson!" I roared.

I struggled wildly, but Kevin kept me pinned on the ground.