Chapter 4

Amid the crowd's horrified cries, the van slammed on the brakes, coming to a stop inches from my legs.

"You've got guts! Break one of his legs. Teach him how things work around here," Bennett said.

Under his command, his men closed in around me. With no time even to react, a steel pipe crashed into my back.

A dull thud rang out, and I staggered forward. But before I could steady myself, several burly men lunged toward me and pinned me down hard against the rough asphalt.

The coarse gravel scraped my cheek open, causing blood to trickle down my chin and drip onto the ground.

"Go ahead and call the cops! Weren't you acting like a big shot just now?" Bennett mocked.

He walked over and stomped on the satellite phone I had dropped, shattering it to pieces.

Cecilia stepped forward, crouched down in front of me, and patted my cheek. She laughed so hard that her shoulders shook.

"What happened to your tough act from a minute ago? What about the ten million dollars? Go on, keep talking!"

She turned to shoot a look at Keith, who immediately pulled out a paper and pen. He scribbled out an IOU for 15 million dollars, then slapped it onto the ground in front of me.

"Sign it!" he barked.

Bennett pressed the muddy sole of his shoe against my cheek and said menacingly, "The repair cost for wrecking Ms. Cecilia's car is five million dollars, and another ten million dollars is for emotional damages.

"Sign the note, or I'll slice your tendons out and throw you into a ravine for the wolves to eat!"

Despite the sand and dirt choking me, I coughed twice and spat out the bloody saliva in my mouth. "You're intentionally breaking the law!"

"Intentionally breaking the law?" Bennett scoffed.

He bent down, grabbed my collar, and lifted me halfway off the ground. "Here in these parts, I am the law!"

I coughed harshly. "Seems like it's quite the business you're running. I suggest letting me go while I ask nicely. Otherwise…"

Cecilia let out an exaggerated gasp. "Otherwise, what? Are you going to summon a mighty army?"

She jabbed a manicured finger at my forehead. Her laughter grew increasingly wild as she said, "Benny, stop wasting time with him! The stench here is so strong that I'm about to throw up."

Bennett nodded eagerly. "Right away, Ms. Cecilia!"

He turned around and slammed me back onto the ground, coldly ordering, "Damn it, boys, get to work! If you kill him, I'll deal with the fallout!"

The men surrounding us raised their rusty steel pipes, ready to strike.

Just then, obnoxiously loud EDM music rang out. Cecilia took out her phone, glanced at the screen, then raised a hand to signal everyone to stop.

She turned around and answered the video call, instantly adopting a sugary, fake tone.

"Dad! I ran into a scammer on Summit Highway! He wrecked my car, demanded compensation, and even tried to attack me.

"Luckily, I called Benny. He already subdued the bully!"

On the other end of the video call was William Shaw, a tycoon who dealt with fresh produce in Eastport. He held a purple clay teapot in his hand, and his presence radiated absolute authority.

William, who was currently seated on a plush mahogany chair in his luxurious office, immediately looked furious upon hearing those words.

"How outrageous! Who is the hillbilly who dared to bully my daughter? Turn the camera toward him. I want to see just who dares to disrespect the Shaw family of Eastport!"

Cecilia proudly turned the camera toward me. I was pinned to the ground and covered in blood.

"Dad, look. This is the filthy beggar."

Right when the camera focused on me, I bore with the pain and slowly raised my head. I grinned at William, revealing my bloodstained teeth.

"Mr. Shaw, you've really taught your daughter well," I said in a low voice.

The instant William saw my face, all arrogance vanished from his expression. His eyes widened in disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

He shot up from his chair, knocking over the teacup that was on his desk.

"Let him go! Bennett, you bastard, release him right now!" William roared hysterically through the video call.

"All of you, stop! Don't touch him! I'm chartering a flight right now and going over immediately!"