Chapter 10

Everyone was stunned. No one expected Damian to actually hit Sean. He was the only son of Franklin, the chairman of Franklin Group, and considered one of the four scions in Cloudcove!

To think that Damian hit him! He had to have a death wish.

Even Christine's expression froze in shock.

After clutching his face for a while, Sean finally came back to his senses and exploded in rage. "You fucking dared to—"

Another slap rang out.

"You bast—"

He was hit again.

"You're screwe—"

After yet another slap, Sean finally cupped his face in silence, too afraid to utter another word.

Everyone in the room had frozen in horror as they stared at Damian with fear in their eyes. They didn't expect a country bumpkin like him to be that ruthless, slapping Sean every time he opened his mouth. It was sheer dominance!

Meanwhile, Damian acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He turned to Christine and said, "It's getting late, darling. Let's go home."

He'd figured something out. Christine wouldn't have been crying the way she was if she'd only mistakenly thought he was following her. There could only be one other explanation, and that was Sean.

Therefore, he didn't just slap Sean because Sean had taunted him. He was getting even on Christine's behalf.

Chewing her lip, Christine glanced at Damian with a frown before heading for the door.

"Hold it! No one's leaving!" Lacey abruptly cried out as she blocked the doorway. "Is Mr. Webb supposed to just put up with having taken a beating?"

That brought Sean back to his senses as well. Lacey was right! He couldn't drop the matter, not when he'd been slapped multiple times in public. How was he supposed to maintain his dignity if he didn't settle the score somehow?

Sean quickly backed up to the innermost corner of the room. Once he was certain he was out of Damian's reach, he spat out through gritted teeth, "You're screwed for having the audacity to hit me, Damian! Do you know who my father is?"

Eyeing Sean as if he were an idiot, Damian remarked nonchalantly, "I know it's not me. You should probably be asking your mother that question."

Everyone in the room nearly snickered. Their faces turned red as they tried their hardest not to laugh. All of the tension in the room vanished thanks to Damian's savage comeback.

Sean was so enraged that he almost popped a vein. He wasn't asking a damn question! He was making a threat! Damian wasn't supposed to take the question seriously!

It was such a pain dealing with someone uneducated.

"Fine! Just you wait! I'm going to make you pay for this if it's the last thing I do! Or else, I'll take your last name!"

Shrugging, Damian said with an innocent expression, "Even if you do, that doesn't make me your father. You really should ask your mother about this."

What a bloody bastard!

Sean cursed to himself, but he stopped trying to argue with Damian. Instead, he pulled his phone out and made a call. "Dad, come over quick! Someone's about to beat me to death!"

Once he was done, he began sporting an arrogant expression again. "You're screwed now, punk! My dad will be here soon. Stick around, I dare you!"

Franklin was coming over?

Damian snorted in amusement. What a coincidence it was! Were they going to see each other thrice in a day?

"It's over for you, Damian!" Lacey chimed in with a mocking expression. "Mr. Webb's father is the chairman of Franklin Group! No one in Cloudcove would dare to offend him. He can squash you like a bug! Let's see how you're going to continue harassing Christine from now on."

Christine couldn't help but reveal a flicker of concern. Damian seemed like a complete nobody, but he was such a reckless man. It wasn't going to be easy settling this matter today.

After just ten minutes, a booming voice laced with fury rang out just outside the door, "Who's the bastard who has the nerve to attack my son?"

Franklin came marching into the room with a scowl on his face. Four fearsome men followed close behind. Their imposing arrival seemed to suck all the oxygen out of the air, making everyone else in the room suffocate. Their hearts leaped to their throats. They were too frightened to make any noise.

Thrilled, Sean scrambled to the door and pointed at Damian, saying fiercely, "Dad, you're here! That's him!"

The furious Franklin looked over, but when he saw Damian, his expression changed at once. Within seconds, he broke out in a cold sweat.

It was Damian?

"Hah! You're a cocky bastard, Damian, but no one can save you now!" Sean roared at Damian with a smug look on his face.

However, the moment he finished speaking, Franklin raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

"You shut your mouth!"

Dumbstruck, Sean cupped his cheek and stared at Franklin in sheer disbelief. "W-Why did you slap me, Dad?"

"You should be glad I'm only just slapping you, you foolish bastard!" Franklin growled, his face pale with anger.

What was wrong with Sean, this useless son of his? What had he just told Sean earlier that day?

Franklin had spent the afternoon at the mall groveling at Damian's feet in order to establish a relationship with Damian. Alas, come nighttime, Sean ended up offending Damian. Did Sean have to be so efficient at ruining things? Sean was making things even harder for him!

"Hurry up and apologize to Mr. Luther!" Franklin barked.

Apologize?

Sean was entirely disbelieving. He wanted to tell Franklin to get the record straight. He was the one who got hit, so why did he have to apologize?

"Wait, Dad. I—"

"I told you to apologize!" Franklin bellowed.

The fact that Franklin was genuinely furious made Sean cower in fear. He dared not protest any further. After glaring balefully at Damian, he said with the utmost reluctance, "Sorry!"

"Show some sincerity!" Franklin snapped as he kicked Sean in the butt, making him stumble.

Sean's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He'd never seen Franklin this outraged before. He knew he wouldn't be getting out of this if he didn't give an apology that satisfied Franklin.

He took a deep breath. All he could do was rein in his anger for now. He would get even with Damian some other day.

Turning toward Damian, Sean humbled himself and said earnestly, "I apologize. I was wrong for what I did earlier."

Franklin was finally relieved when he saw how sincere Sean was being. Forcing out a smile, he said to Damian in a humble manner, "Mr. Luther, it is my fault for not teaching him well and allowing him to upset you. For my sake, please forgive him just this once."

Everyone in the room gaped incredulously. None of them could believe what was happening.

Was the mighty and domineering Franklin actually pleading for mercy from Damian? Were all country bumpkins this powerful these days?

"Tell him not to harass my wife anymore, or else, things won't be ending so easily the next time," Damian said curtly.

"Yes, of course!" Franklin quickly nodded in agreement, his forehead sweating again.

He couldn't believe the kind of trouble Sean was capable of getting himself into. To think he was harassing Damian's wife!

Franklin knew he had to discipline Sean properly once they got home. Otherwise, sooner or later, Sean would be the death of him.

Suddenly, a drawling voice rang out from just outside the room, "Oh, my. Things sure are lively here."

The commotion had long since drawn a spectating crowd. Kevin Young, a distinguished young man in glasses, parted the crowd and came into the room.

Sean, who was already up to his ears in anger without being able to release any of it, snapped at Kevin, "Who the hell are you?"

However, Kevin didn't even look at Sean. Instead, he walked straight over to Christine and smiled. "I didn't expect to find such a beautiful woman in Cloudcove. Would you like to have a drink with me, gorgeous?"

Everyone's eyes widened once more.

Who on earth was this guy who was blatantly trying to hit on Christine, a taken woman? Didn't he see the thrashing Sean just got?

Frowning, Christine said icily, "Sorry, but I don't know who you are."

Kevin simply smiled and said to her, "That's not a problem. You'll get to know me once we have a few drinks together."

He reached out to put his arm around Christine's shoulder.

Seeing this, Franklin became excited. Whoever this was, he came at just the right time! Sean had just offended Damian, and Franklin wasn't sure how to make it up to him. Who would've thought that the perfect opportunity to get back into Damian's good graces would present itself right away?

Franklin stepped forward and stood defensively in front of Christine.

Kevin's smile froze before vanishing completely as he demanded with a scowl, "Move!"

Narrowing his eyes, Franklin put on a grim expression and questioned coldly, "Do you know who you're talking to?"

Snorting in derision, Kevin remarked, "Oh? Tell me, then. Who are you?"

Sean came forward and raised his head. With a haughty expression, he declared, "Listen carefully now! My dad is the chairman of Franklin Group! It's not too late for you to get on your knees and apologize."

"Franklin Group, huh?" Kevin repeated with a snort.

Out of nowhere, he slapped Franklin across the face before his cold, mocking voice rang out once more, "Do you know who you're talking to, then?"