chapter 12
The mingling smell of blood and alcohol was thick in the air inside VIP room number 888 at The Paradise. The unpleasant odor was stifling.
"Hold it!"
Just as Samuel's lackeys armed themselves with
anything they could find in the room–wine bottles,
stools, even a fruit knife–to fight Emmanuel, Samuel
called out, halting his men.
His subordinates turned to stare at him, confused by
his command.
Samuel ignored them and instead stared intently at
Emmanuel.
He could tell from Emmanuel's gaze that the young
man was ready to fight anyone who was in his
death.
way to
The head of the underground circles was not born in
one day. Samuel had fought his way to the top and
once possessed the same gaze as Emmanuel.
He knew it signaled a man who would not even flinch
at the prospect of death. Anyone foolish enough to
confront such a man would suffer a painful end.
Samuel could not help but ask, "Brat, who exactly sent
you here?"
He only occupied the project grounds by force
because he knew the extent of the company's power.
In the past, Terence Group and Cloud Construction
had sent men to oust them to no avail. The companies
Chapter 18 A Worthy Opponent
dared not turn the issue into a big deal for fear of
Samuel's retaliation.
He never imagined someone from Terence Group
would dare confront him today, and one who had
actual fighting skills to boot.
Instead of replying to Samuel's question, Emmanuel
said, "That's none of your business. I've said my piece. If
you refuse to call off your men from the project
grounds, I will fight you to the bitter end!"
He sounded so calm it was positively chilling.
Everyone in the room stared at him, agape with shock.
They had never known anyone to taunt Samuel sobrazenly without any backup.
Elena gazed at Emmanuel with bright eyes.
Chapter 18 A Worthy Opponent
He's the most gallant man I've ever seen!
Suddenly, Samuel burst into a guffaw.
An His laughter lasted a good while before his gaze cooled. He replied sneeringly, "What a surprise! To think someone in Yeringham would dare to use such a tone against me! But young fella, you're overestimating your skills. You should know that once I give the word,
your corpse will be floating along Yeringham River
tomorrow."
The threat struck fear within Sheldon, whose legs
almost crumpled from fear. He sucked in several
breaths to calm himself down.
Samuel hardly joked around, and he would surely.
make good on his promise.
"I don't know about that," Emmanuel continued firmly, "but I do know I have a goal to complete today. Even if I
end up dead, I'll drag all of you down to h*ll with me!"
He meant every word he had said. This was no empty
boast on Emmanuel's part.
He was out of options, in any case. He needed to bring
Mackenzie home to meet his mother.
If he failed today, his proud wife would turn her nose
up at him, and it would be near impossible to convince
her to visit his family home in the future.
Samuel and Emmanuel found themselves engaged in
a tense staring contest. The older man had spent most
of his life fighting and knew he could not afford to piss
off Emmanuel.
Were he any younger, he would have considered a
duel with Emmanuel.
Things were different now. Samuel was older and had
too much to lose. Gone was the hot–blooded fervor
and all–or–nothing attitude that so defined his past.
To put it plainly, if he ended up behind bars for
breaking the law, his age and physicality no longer
aided him in earning the reverence and admiration of
his fellow inmates.
Spying his hesitation, Emmanuel advised earnestly,
"Mr. Webber, it's time to stay on the right side of the
law! Please call your men back!"
It was at that point that Sheldon realized he was no longer quaking in fear.
Emmanuel appeared to have intimidated Samuel into
submission, and it was not by any threats of legal action.
Instead, he simply replied on his fearsome
determination and indomitable aura. Sheldon was in
awe.
No wonder they say you can't judge a book by its
cover. Who knew someone who looks as genteel as
Emmanuel would turn out to be such a fierce
character?
Samuel's furious shout pierced the silence of the room.
"You think you can just order me to ask my men to
leave? What about my reputation? What will everyone
think of me then?"
Elena could tell the great Samuel had given in.Samuel knew nothing good would come out of it if he kept fighting Emmanuel. Hence, he wanted to find an
excuse to give in.
In other words, Samuel was just a paper tiger. As the
saying went, the more one owned, the greater the fear
of losing everything. They were no longer the same
person when they had nothing.
Emmanuel, on the other hand, was giving everything
he had because he had nowhere to turn to.
He was no fool, either. He quickly questioned without
hesitation, "So, what do you want to do, Mr. Webber?"
Sheldon was currently trembling with excitement.
It looks like this matter can really be resolved.
To him, the sense of accomplishment was better than
getting the commission. He had no regrets about
risking his life to come here with Emmanuel that day.
After all, he could return and boast about dealing with
such an important event for half of his lifetime.
"We're not occupying this land by force. We just want
to take back our friends' hard–earned money. As long
as Terence Group is willing to pay the wages owed by
the previous owner, I swear to tell them to leave."
Samuel was great with his words, too.
Knowing all the other party wanted was money,
Emmanuel asked impassively, "How much?"
Samuel responded boldly, "Five million."
Emmanuel instantly burst out laughing. "Do you think
I'm stupid? What kind of salary costs five million? Did
you think I didn't know only about ten people are
ex–employees of the factory while the others are just
unemployed hooligans? Their salary combined is only
about a hundred thousand per month. What you're
asking for is about five years' worth of salary. Are they
fools? Why continue working for a boss who owes
them five years' worth of salary?"
The data eluded Samuel from words. He would have
killed Emmanuel if not for his fear of losing to the latter.
"Are you saying you're refusing to pay and want us to
leave?"
"Hold on. Let me ask the boss."
No matter how fierce Samuel was, Emmanuel would
not give in so easily.
If one did not know better, one would easily mistake
Emmanuel for bullying the group of people.
Samuel looked so grim, as if he could lose his temper
at any time. The sight of that made Elena shudder.
After all, a man with hundreds of subordinates was
being suppressed by one man.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel gave Mackenzie a call.
She was rushing over when she heard her phone ring.
Seeing it was a call from Emmanuel, she felt oddly
relieved.
He's still alive.
Even so, she answered it nervously, worried Emmanuel
was calling for help.
The moment she heard Emmanuel's words, her eyes
widened in surprise. "What? Mr. Webber only needs five
million to leave?"
That amount was nothing to Terence Group as
compared to the profit they would earn from the
project in the future.
She would have agreed to it with no hesitation if
Samuel had proposed that earlier.
"Yes. I'll continue negotiating with them if you're not
willing to pay."
Emmanuel did not think Terence Group should pay for
that. Hence, he guessed Mackenzie would object.
"Okay. I'll accept that."
To his surprise, she instantly agreed to it. She even
reminded Emmanuel not to anger Samuel further.
Emmanuel furrowed his brows after hanging up.
He was only pretending to look troubled. If he agreed
to the proposal too quickly, Samuel and the others
would think they could still raise the amount.
Sure enough, Samuel thought the outcome was not in
their favor by just looking at Emmanuel's face. He, too,
did not want to keep fighting with someone as
stubborn as Emmanuel. Thus, Samuel negotiated,
"Three million if you insist on being calculative. My
friends' time is precious, too. If Terence Group is not
even willing to pay three million, then let's stop
collaborating."
With that, he slammed his hand on the table.
Clearly, he was at his limits.
After all, money was the motivation for them to be
involved in that industry.
"Three million?"
Emmanuel continued to frown. Deep down, he was
relieved to have helped save two million for his wife's
company. This should be enough to prove my worth.
Still, he faked a sigh.
"Mr. Webber, I know you and your friends need the income, but these are two different matters. Terence Group shouldn't be the one paying for this."
The veins on Samuel's head popped when he heard
that.
Just then, Emmanuel suddenly said, "However, our
boss empathizes with you and is willing to pay three
million to be friends with all of you."
"W–What-"
Samuel's pupils dilated. He was moved by what he
heard.
Even his subordinates exchanged glances delightedly. They never expected the boss of Terence Group to be
so particular.
Alas, they were blissfully unaware Emmanuel had
secretly reduced their payment. In fact, they were
gladly calling Emmanuel their friend.
It was a typical scenario of being grateful to someone
who betrayed them.
"Very well. We shall be friends with Terence Group.
Come on! Let's have a toast!"
Samuel gave Emmanuel a toast. It was clear the
former had submitted himself to Emmanuel.
"Cheers!"
As a former soldier, Emmanuel had no fear of hard
liquor.
At the same time, Samuel's subordinates were loyal
people. Seeing how generous Emmanuel was, they
toasted and praised him for being a good person.
Samuel grew wary as he watched Emmanuel down
glass after glass of hard liquor with no problem.
This man's not someone to be trifled with. We can only
be friends, never enemies.
Half an hour later, Mackenzie finally arrived at The
Paradise and quickly got out of the car.
Four professional bodyguards followed behind her.
Her gaze was piercing, and her aura was domineering.
When the men outside the nightclub caught sight of
the beautiful woman with her entourage, they cleared
a path and only watched her enter the building.
She was a beauty with great power.
Nonetheless, Mackenzie did not bother glancing at the
bystanders and walked straight into the nightclub.
She had never been so worried about someone, let
alone a man. Even she found the situation
unbelievable.
Similarly, it was the bodyguards' first time seeing their
indifferent CEO behaving like that. They could not help
but wonder who she was there to save.
In the next second, Mackenzie halted in her tracks and
fixed her eyes on the two men exiting the entrance.
Emmanuel had his arm across Sheldon's shoulder and
a cigarette in his mouth. He was even having trouble
walking straight.
She was a beauty with great power.
Nonetheless, Mackenzie did not bother glancing at the
bystanders and walked straight into the nightclub.
She had never been so worried about someone, let
alone a man. Even she found the situation
unbelievable.
Similarly, it was the bodyguards' first time seeing their
indifferent CEO behaving like that. They could not help
but wonder who she was there to save:
In the next second, Mackenzie halted in her tracks and fixed her eyes on the two men exiting the entrance.
Emmanuel had his arm across Sheldon's shoulder and
a cigarette in his mouth. He was even having trouble
walking straight.
Not only was he injured, but he also drank over twenty
glasses of imported wine that had sixty percent
alcohol. Thus, it was only normal that he was walking
like that.
Sheldon was taken aback when he saw the beautiful
woman with slender legs standing before him. He
could neither tear his eyes away from her nor budge
an inch the moment he saw her face.
Never did he expect to find someone more beautiful
than Elena.
When Emmanuel saw Sheldon suddenly stop in his
tracks, he slowly looked up and noticed Mackenzie's
presence. He shuddered and sobered up a little.
The two said nothing and merely stared at each other
in silence.
Although Sheldon was clueless about their
relationship, he could read the room. Immediately, he
backed away.
In the meantime, the four bodyguards dared not
approach without Mackenzie's order.
Suddenly, Emmanuel lost his balance.
Mackenzie instinctively rushed forward to help him up.
That was when she felt the warmth of his body.
At the same time, her nose picked up the stench of
blood.
He fought with others again.
"Aren't you afraid of death?" Mackenzie chided, her
brows knitted together. A bitter feeling crept into her
heart.
"Am I not fine now?" Emmanuel laughed out loud as
relief washed over him.
Mackenzie could not help but sigh at the state he was
in. I honestly don't know what to do with him. I was just
speaking mindlessly. I can't believe he actually went to
such lengths because of what I said.
The four bodyguards were absolutely confounded
after witnessing their CEO holding Emmanuel up.
They knew about Mackenzie's misandry, and she rarely
shook hands with men. Hence, the sight of her holding
up a man with one hand was a strange occurrence to
them.
Not only that, but Mackenzie even threw them a look, indicating for them to leave the next second.
She still did not want Emmanuel to find out her real
identity.
"Remember what you promised me. Once the project
is a success, we have to go home to see my mom."