Chapter 19.

The hall was in an uproar because of Dustin's actions. The

timid guests had long left, in fear of becoming caught in the crossfire.

As for the unconscious and critically injured Edward, his bodyguards had

immediately taken him to the hospital. "This is troublesome." Dahlia had

a concerned look on her face as she scowled. Sir Spanner was infamous for

being cruel and ruthless, and he surely wouldn't be inclined to just let

things go when his son had been beaten into such a state. Dustin may not

have much longer to live. "Lyra, I want you to find out if there's any

way this can be resolved peacefully," Dahlia suddenly said. Lyra was

puzzled. "What do Dustin's actions have to do with us, Ms. Nicholson? Why

do we need to expend effort for his sake?" a Dahlia had a frosty

expression as she retorted, "He saved my life earlier. Should I just

watch him die?" "That's not what I meant, I just think it would be very

unwise to cross Sir Spanner at this point. Moreover, no one would

willingly get involved in this mess," Lyra explained. "It doesn't matter,

we have to try." Dahlia had a resolute look in her eyes. "… Very well

then," Lyra responded, having no choice but to comply. She then

immediately started making calls to all their connections. However, all

the big bosses immediately hung up from fright once they had gotten a

grasp of the situation, and none of them dared step in since Sir Spanner

was involved. "You see, Ms. Nicholson? It's not because we don't want to

help, but because we can't," Lyra said, waving her hands. "Try again,"

Dahlia ordered, frowning. "There's no point-" Lyra shook her head as she

began to speak when she noticed Chris off to the side. "Hey, maybe Mr.

Nolan will be able to help us." "Me?" Chris asked, surprised, as he

pointed to himself. "Yes! Didn't you say before that your father was

friends with Sir Spanner? Your father might be able to

mitigate the situation, right?" Lyra asked expectantly. "Err…" Chris was

taken aback. His father did indeed know Sir Spanner, but their

relationship was strictly all business. There might be a chance of

mitigation if it were just a small matter, but Edward had been severely

harmed, so how could Sir Spanner possibly be persuaded to refrain from

retaliating? "I'll owe you big time if you're able to help with this, Mr.

Nolan!" Dahlia exclaimed earnestly. Looking at her expectant expression,

Chris couldn't help having a dilemma. This was his best chance of wooing

her, so naturally, he wasn't willing to let it pass him by. "I can give

it a try, but I can't guarantee anything. After all, it is Sir Spanner."

Chris eventually agreed after briefly mulling it over. Dahlia visibly

relaxed. "I understand. I'll already be so grateful as long as Dustin

doesn't lose his life!" "Alright, I'll try my best," Chris said casually,

nodding. It would be great if it worked out, but there weren't any cons

if it didn't. After all, Dahlia already owed him a favor by asking for

his help. Meanwhile, at a lounge in Mirage. Natasha's lips curled into a

meaningful smile as she watched the events unfold on a monitor. She had a

clear view of Edward being beaten and almost gave in to the urge to clap

her hands and cheer. She had always found some members of the Spanner

family to be as annoying as flies, but she hadn't been able to take any

action toward them due to certain reasons. Thankfully, Dustin did not

disappoint. She was quite delighted with his performance today. "Ms.

Harmon, I'm afraid Mr. Rhys does not have enough influence to protect him

from Trevor's wrath. Should we assist him?" Alfred Jarvis, a butler who

was standing by her side, suddenly asked. "Let's not be hasty. Have

someone monitor him–it's too soon to say if Trevor outmatches him."

Natasha's eyes narrowed as she looked at Dustin's imposing figure on the

screen. Cer "Oh? Do you think so highly of him?" Alfred asked, slightly

bewildered. Natasha smirked. "More like intrigue–I have a feeling that

he's full of surprises." "You don't actually have feelings for him, do

you, Ms. Harmon? Please keep in mind that you already have a fiancé-"

"Hm?" Natasha cast a chilly glance in Alfred's direction, and he

instantly went silent from fear. "Remember this: You are in no position

to say anything about my personal affairs; just focus on performing your

own duties well." "Yes, Ms. Harmon." Alfred didn't dare say anything

further as he felt a chill run down his spine. Midnight at the district

hospital. In an instant, Edward was surrounded by a crowd of people as

the emergency operating room's doors opened, and he was wheeled out on a

hospital bed with his lower half completely bandaged. At the forefront of

the group was a tall and brawny man with a full beard and mustache. It

was none other than East City's King of the Underworld, Trevor Spanner.

"Doctor! How's my son!" Trevor asked first. The doctor sighed. "His life

is not in peril, however, the damage to his genitals is quite extensive.

I'm afraid he won't be able to regain full function." "What!" Trevor's

expression changed drastically upon hearing this. Won't be able to regain

full function? Didn't that just mean he'd become impotent! "Don't you all

know how to do your jobs? You can't even treat such a light injury?"

Trevor yelled, grabbing the doctor by the collar of his shirt. "We've

tried everything we could, sir, but I'm afraid the injury is just too

severe. Preserving his life was no easy task either," the doctor replied

with a tinge of exasperation. The doctor had never encountered something

so tragic–the patient's genitals had been reduced to a pile of mush. If

he hadn't arrived at the hospital in time, he might have even lost his

life. "You're useless! Get out of my sight!" Trevor, whose expression was

frighteningly thunderous, bellowed as he shoved the doctor aside. If the

best doctors at the district hospital couldn't do anything, then his son

really was invalid. "Talk! What the hell happened!" Trevor abruptly

turned and demanded angrily from the bodyguards who stood behind him.

"Edward was fine, why has he been beaten to a pulp!" "Sir Spanner, he…"

One of the bodyguards mustered up the courage to summarize what had

happened. Trevor's temper immediately flared once he finished listening,

and he raised his hand and brutally slapped the bodyguard across the

face. "Useless pieces of shit! What's the point in hiring all of you if

you can't even defeat one man!" Trevor roared out. However, his rage

didn't subside at all, so he slapped each of them multiple times. The

bodyguards lowered their heads, not daring to speak. "Why are you still

standing there? Go gather more men and bring that punk to me! I don't

care who he is. I'm going to cut him into pieces for daring to harm my

son!" Trevor's forces began mobilizing with his one order. It would

appear that a turbulent storm was rapidly brewing…