Chapter 73.

The next morning, they met at Java Joys. When Dustin

entered the cafe, he noticed a burly man standing beside Natasha. His

bulky muscles rippled under his clothes, and his knuckles were covered

with calluses. This man was obviously an experienced fighter. "Mr. Rhys,

sorry to bother you. I owe you one." Natasha walked up to Dustin. "It's

all right, I don't mind helping out a friend in need. Besides, they had

even specified my name in the note. I have no other choice." Dustin

smiled wryly. Edwin's men had left a ransom note which had his name on

it. He was to go with Natasha to save Ruth. "Mr. Rhys, let me introduce

you to Stephan Chapman, one of the best fighters from the Harmon family."

Natasha pointed toward the man standing in silence. "Mr. Chapman, a

pleasure to meet you." Dustin nodded in acknowledgement. "You're Dustin?"

Stephan sized him up. "Was it you who took Liam and Noah Asher down?" "In

a way, yes." Dustin nodded again. "What do you mean, in a way? Don't give

such a vague answer. Did you use some shady tricks to win against them?"

Stephan stared at him suspiciously. "Well, as long as it gets the job

done." Dustin said nonchalantly. "As martial artists, we should win fair

and square. What's the use of winning when you have to resort to

despicable tricks?" Stephan scoffed. He deemed people like Dustin, who

don't belong to any martial arts group, as inferior to him. "That makes

sense." Dustin had no interest in arguing further. "To be honest, I have

defeated Liam and Noah in a match before this!" Stephan boasted. "Don't

be too proud of yourself even if you win against them! They are weaklings

compared to me. Once we have a match, you will know that many martial

artists are stronger than you!" Hearing Stephan's speech, Dustin was lost

for words. They were practically strangers. Why was he lecturing him like

a child? Who was the one looking down on the other anyway? "Alright, now

that you have made each other's acquaintance, we will be working together

after this. Once we arrive at Hummer Villa, we may need each other's

help," Natasha cut in. 1 "I'm sure we won't need to. With me around, it

would be easy to take Edwin down," Stephan said confidently. "Mr.

Chapman, it's good to be optimistic, but it's better not to underestimate

the enemy. When will Tilda arrive?" Natasha changed the topic. Tilda

Snider was one of her aunts and was famous for her deadly strikes. She

was currently the head of security for the Harmon family. Compared to

Stephan, she was on a different level. In this fight against Edwin, she

was the key to victory. "Tilda is on her way.

She will be arriving shortly," Stephan answered. "Great. Since she is on

her way, let's make a move as well" On her command, Natasha's car led the

way as the group drove in a file toward Hummer Villa. Hummer Villa was

situated at the top of a hill which was part of the Hummers" private

land. As the cars drove up the hill, Edwin's men kept surveillance on

them in the hidden shadows of the surrounding trees. When they arrived at

the villa, everyone got down and entered the back garden. With a pair of

scissors in hand, Edwin was busy arranging a vase of flowers in a gazebo.

Behind him, Fletcher Lawson and a group of muscular men were standing

guard, staring daggers at them. "Ms. Harmon, you've finally arrived? Have

a seat," Edwin said with a smile, pointing to a chair. He acted as if

"they were here for a chat. "Sir Hummer, I've heard that you are holding

my sister hostage. Is that true?" Natasha sat down and asked with a poker

face. "To be honest, I only knew about your sister this morning. My men

did it at their discretion, so I have reprimanded them," Edwin continued

with a charming smile. "Is that so? Well, why don't you let my sister

go?" Natasha pressed further. "Let her go? That would be impossible."

Edwin shook his head. "Ms. Harmon, your sister made a mess at my party,

destroyed my antiques, and beat up some of my underlings. If I let her go

without repercussions, my reputation in Swinton would be ruined!" "Then

what do you want in return?" Natasha's eyes narrowed. "It's very simple.

Repay me double for my loss." Edwin's smile was plastered on his face.

"I've calculated the damage your sister caused and everything amounts to

ten billion dollars. As compensation, I want you to hand over half of

your business in Swinton." "Half of the business? Are you joking?"

Natasha raised her voice. "Ms. Harmon, you are only giving up a small

part of your assets. Moreover, your business activities are mainly in

Milling. You won't be affected much by what I'm asking for," Edwin

advised. "What if I refuse?" Natasha retorted. "It's only right to pay

back what you owe. If you refuse, I can't guarantee that your sister will

be safe from harm." Edwin gave her a chilling smile. "Are you threatening

me?" Natasha returned his gaze stonily. "I'm just giving you a warning.

Of course, we can resolve this dispute with a death match. However, the

entirety of our assets must be at stake," Edwin said with a smirk. "A

death match?" Natasha mulled over his offer. It was an unsaid rule in the

business world. A death match was used to settle unresolved conflict

between warring families in order to prevent unwanted death and

bloodshed. There would be three rounds of battle 23 Chapter

73 royale in which the opposing families would send out their

representatives to fight on behalf of them. There were no rules and

everything was fair game. "Challenge accepted!" Before Natasha could

answer, Stephan spoke up. "Isn't it just a fight? We will take you on!

Show me some real competition!" Edwin snickered maliciously at Stephan's

words. This was what he had hoped would happen!