Chapter 591
“Speak of the devil! The simpleton is here!” Florence had barely finished her sentence when a group of three came in through the doors of Saffron Restaurant.
It was none other than Dustin, Dahlia, and Julie. “Terrence Stone!” Julie’s eyes swept the place once she entered. She quickly
spotted Terrence in the private room and stormed over angrily. “Julie, hear me out!” Terrence was just about to explain himself with an awkward smile on his face when, without any prior warning, Julie slapped him across the face.
Caught off guard, he cupped his cheek with his hand, unable to react. “Why are you being so aggressive, Julie?” Victoria reprimanded her immediately.
“Why are you defending him, Mom? Did he not deserve that?” Beside herself with anger, Julie saw nothing wrong with her actions. He deserved that slap very much for cheating her money and taking advantage of her feelings for him.
“You’re mistaken! Terrence isn’t a swindler!” Victoria swiftly pulled Julie aside. “He’s not a swindler? Well, if he isn’t a swindler, are you implying that I’m the liar? Has something gotten into you, Mom? Why are you defending him? Julie’s fury was unabated.
“Don’t jump to conclusions. Listen to me, I’ll tell you everything…” Without any room for hesitation, Victoria explained to Julie in detail everything that Terrence had told them earlier.
She made the whole thing sound so reasonable and made Terrence out to be the most considerate person, convincing Julie with her genuine and sincere words. When paired with Terrence’s miserable expression, Julie could not help but be convinced.
“What? So Terrence is innocent? I was wrong in hitting him, then?” Julie was convinced by the story that Victoria told her and quickly realized that she was wrong.
“Exactly! You acted too impulsively. Quick, apologize to Terrence!” Victoria instructed her. “I’m sorry, Terrence; I didn’t mean to do that. Does it still hurt? Here, I’ll rub the pain away.” Julie’s attitude took a 180–degree turn, and she apologized gently.
“Don’t worry about it. I was the one who did not tell you the full story, that’s why you thought I was a swindler.” Terrence forced a smile. “You should have told me earlier how things were We can always face problems together.
It hurts me to see you in such turmoil,” Julie said emotionally as she clasped Terrence’s hand in her own. Dustin was left speechless when he saw how lovey–dovey they were acting. Were these people dimwits? How could they be fooled by Terrence with just a few words?
Too ashamed to meet them? Went around borrowing money from others just to pay them back? How could anyone buy such garbage? Dustin thought, “No wonder they were swindled.”
How else would Terrence be able to trick them if it weren’t for them being such foolish people? At the thought of that, Dustin took a glance at Dahlia beside him and noticed that she had a doubtful and wary expression. It seemed like she did not believe a single word Terrence said.
“Alright, alright. Now that we have got everything straight, we’re all still family,” Victoria said. Joyfully. She was pleased with Terrence as a person. He was a promising young man who was very considerate. She deemed him a good catch for her daughter.
“Ah, right. Terrence suddenly turned to Dustin. “Dustin, I heard from Victoria that they sold the abandoned construction site to you. Is that true?” “It is What about it?” Dustin did nothing to hide the fact that he’d bought the land.
“That’s great.” Terrence heaved a sigh of relief. Then, with a smile on his face, he said, “I don’t like taking advantage of others. Since I was the one who brought this problem upon all of you, I can’t continue to let you bear the loss. I’ll purchase the piece of land from you at the original price that you bought it for.”
“You’ll purchase it?” Julie’s face fell when she heard that. In a hushed tone, she whispered, ” Terrence, have you lost your mind? It wasn’t easy selling off that trashy piece of land! Why are you even buying it back? Why would you bring such loss upon yourself?”
“You shouldn’t say that, Julie!” Terrence put on a righteous facade.“Dustin is my friend. Since something as bad as this has happened, we cannot take advantage of him! We must be righteous and hold fast to our principles!”
“But-” Julie was about to retort, but Terrence waved her off. “Say no more. A real man must stand up for his actions. We should not lose our principles just for a little benefit!”
With Terrence’s little righteous speech, almost everyone looked at him with admiration. Especially Julie, who looked at him like he had a halo over his head.
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That was the mannerism of a true gentleman! At that moment, Terrence appeared heroic. “You’re in luck, Dustin! What are you waiting for? Why aren’t you thanking Terrence? He decided to buy that rubbish off your hands!” Julie announced proudly.
“There’s no need for that. We’re all friends. I can’t bear to see you suffer such a loss. Just give me the ownership of that piece of land, and we’ve got a deal,” Terrence said with an amiable smile.
“When did I agree to the deal?” Dustin asked. “What?” Terrence thought that he had heard Dustin wrong.
He never thought that he would be rejected. Julie and the rest of them were astonished too. Unable to comprehend what was going on in Dustin’s head, they assumed that he had lost his marbles. After all, who would turn down money and choose to hold on to a piece of trash?
“Dustin, did you not hear what I said? The abandoned construction site is worth nothing, and you have no use for it! Why don’t you just sell it to me?” Terrence tried to talk some sense into Dustin.
“Why do you want it if it’s worth nothing?” Dustin countered.“I’m doing this for your sake, of course!” Terrence said with all earnestness. “The reason all this happened was because of me. I trusted someone who I should not have trusted, but I should not have pulled you all into it. Therefore, I shall bear full responsibility for this at all costs!”
“Oh, how nice.” Dustin smiled faintly. “I thank you for your thoughtful gesture, but no thanks. I’m not selling it.” “Why not?” Terrence could not believe his ears.
“Because we’re friends. Just as you do not wish to take advantage of me, I refuse to do the same!” “That’s all right; I do not mind bearing the loss.” “But I do. So, forget about it.”
“No! We cannot forget about it! If you think that my offer isn’t enough, I can add a bit more to the original price that you bought it for!” “This is not about money. It’s about principles. You said it yourself, we must be righteous and stay true to our principles.”
“You!” Terrence was a hair’s breadth away from losing his composure. Damn it! Why was the idiot so stubborn? He had said everything he could to convince him to sell the piece of land, but nothing seemed to work. Exasperated, Terrence was left speechless.
“Alright, it’s getting late. I have some things to handle back at the company, so I’ll be taking my leave with Dahlia now. You guys carry on.” Dustin could not be bothered to converse with them any longer, so he exchanged a look with Dahlia, and they got out of the restaurant as fast as they could.“Hey,
Dustin! You…” Refusing to let Dustin go just like that, Terrence was about to give chase but was held back by Julie. “Terrence, you cannot be too kind. Since that idiot turned you down, let’s not push it. Why would you give him money when he doesn’t even appreciate it?”
“Exactly! We all saw how sincere you were. He was the one who rejected your kindness. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Victoria echoed. In her eyes, Terrence was every bit of the perfect son–in- law. His only drawback was that he was too righteous, which made him an easy target for others.
to take advantage of. “If you’re still feeling bad about it, Terrence, why don’t you use the money and
buy me some branded handbags?” Julie asked coquettishly. “Handbags? Fuck you and your handbags!” Terrence finally flipped and shoved her aside. “Do you know that I’ve just lost two billion dollars?”
“Two billion dollars? What do you mean?” Shocked, Julie could not make heads or tails of Terrence’s words. “Truth be told, the land with the abandoned construction has been officially listed as the prime location for a key development. Its value has now gone up to two billion dollars! I’d given you wealth beyond measure when I sold you that plot of land. But look what you’ve done! You gave Dustin Rhys the perfect opportunity to get filthy rich! I can’t believe how stupid you all are!” Terrence roared f
rustratedly, growling almost. He was so close to ripping his hair out of vexation.
“Key development?”“Two billion?” “Immeasurable wealth?”
“Quick! Go after him!” After a momentary stun, it finally dawned on Julie and the rest of them how big of a loss they had made. Without a moment to spare, they immediately rushed out of the restaurant. But Dustin was no longer anywhere to be seen.
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On the way back, Dustin could tell that Dahlia had questions for him but was battling herself against questioning him. He smiled to himself at her curiosity and decided to give her an opening. “Shoot away if you’ve got any questions. There’s no need to hold them in.”
“I do not understand why you turned down Terrence’s offer to purchase the site of the abandoned building!” Dahlia blurted out.“Everyone knows that it’s worthless now, so there’s no point holding onto it. You would have been better off selling it and recovering your loss!”
Though she had promised and was determined to not concern herself with Dustin’s business anymore, she still could not help but feel bad that he had missed out on a good opportunity to make up for the loss he had made. “Well, why would Terrence want to buy that piece of land when everyone knows that it’s
worthless?” Dustin asked. “Didn’t he just say that he doesn’t want to take advantage of you because you’ re friends?” Dahlia retorted. “Haha! Do you really think that Terrence would be so kind?” Dustin smiled meaningfully. “If he is as righteous and
responsible as he claims to be, he would not have disappeared without a trace for the past few days.
“Well…” Dahlia’s brows knitted together as she fell deep into thought. It was true that she had her
doubts about Terrence’s integrity. But after seeing how sincere he appeared, even offering to buy back the abandoned construction site, she wavered and started to believe his words.
“Let me tell you the truth. The reason Terrence offered to buy the plot of land was not because of
his conscience or his righteousness. It was only because he knew that its value had skyrocketed. Dustin chuckled. “Skyrocket? The abandoned construction site has been sitting there for almost a decade, and nobody wanted anything to do with it. How could it possibly increase in value?
” Dahlia wondered aloud. “Nothing is impossible, Dahlia. Haven’t I told you that that plot of land has officially been listed as an area for a key development? Terrence must have received some news about it that caused him to change his mind.
Do you really think that he’d be so kind?” Dustin had a faint smile on his face. “How much is that piece of land worth now?” Dahlia asked tentatively.
“Two billion dollars at least. And that’s a conservative estimation.” Dustin dropped a bombshell. “Two billion?” Dahlia’s eyes went as wide as saucers. It was bewildering to think that a piece of land could go from absolutely worthless to worth two billion dollars overnight. She had toiled hard for years on end, and in the end,
she had not even made as much as Dustin did in a single day. His uncanny luck was infuriating, to say the least. All of a sudden, Dustin’s phone rang. He pulled it out to see that the call was from Florence. He paused and gave it some thought before answering the call and putting it on speaker mode.
“Hey Dustin, where are you? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” An unbelievably kind and gentle voice came through the speakers. Dahlia felt her skin crawl at how cloyingly sweet her mother sounded. When has she ever been so soft–spoken?
“We’re on the way back to the office, Florence. Is anything the matter? You can just tell me through the phone,” Dustin said.
Clearing her throat, Florence asked awkwardly, “Well, here’s the thing. I’d like to buy back the abandoned construction site. Would that be possible?” “Why would you want to spend your money on something so worthless? You’ll clearly be making a loss. A hint of humor could be heard in Dustin’s tone.
“So be it. As your ex–mother–in–law, I cannot watch you suffer the loss and do nothing about it. Better me than you to take the loss.”
“It’s not a big deal for me. I’ve still got some disposable income. I’ll survive.” “That wouldn’t do! I’m a person who stands firm in and upholds my moral values! I’ve been losing sleep over selling it to you at a high price. I feel like I’ve cheated you out of your money. I feel so bad for that, so I have a mind to buy it back to atone for my mistake.”
“That really won’t be necessary. After all, you mortgaged your house to get the money. If you lose that, you won’t even have a roof over your head! That’d be terrible!”
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“That’s alright, I can move into a smaller house. You, youngsters, are way too stressed out these days. As an elder, it’s only right for me to help you out how ever I can.” “I’m not stressed out. Life is as breezy as it can get for me.”
Dustin and Florence bantered back and forth through the phone, neither of the m coming clean with the truth. Since Florence took him as an idiot, Dustin gladly went along with the act and pretended to not know any better.
It was Dahlia, however, who found the conversation unbearable. She now fully believed what Dustin had told her. Her mother would not be so nice to Dustin otherwise. What she said about atoning for her wrongdoings and relieving Dustin of his burdens was all bullshit!
Florence had been grinning from ear to ear when she managed to scam Dustin into buying that piece of land! Now that she knew she had made a loss by selling it, she chose to put on a righteous and upright facade to buy it back instead of being honest with Dustin. She was despicable and greedy!
“Hey! Why are you so stubborn? I’m only doing this for your good, so hurry up and sell me that piece of land!” As the conversation progressed, Florence began to lose her patience.
Had it not been for the money, she would never have wasted so much effort coaxing him gently, and would immediately start shouting and cursing at him instead.
“Florence, why are you in such a hurry to purchase the abandoned construction site?” Dustin pressed. This was Florence’s last chance to come clean. If she told him the truth, he would willingly let her have a share of the profit.
“Have I not made myself clear yet? I can’t bear to see you lose money! I’d rather bear the burden myself!” Florence stubbornly refused to spill the truth. “That’s enough, Mom!” Dahlia finally could take it no more. “Are you still going to keep on cheating people out of their money?”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? When have I cheated others of their money?” Florence raised her voice. “Dustin already knows the truth. That piece of land is worth at least two billion dollars! You’ll never be able to buy it back at the original price!” Dahlia exclaimed.
“What?” All was quiet for a while before Florence said sheepishly, “Oh, so you already knew? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Florence, I’ve already reminded you repeatedly since a week ago! It was you who refused to believe me,” Dustin retorted calmly.
“Oh, look how forgetful I am. I think my age is catching up on me!” Florence exclaimed regretfully. “Dustin, I was wrong. I’ll listen to all your advice from now on. Can you please sell the piece of land to me?”
“Had you shown just the slightest bit of honesty earlier on and did not intend to trick me out of my money, I’d have readily shared a part of what I profited from it with you. But your actions have truly disappointed me, so I will not be selling it to you,” Dustin told her truthfully.
“You’re not selling it?” Florence’s voice raised an octave when she heard what Dustin said. “That belongs to me! What right have you got to not sell it to me? “
“The ownership of the land belongs to me. I can handle it however I please,” Dustin said matter–of- factly. “I don’t care! You better give me back what belongs to me, or I’ll make you regret it!” Florence threatened menacingly. Just a few minutes ago, she had spoken so gently and kindly, but now her
true colors showed “Behaving like this won’t get you anything,” Dustin said.
“You–you bastard! You vile, shameless scumbag! I’ll sue you! I’ll sue you for swindling me of my money! You-” Florence spewed a torrent of curses through the phone with no care in the world.
But she was cut off when Dahlia ended the call. How aggravating! She was the one who bore bad intentions, and she had the gall to berate Dustin? Utterly unreasonable! As Florence’s daughter,
Dahlia felt ashamed of her actions,
Chapter 595
James was happily engrossed in a game of Taxus Poker at an illegal casino that evening. Beside him sat a young lady with short hair who was dressed in revealing attire. Judging from the casino
chips on the table, it looked like they had been winning a lot. “I have a pair of Queens. Show your hand!” A man with a hooked nose who sat opposite James revealed his hand “You dare challenge me with just à pair of Queens? Keep your eyes open, buddy.
I’ve got Three of a Kind James grinned, flipping his cards over to show a pair of sixes. Since there was a six in one of the five community cards, they made a set of three sixes, also known as three of a kind.
The rules of Taxus Poker are simple. There were five community cards, and each player was dealt two hole cards. These can then be combined in any way to form the best five–card hand. The highest–
ranking hand is a Royal Flush, followed by Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and finally, a High Card. *James, you’ve won again! You’re amazing!” The lady with short hair cheered excitedly, admiration evident in her eyes.
Hahaha! Well, luck isn’t the only factor in a game of Taxus Poker. It’s a matter of skill too. I can see through all his tricks! There’s no way I’d lose to him!” James bragged gleefully.
“I say, based on your chips, you’ve probably won at least a million dollars, haven’t you, James?” The young lady asked as her eyes shone brightly.
“More or less. Here, this is for you.” James pressed a chip worth 20 thousand dollars into her hand with a chuckle. “Thank you, James!” The young lady flashed him a radiant smile before planting a kiss on his cheek
“Come on, let’s go enjoy ourselves!” James reached out to hook an arm around the lady’s neck. He was happy with how much he’d won and was ready to leave to enjoy the rest of the night.
“You have a winning streak tonight, James. Why don’t you play some more while you’re winning?
It’s a good opportunity for you to make some more money while Lady Luck is on your side!” The young lady did not seem to want to leave yet. “Oi, rascal! Are you running off after winning just so little? What a loser! Would you dare play another game with me?” The man with the hooked nose who sat opposite James taunted.
“This is a golden opportunity, James. Think of all the money you can win off of him. You shouldn’t miss the chance!” The young lady persuaded him in a hushed whisper.
“You’ve got a point there.” James nodded and looked at the man with a smirk. “It looks like you enjoy losing money. I’ll see to it that you walk out without a single cent today! Deal the cards!” With a wave of his hand, another round commenced.
Half an hour later. “Oops, a Straight. I think I’ve won again.” The man opposite James showed his hand, revealing a set of Straight.
Change pok“Damn it! I lost again!” Losing his temper, James threw the pair of Kings in his hand on the table. With beads of sweat on his forehead and red, bloodshot eyes, he looked irritated. Just half
an hour ago, he had been basking in the joy of winning continuously, makinghimself more than a million dollars without breaking a sweat. But now,
it seemed as though Lady Luck had frowned on him, and he had lost everything that he had won earlier in the evening. What terrible luck!
“Again!” Unwilling to accept defeat, James gestured for the dealer to start a new round. “You’re out of chips, James.” The young lady reminded him.
“What?” James looked down at the table to see that he had indeed run out of chips.“Hahaha! Is that all you’ve got? What a cheapo!” The man with the hooked nose ridiculed James, Get lost then if you haven’t got any more money. Quit making an embarrassment of yourself here!”
“The f*ck did you just say?” James slammed his hands on the table as he bolted straight up in his seat, fury written on his face. “What? Did I say anything wrong? Don’t act like you’re a big shot if you don’t have the money, loser! ”
Then, with a contemptuous expression, he called out to the young lady, “Hey, hot stuff, what are you doing with a loser like that? Why don’t you join me instead? I’ll make sure you have the best of everything!” “You-
!” James was so vexed that he ground his teeth together. But there was nothing much he could do.
“James, I heard that they allow players to borrow money from them here. Do you want to give it a try?” The young lady asked.
“Let’s do it! I’ll win back everything I lost tonight!” James roared. He could never look past the other man’s taunts. Especially not in front of a woman he fancied.
“Sure. I’ll get it done immediately.” With a quick nod, the young lady got up and left. Not long later, she came back with two million dollars worth of chips and a promissory note.
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Without even looking at what was typed out on the promissory note, James proceeded to sign it and immediately joined the next round of the game. But in less than 15 minutes, he lost all two billion dollars worth of chips again.
“We’re out of chips again, James‘ Should we borrow more? The young lady asked once again.
“Yes! Get as much as you can! James growled. At that moment, he had completely lost control of his senses, his actions only driven by the relentless desire to win back what he lost and make the man with the hooked nose regret what he said.
Two hours later, James was drenched in sweat and panting uncontrollably, his eyes were bloodshot. His expression was somewhat horrifying “Sorry man, Three of a Kind and One Pair. That makes a Full House. You’ve lost again. “The man opposite him showed his hand and smiled meanly.“Go! Borrow some more! I refuse to believe that I’ll keep losing today! James shouted.
“You’ve already lost too much, James. They refuse to lend you anymore,” The young lady answered
“They’re not lending me anymore? Why not? Do they think that I can’t afford to pay them back? I’ll have you know that my sister is the chairperson of Nicholson Corp.! She has assets worth over a hundred billion dollars! James declared proudly,
“Hey, buddy, my boss would like to speak with you.” Out of nowhere, a calloused hand rested on
James‘ shoulder from behind. “Who the hell is touching me? James whipped around immediately. Just as he was about to start acting aggressively, he froze. Behind him stood several insanely buff men who were wearing suits and looked like they were henchmen, staring at him.
“What do you want?” James put on a calm facade. “You borrowed quite a huge sum of money throughout the night. My boss would like to talk to you about your payment. Come with us.” As the leader of the group of henchmen spoke, he inconspicuously flashed the gun fastened to his
belt. James‘ eyes widened. As he dared not go against their wishes, he had no choice but to follow them upstairs to the VIP room Over in the VIP room, there was a paunchy man with a cigar perched on his li
ps and one ankle resting lazily over a knee. “He’s here, Mr. Doyle.” Two henchmen pushed James into the room and locked the door from outside. James gulped dryly when he saw the room full of menacing and fierce henchmen. His anxiety was unconcealable.
“Do you know who I am?” The paunchy man asked before taking a long swig of his cigar and slowly exhaling, releasing a puff of smoke.
“You look very familiar, Sir. Have we met? James asked cautiously. “I’m Doyle. Duncan Doyle,” The man said. “Duncan Doyle? From the prestigious Doyle family?” James was astonished.
“It’s good that you know me. Now, let’s talk about my money. So, you borrowed a total of 38 million dollars tonight. How are you going to pay it back?” As Duncan spoke, he slapped a thick stack of promissory notes on the table. Every piece of it had James‘ signature on it.
“38 million? That much?” James could not believe his ears and quickly flipped through the notes to check. By then, he was already thoroughly drenched in sweat. “M–Mr. Doyle, these notes prove that I’ve only borrowed 30 million. Where did the extra 8 million come from?” James asked miserably.
“Why would I be lending out money if not for the interest?” Duncan asked frostily.
“B–but isn’t the interest too high?” James asked warily. “Cut the crap! You either pay me what you owe or I’ll chop your limbs off!” Duncan glared at him.
“N–no, don’t! I’ll pay!” James was flustered by the situation he was in. “Can you please give me a few more days to pay up, Mr. Doyle? I promise I’ll pay you in full.”
“No! You are to pay me tonight. Where am I going to find you if you escape?” Duncan demanded.
“But how am I supposed to produce this much money in one night?” James cowered in fear.
“Didn’t you say that your sister is the chairperson of Nicholson Corp.? Several million dollars are
considered peanuts to her!” Duncan smirked sinisterly.“What?” James froze up for a while before he continued sheepishly, “Mr. Doyle, knowing my sister, she will most likely refuse to pay my debts.
She usually helped him out of most of the trouble he got himself into, but once they had anything to do with gambling or drugs, it was the end of the discussion.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you.” Duncan smiled venomously. “Help me? How will you help me?” James was taken aback by Duncan’s offer to help. But Duncan did not give him a straightforward reply. Instead, he simply gestured to his henchmen and took an axe that they handed him. As James
watched on with terror in his eyes, Duncan swung the axe down in the direction of his wrist.
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In the president’s office at Nicholson Corp, Dahlia took a sip of coffee and continued immersing. herself in work. Although Hank didn’t show it, he was facing all sorts of obstacles in private. He pushed every matter to her, regardless of whether it was big or small, which caused her to be so busy that she had to work overtime every day till midnight.
“Ms. Nicholson….” Right then, a young female assistant knocked on the door all of a sudden. “What is it?” Dahlia looked up at her. Because Julie wasn’t a very reliable secretary, she hired another assistant, Kelly Porch, to share the workload. “Ms. Nicholson, someone sent you a parcel and asked me to pass it to you directly. The person mentioned that it’s surprise,” Kelly said, holding a gift box.
“Okay, put it on the desk.” Dahlia nodded, then a thought struck her. “Kelly, it’s getting late. You
should head home first. You don’t have to wait for me.” “Okay, Ms. Nicholson.” Kelly turned around and left. Dahlia rubbed her eyes and finally finished her work. She turned her gaze to the gift box and decided to open it. However, the moment she opened it,
she was so frightened that her face went deathly pale. What lay inside the gift box was a bloody hand! It was very obvious that the hand had just been cut off not long ago because the blood had not clotted yet. It was a very shocking sight.
While she was still in shock, her phone suddenly rang. When she answered it,she immediately heard Duncan’s voice. “Ms. Nicholson, you must have already received my gift.”
“Who are you?” Dahlia’s expression went cold. “Who I am is not important. What’s important is that your brother owes me 38 million dollars, and you have to repay his debt,” Duncan said plainly.
“Why should I believe you?” Dahlia frowned. “You don’t believe me? Then listen for yourself.” Duncan said. “Dahlia! Save me! Hurry up and save me! They cut my hand off!” James shouted, his voice full of fear and misery. “James! What’s going on? Why would you owe someone money?” Dahlia hurriedly demanded.
“Dahlia! This isn’t the time to ask these questions. Hurry up and come here with the money, or I’m going to die!” James sobbed over the phone.
“Ms. Nicholson, did you hear that? Bring me the money in exchange for him. Otherwise, I don’t know what other extreme things I’ll do to your brother.” Duncan threatened.
“Don’t do anything! You just want money, don’t you? I’ll give it to you!” said Dahlia in panic.
“Okay, then I’ll be awaiting your grand arrival,” Duncan said with a laugh. After hanging up, Dahlia dared not waste another second and, without hesitation, immediately rushed to the casino. She couldn’t just sit around and do nothing when her brother was in danger. While driving, she called Dustin, but he didn’t pick up. She had no choice but to send him a text along with the address
20 minutes later, Dahlia arrived at the underground casino. After she told someone her name, at gangster led her to a VIP room on the second floor. A bunch of violent–looking gangsters were standing around inside the room.
James was kneeling on the floor and trembling, his face streaked with tears and snot. Someone. had simply bandaged the stub of his arm where his hand should be, temporarily stopping the bleeding “Sis‘ You’re finally here!”
When James saw Dahlia walk in, he immediately wept tears of joy as if he saw his savior “How dare you! Who taught you to gamble?” Dahlia slapped James across the face. She knew that her brother liked to gamble.
She had always warned him against it in all sorts of ways and had even given him a beating before. She had thought that he would have changed his ways, but who would have thought that he would get himself into more serious trouble now.
“Ms. Nicholson, I won’t meddle with you disciplining your brother, but you must give me the money first,” Duncan said with a cigar between his lips.
“It’s you?” The moment Dahlia saw him, she immediately remembered something. She quickly realized that she had seen Duncan before. Previously, when she was eating at a restaurant, he had led a gang of people to look for trouble with Dustin but had gotten beaten up instead.
“That’s right. It’s me. Now, can you give me the money?” Duncan said with a mirthless smile.
“This is a bank check for 38 million dollars, not a penny less.” Dahlia placed a check on the table.
“I don’t want a check. I want the payment in cash,” Duncan said with a shake of his head.
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“Cash?” Dahlia frowned and said, “Where will I get so much cash at such short notice? “That’s for you to figure out. We only accept cash here,” Duncan said casually.
“You’re just making things difficult for me on purpose!” Dahlia’s expression was icy. She would probably need a truck to transport 38 million dollars worth of cash.
“Ms. Nicholson, mind your words, Does your brother still want to keep his other hand?” Duncan swept his gaze toward James.
“You!” Dahlia gritted her teeth and managed to control herself. “Can you give me two days? I’ll bring you the cash as fast as I can.” “I wouldn’t say no, but you have to have a few drinks with me first.”
Duncan stood up slowly and took two glasses out from the drinks cabinet. He filled them with whisky and handed one to Dahlia. “Drink this, and I’ll consider giving you two days.”
“What?” Looking at the glass full of whisky, Dahlia couldn’t help but frown slightly. Duncan obviously didn’t have good intentions. She didn’t know if she could still leave that place after she drank it.
“You refuse? Then you’re just disrespecting me.” Duncan’s smile disappeared slowly as he said, It’s only right for one to repay their debt if they owe money.
If they can’t, then I have no choice but to cut their limbs off. Guys, chop James‘ other hand off!”
“Yes, sir!” Two gangsters laughed evilly and immediately pressed James against the floor.
“No! Don’t chop my hand off!” James was scared out of his wits as he begged for mercy. “Dahlia! Save me! Save me, quick! I’m your brother! I don’t want to become handicapped. I’m begging you. Hurry up and drink the whisky!”
“Chop it off!” Duncan shouted. “Wait!” Just as the ax was about to strike, Dahlia shouted hastily, “I’ll drink!” “Haha, that’s more like it … Drink up,” Duncan said with a sly smile.
Dahlia took a deep breath, picked up the glass, and downed the whiskey in one go. Even though. she knew that something was wrong with it, she had no choice but to drink it because her brother’s life was in Duncan’s hands. Now, she could only pray that she would hold up.
“Nice! You really are an impressive woman. Come on, let’s have another drink !” Duncan filled her glass again. Dahlia frowned deeply, and she hesitated for a moment. But she still finished the glass of whisky. After downing two glasses, she felt lightheaded quickly and felt herself burning 1. up.
“Shit!” Dahlia thought. Knowing something was off, she tried to fight the feeling and force herself out the door. However, before she could take more than two steps, her vision went black, and she fainted on the floor. “Hehe… I’ll see how you try to run away from me,” Duncan said while stroking his chin, his expression perverted.
“Mr. Doyle, wasn’t our deal just about money? How could you break your promise?” As he
witnessed his sister get drugged, James immediately panicked. Even a fool would know what was going to happen next.“What’s the matter? You want to avenge your sister?” Duncan laughed wickedly. “Sure, if you chop off your other hand, then I’ll let your sister go. How does that sound?”
“I.. James‘ expression stiffened, and he immediately hung his head. His gaze flitted around as he dared not look at Dahlia, who was lying out cold on the floor.
“A coward, just as I thought. Get lost!” Duncan shouted, and he kicked James to the floor.
“Okay, okay, okay. I’ll get lost right away.” James looked as if he had just been spared a gruesome death. He dared not hesitate and scrambled out of the room instantly. His pathetic behavior made the whole gang laugh loudly.
“Okay, you guys get out too. Don’t disturb me.” Duncan waved his hand and dismissed his lackeys from the room. Then,
a thought struck him, and he fished out Dahlia’s phone. He called Dustin and said, “Hey, Rhys! Do you know who I am? That’s right, it’s me, Duncan Doyle!
Your woman is in my bed right now. I’ll show her a good time tonight.”The moment he finished speaking, a loud bang sounded as someone kicked the door open. Then, a figure with a cold expression came into sight. “You’ll show who a good time?”
Chapter 599
Dustin stepped through the door, his gaze terrifyingly cold. From the moment he saw Dahlia’s text, he knew something was wrong, so he rushed here as fast as he.could “W–what are you doing here?!” Duncan’s eyes widened, and he staggered backward in fear.
“Didn’t you call me to ask me to come over? Well, now I’m here. What are you going to do?” Dustin began approaching him.
“Someone, come quick!” Duncan screamed. However, strangely enough, no one outside responded. It was as though those men stationed outside had disappeared into thin air. “Where the f*ck are you all? Hello?!” Duncan continued hollering But no matter how much he yelled, there was no response.
“I warned you before not to cross me again. Or else, you’ll die a miserable death. What, did you think I was bullshitting you?” Dustin was getting closer and closer.“Rhys, you’re on my territory. I’m warning you to not come any closer, or you won’t step out of this place ever again!” Duncan shouted, putting on a fierce front.
“Tell me, how do you want to die?” Dustin asked coldly. “Take another step, and I’ll blow your brains
out!” At that moment, Duncan suddenly took a gun from the drawer and pointed it right at Dustin’s head. Now that Duncan had a weapon with him, he believed that he had the upper hand.“Really? You can try.” Dustin continued to approach Duncan without a hint of fear.
“You’re f*cking asking for it!” Duncan pulled the trigger without a second thought.
“Bang!” There was the sound of a shot being fired. Yet, Dustin was still standing in the same spot and did not move a single inch. He was completely unharmed from head to toe. “I missed?” Duncan frowned. He pulled the trigger two more times. Yet, it was the same as before. However, Dustin still looked unruffled and unhurt in the slightest.
“Fuck, I refuse to believe that I can’t kill you!” Duncan clenched his jaw and began to shoot madly until there were no more bullets left.
“Bang, bang, bang!” After a series of gunshots, Dustin was still standing in the same spot. His body was uninjured; heck, even his clothes weren’t damaged.
“Is this guy a ghost?” Duncan was so scared that cold sweat began to pour from his temples.
At this distance, there was no way Duncan would miss, even if he closed his eyes. Yet, he’d fired over a dozen bullets, but he didn’t so much as leave a scratch on Dustin. It was absolutely insane.
“Were you trying to kill me with these things?” Dustin slowly opened his fist to reveal a handful of
misshapen bullets in his palm. “H–how did you do that?” Duncan’s expression turned into one of horror.
Could it be that his opponent had caught all the bullets that he’d shot earlier with his bare hand? Was he even f*cking human?! “Do you want to know? I’ll tell you once you’re dead With that, Dustin kicked Duncan in the stomach
Duncan flew backward like a bullet leaving the barrel. He slammed into the wall harshly, leaving a spider crack on the wall. Blood spurted from his nose and mouth on impact.“1-
1 am a member of the Doyle family, one of the fabulous five! If you dare lay a hand on me, my family will never forgive you!” Duncan threatened, his face twisting into a ferocious snarl.
Dustin hummed before giving him another kick in the chest. There was the sound of bones cracking, and Duncan once again coughed up a mouthful of blood. His entire rib cage collapsed on itself.
“D– don’t kill me! I’m begging you not to kill me! I know I was wrong! I’ll never do it again! I swear, I won’t annoy you ever again!” Duncan begged in between fits of coughing up blood.
This time, he was truly afraid. “Any last words?” Dustin slowly raised his foot. This time, he lifted it right over Duncan’s head.
“Wait! Someone intentionally wanted to make you suffer today. It has nothing to do with me. I’m just the runner!”“Who was it?” Dustin asked coolly.
Chapter 600
“If you promise not to kill me, I’ll tell you the truth.” Duncan said, attempting to negotiate terms. “No thanks. You can just go die.” As soon as Dustin finished speaking, he stomped his foot hard on Duncan’s head “No- ” Duncan tried to wail before his head exploded into pieces. And just like that,he was dead.
“Mr Rhys, the people outside have been taken care of ” At that moment, two masked martial artists dressed in black garments walked in. They were elite. shadow guards.
“Excellent. Clean this place up, and send the body straight to the Doyle home, ” Dustin ordered.
The two exchanged glances, but in the end, they still nodded. “Yes.”Dustin said nothing more. He carried the unconscious Dahlia and briskly walked out of the underground casino.
The moment he stepped out the doors, he noticed a suspicious figure lurking in a corner. It was none other than James, who had managed to escape earlier .
“Come out!” Dustin threw a glance over his shoulder. “Oh, it’s just you. You scared me.” James couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief when he saw Dustin’s face. At the same time, he began to criticize him.
“Hey, Rhys, why didn’t you come earlier? Don’t you know how much danger my sister was in just now? Also, if you weren’t so slow to come to the rescue, my hand wouldn’t have been chopped off. How are you going to compensate me? I’m telling you, without at least eighteen million dollars, I won’t-”Before he could finish his sentence, Dustin had already raised his hand and slapped him hard
across the face.James stumbled backward from the impact, almost falling over. His cheek began to swell rapidly. “Are–are you crazy? What did you hit me for?!” James cupped his stinging cheek, his entire body radiating shock and fury.
“That was for your insolent remarks!” With a cold face, Dustin raised his hand and gave him another slap. “This one is for your lack of repentance!”
Slap! “This one is for your cowardice!” Slap! “And this one is for throwing Dahlia under the bus!”
Each slap made a loud ringing sound as it landed on James‘ face. He was smacked so hard that his head began to spin, and blood began to drip from his nose and mouth.
His face was so swollen that he now looked like a pig. “Stop!” Suddenly, an SUV pulled over to the side of the road, and Florence immediately jumped off the car and dashed over.
Chank Sp“Mom, you’re finally here!” When James saw his mother, he immediately ran into her arms, crying. He wailed. “That bastard Dustin is crazy! Look at what he did to my face!”
“Rhys, why did you hit my son?!” Florence flew into a rage. “Why don’t you ask him what he did?” Dustin shouted back. “No matter what, you can’t hit my son!” Florence screamed, glaring at Dustin.
“That’s right! Hitting people is wrong! Not to mention, why did you have to beat him so terribly?”
Julie added. “Terribly? He should be grateful that I didn’t slaughter him!” Dustin roared with a frigid look. If James hadn’t gotten into trouble in the first place, Dahlia wouldn’t have gotten dragged down.
with him. Even more despicably, that bastard had abandoned his sister and ran for his life alone!
“James, what in the world happened? Tell me everything, and I’ll make sure to do right by you!” Florence demanded, her face darkening.
“Mom, this is all because of Dustin!” James pointed his finger at Dustin, getting his side of the story out first. “He colluded with the owner of the casino to punish me and put me in a crushing gambling debt. Then, he even lied to Dahlia to get her here,
drugged her, and was going to do something to her. I couldn’t bear to watch her get hurt, so I risked my safety and tried to stop him. Humiliated, that asshole blew his top and beat me into a pulp. Look at my face–look at what he did to me!”
As soon as James finished speaking, Dustin’s face instantly turned stormy.
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