Chapter 19

Assuming that Matthew Henderson would not put up a fight, the lackeys lunged forward and attacked. Little did they know that he was actually quite the fighter, and it was only a matter of time before they were all sprawling on the ground.

As Matthew pounced upon Philip Carter, anxiousness flooded on the man’s face. “Stop! Do you know who I am? I’m Director Carter’s son, and if you lay a finger on me, I’ll get my father to kill you!”

Matthew punched the man in reply.

In a blink of an eye, Philip had already been beaten up into a pulp, yet it was not enough for Matthew as he continued to kick the man furiously.

During the commotion, a waitress had already informed the authorities. Soon, the police barged into the restaurant, and the men were arrested and brought to the police station.

Cocky, Philip was confident that his father would bail him out of jail. With that in mind, he told Matthew, “You little rascal. Don’t expect to get out of jail after this!”

News of their fight had broke and Michael Larson had immediately been informed about their arrest.

Michael’s assistant creased his forehead. “Master Larson, as you know, the Hendersons are also after the piece of land under the old town, and they even had dinner with Director Carter last night. Since Matthew hit Philip, is it safe to assume that the land would be ours now?”

The corner of Michael’s eyes darken. “It isn’t so simple. Send someone to spy on Matthew, I’m sure that he would send someone over to the Carters soon.”

Director Carter worriedly rushed to the police station when he heard that his son had been arrested, only to realize that the one who had punched his son up was actually Matthew.

As soon as Matthew saw Thomas Carter, he instantly changed his attitude, lowering his voice to apologize while offering a huge compensation amount for the injury caused to his son.

The way Matthew spoke reminded Thomas of his servants and it gave him much joy.

Did Matthew still retain hopes of obtaining that piece of land after hitting his son? He could dream all he wanted! The issue would not be set aside, and he would not back unless Matthew’s blood had been shed.

That night, Matthew’s assistant paid the Carters a visit. Carrying down huge boxes from the car, the assistant’s apology seemed earnest as the servants carried the money into Director Carter’s house.

It had been estimated that these boxes were worth at least ten million. As the boxes increased, so did the smile on the Director and his wife’s face. After all, to them, Matthew was rather tactful and knew exactly how to please someone he had offended.

However, even if the couple had accepted the money, they would not grant the piece of land to the Henderson family.

Thrilled, Director Carter ordered the housekeeper to place the boxes in the warehouse, totally oblivious to the scheme that Matthew had planned.

Christina Williams only found out that Mr. Carter was Director Carter’s only son when she had been informed to pick Matthew up from the police station.

The sight of him lowering his head and apologizing profusely made her feel terrible.

She had always known Matthew as an arrogant person who always got above himself. She used to think that he would never lower himself into such a position no matter what the consequences were.

She was the one that had started this, yet Matthew got involved with it and had to apologize for her in the end. Seeing him beg for mercy, a wave of uneasiness flooded over her heart.

Matthew and his assistant talked about how to turn things around the moment he got back to the company. As usual, Christina walked out and closed the door to his office.

This time, she did not leave. She was unsure what got to her today as she found herself yearning to know what the two men were talking about.

Soon, the conversation ended and Christina realized how big of a mess she had made. Things were so bad that Matthew’s assistant had to deliver ten million to Director Carter in hopes that he would let this issue slide.

To Christina, ten million was an astronomical amount that she could never earn her whole life.

The thought that she was the cost of this loss made her feel even more guilty than she had been.

When work had ended that day, Christina did not leave for home. Instead, she found herself dawdling around, although she did not know why.

One thing she knew was that Matthew would probably be in a terrible mood now. She did not mind if he wanted to take out his frustrations on her. Instead, she would tolerate his temper as long as he let out his anger.

The weird thing was, Matthew did not seem to be bothered about this issue at all. Walking over calmly to her desk, he looked at her and asked, “Why’re you taking your time? Don’t you want to go home after work?”

“I… I’m just about to leave.” Christina packed up her things as she headed out of the company, only to see a black car parked right by the entrance of her workplace.

Noticing her walk out, John Garcia got off the car and moved towards her direction. “Christina.”

Christina shot him a cold look. “What’re you doing here?”

John walked closer to Christina as he immediately caught sight of the bruises on her face. His facial complexion darkened. “Why do you have a bruise on your face? Did Philip hit you?”

The reason John wanted to visit Christina was to discuss the redevelopment project. Michael Larson had been an influential man with ample experience in this field. It would be a lie to say that he did not deserve this project.

However, the Henderson family was not to be undermined, either. Although they were an external influence to this city, their presence had grown rapidly from the moment they set foot here. Most importantly, Christina stood on Matthew Henderson’s side.

If both the Hendersons and the Larson could pull off this project, why should he not leave a good impression on his daughter? After all, the outcome of the project would be the same if he gave it to either one of them.

He was not expecting to see the bruises on her face the first thing he got down from the car.

John had already heard about the fight that transpired between Matthew and Michael that afternoon. It even got them into trouble when the police interfered.

He was puzzled by Matthew’s sudden actions. Hitting someone like Philip was definitely not a way to get his father to decide in Mathew’s favor. What could have happened?

Now that he saw the injury on Christina’s face, he instantly knew why Matthew reacted that way. Philip had probably bullied Christina, and that annoyed Matthew so much that violence was the only way to resolve the humiliation she felt.

Anger burnt deep in John’s heart. “Tell me, Christina, did Philip Carter hit you?”

Christina shifted her gaze. “It’s none of your business!”

“Don’t worry Christina. I won’t let Philip off the hook unless he’s paid back for his actions.”

If Philip knew that what he did would offend so many influential parties, would he regret his actions and show remorse?

Christina shot John a cold look. “Mayor John, my business has nothing to do with you. Stop wasting your time and go back to your lovely family!”

John had been a man who held his chin high, yet his dignity seemed to vanish when he was around his daughter. “Listen to me, Christina. I’m just here to talk about the redevelopment project of that old town. I want to pass it over to Matthew.”

Her tense expression relaxed as soon as he mentioned Matthew’s name.

A coffee shop stood nearby and the two walked over for tea, and also a brief conversation.

John did not beat around the bush in front of his daughter. Going straight to the point, he stated that he could help Matthew obtain the winning bid over the project.

Christina did not want anything to do with John, yet she knew that she was the reason Matthew lost ten million dollars.

If she could help him obtain this project, it would definitely make up for all that money he had lost.

Thinking about this, a wave of joy rushed over and her attitude softened. “Our company definitely has the capacity to obtain this project as long as there aren't any shady dealings between you and the Larsons. Even if we lost the bidding, we won’t blame you unless dirty play had been involved.”

Informing Christina about the requirements and specificities to win the bid, the two passed simple words of courtesy before they left the coffee shop.

John’s car was parked just by the side of the road. Just as he was about to enter his car, he suddenly held onto Christina’s hand.

“Let the past stay in the past, Christina. Come back home, okay?”

Home. Ticked off by what he had said, she shook off John's grasp and took a step back. “It’s time to say goodbye, Mayor John.”