Chapter 16

"What the hell? Why did he bring so many people?" Chris gulped, feeling faint for some reason. Weren't they supposed to fight one-on-one? Edward had disrespected the rules of a fair fight by involving a gang. Though Chris was cursing in his heart, he had no choice but to face them head-on. No matter what, he couldn't lose face in front of Dahlia.

"That's them. Surround them!" With a wave of his hand, the bodyguards led by Edward dashed forward at once, surrounding Chris, Dahlia, and Lyra.

"What are you doing? I'm warning you, don't you dare touch me. My father is David Nolan, the president of Nolan Pharmaceuticals!" Sensing that he was at a disadvantage, Chris hurriedly threatened them with his father's status.

"So what?" one of the bodyguards yelled. "Do you know who you've messed with? He is Sir Spanner's son, the heir of Drey Group!"

His words caused an uproar among the crowd.

"Sir Spanner? Is he talking about Trevor Spanner, King of the Underworld from East City?"

"It must be him!"

"Poor guy. I can't believe he messed with Sir Spanner's son. Looks like he's doomed."

Everyone started whispering to one another, expressing their fear.

"You… you guys work for Sir Spanner?" Chris stammered out of intimidation.

Trevor, also known as Sir Spanner, was East City's infamous King of the Underworld, second only to the Mighty Three. He was a man of ruthlessness who showed no mercy to those who wronged him. Under his command were hundreds of subordinates specialized in blackmail and other types of crimes. In simpler terms, Trevor would be the most feared villain in a story. Whoever offended him would face consequences worse than death.

"Fuck, I've made a huge blunder this time," thought Chris in a cold sweat.

"What's wrong? I thought you were confident. Are you scared now?" Edward closed in on Chris, his eyes filled with viciousness.

"Um, this is a misunderstanding…" Chris forced a smile, sounding extremely submissive.

"Misunderstanding, my ass!" Edward roared in fury, slapping Chris across the face twice, leaving his face marked with red fingerprints. Suppressing his exasperation, Chris bit the bullet and smiled apologetically.

"My father is acquainted with Sir Spanner. Could you let this slide for once? I'll make it up to you."

"Who the fuck do you think you are? You're not in the position to ask me for that." Edward forcefully poked Chris on the forehead with his index finger. With each poke, Chris was forced a step back. At this very moment, Chris had his tail between his legs, not daring to make a sound.

Lyra couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Hey, you bunch of thugs! Do you think it's cool to bully others?"

"Why? Are you angry?" Pushing Chris aside, Edward headed in Dahlia and Lyra's direction with an evil smirk.

"This is the Harmon family's territory. Don't you dare cross the line!" Lyra warned sternly.

"You think I'm afraid of the Harmon family?" Edward scoffed and said, "Besides, you guys were the ones who started the fight. I'm only acting out of self-defense. What is the Harmon family going to do about it?"

"What… what bullshit are you spouting?" Lyra started to become frantic.

"Hmph, looks like you've not understood the situation. Let my men knock some sense into you if that's the case!" Edward gestured for his bodyguards to make a move, and two of them stood forward menacingly.

"Stop right there!" Dahlia suddenly interrupted with a cold voice. "This has nothing to do with her. Let her go."

"Does that mean you will take the responsibility?" Edward let out a cruel chuckle. "Sure. I'll let her off the hook, but in return, you have to sleep with me tonight. If you manage to satisfy me, I'll pretend that none of this happened."

"You're shameless!" Dahlia raised her hand to slap him, but Edward caught her wrist just in time.

"Bitch, how dare you hit me again? Boys, tie her up!"

"Yes, sir!" Several bodyguards complied and immediately seized Dahlia.

"Let go of her, you thugs!" Just as Lyra was about to rescue Dahlia, Edward ruthlessly kicked her to the ground.

"Mr. Nolan… Please save her!" Lyra cried out in pain, unable to get to her feed. Helplessly, she could only beg Chris.

"Edward, let's talk this out. Why involve the women?" Chris tried to persuade Edward. For Dahlia's sake, he had to resort to pleading for mercy.

"Fuck you. I'm not done with you yet, and you're trying to save someone else?" Edward cussed.

"No, no! That's not what I meant. There's no need to get violent. We can settle this peacefully," Chris explained politely.

"Shut your trap!" Edward's heavy slap sent Chris stumbling to the ground. "Say one more word and I will kill you."

Chris shrank back and kept silent. Although he cared about Dahlia, he had to save his skin first. After all, it was unreasonable to offend Sir Spanner over a woman.

"Hmph. Turns out you're just a coward!" Edward jeered, "I don't understand why these women would stick with you."

Chris felt insulted, but he couldn't do anything about it.

"You two, stop struggling already. Take them away. I'm going to have a blast tonight." Then, Edward ordered his men to tie Dahlia and Lyra up and bring them away.

"Mr. Nolan! Please, help us!" Lyra screamed at the top of her lungs. However, Chris didn't react as he kept his head bowed. His cowardness made the people around shake their heads. Obviously, Chris was too timid to do anything. Just when everyone thought that Dahlia would inevitably be violated, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Edward and blocked his path.

"You're not allowed to touch her."

"What the fuck? Are you trying to be the hero too?" Edward sneered.

"I advise you to let her go before things get out of hand," Dustin stated coldly.

Edward chuckled with indifference.

"What if I refuse?"

"Then, go to hell!"