Liam watched, frozen, as the young woman was slapped by one of the attackers right in front of him. He could hear the crack of the slap, see the woman fall again. His facial expression darkened. He couldn't believe that they would dare to raise their hands to the woman. But more than anything, the anger Liam was feeling was more on himself than then men, for not doing anything the moment he saw that the old man needed help. What was he doing? Why was he just standing there while this was happening? He felt like he was no better than the men doing the beating.Liam couldn't believe that up to this point he had done nothing to help the old man who was clearly in need of help.But it was understandable that he didn't want to intervene seeing as he didn't know the whole story as to why the old man was in this situation. He was trying to be cautious, remembering that the last time he got involved in something similar he had made an unwanted enemy. And although he had long taken care of th
“How about you let the old man go buddy?” Liam said coldly, taking on an aggressive stance as he tried to match the man's aggressive energy. “Believe me, it would be in your own good interest if you leave!” He added coldly.The young woman, still struggling to recover from being shoved to the ground, looked up at Liam in disbelief. For a moment, her eyes widened as she registered his presence, someone was actually stepping in to help her and her father? She hadn’t expected anyone to intervene and try to help her and her dad, especially not against these men. These men ruled over this part of the city with an iron fist, and everyone in the area knew it. They did what they wanted, and no one dared to go against them, not unless they had a death wish. With their power around here, the idea of anyone standing up to them was unheard of.And yet, here Liam was standing his ground, risking himself against people most would run from. Liam was either stupid or he didn't know who he was dealin
Liam turned toward the man on the ground as soon as the car sped off, its tires screeching against the sidewalk. The air felt heavy with the after effects of what had just happened, but he was glad that those attackers had left without taking the man with them. Who knows what they were up to? And why did they want to take him with them anyways? The only explanation Liam had was that, perhaps, the man owed them money. Liam darted his gaze towards the ground. The young woman was already at her father’s side, kneeling as she struggled to help him up to his feet. Her hands were trembling with nervousness but she did her best to support him. "Come on, Dad," she whispered urgently, her voice a mixture of worry and exhaustion. "We need to get you inside." The old man groaned, wincing as he tried to stand with her help. His face was bruised, swollen, and streaked with blood, each step a struggle. He looked weak, more so than before. Liam felt a hint of something, guilt, perhaps… for waiti
Liam was lost in thought. Trying to piece together what could the old man have gotten himself into. Who did he offend? Did he make someone angry and now they wanted to teach him a lesson, or was this something else?Liam had so many questions running through his head. He could have simply left after helping the old man, but his curiosity got the better of him. Besides, he was genuinely concerned for them. They seemed like good people caught in a terrible situation and his consciousness wouldn't let him just leave like that. Meanwhile, Rachel watched him closely, her eyes filled with puzzlement. She recalled the moment when Liam had first arrived at the scene and the men had managed to overpower her dad and forced him inside the car.The way those men had reacted was still fresh in her mind. They had been so aggressive, ready to take her father with them, but then, when Liam appeared, something had changed. It was as if they’d recognized him, or at least seen something in him that mad
Hearing Rachel’s words, Liam could sense the hopelessness in her voice. And he understood all too well how she and her old father must be feeling right now. He knew what it was like to feel powerless against people who held more control, more influence. Before having the last name Danvers, he had been in similar situations countless times before, and it was a feeling he would never forget. That was why Liam was very determined to help Rachel and her dad out of this because he didn't want anyone to be going through what he did. He couldn’t just walk away without helping them, or at least trying to. “There has to be something we can do,” Liam said, his voice unhesitating and serious. “No one should have to face this alone,” he added. Liam had already made up his mind, he would help Rachel and her father, no matter what it took. He didn’t care who they were up against and if they were some powerful mafia; all he knew was that he couldn’t stand by and watch them suffer. He offered
Liam leaned against the wall, observing Rachel and her siblings as they spoke quietly with their father. From their worried expressions and the way they interacted, he could see that they were a close-knit family who truly cared for one another. It made him want to help them even more, to find a way out of this mess they were caught in.“What’s the name of the group that’s after you?” Liam asked, his voice calm and casual, If he was going to help them, he needed to know who he was dealing with.Ethan glanced up from his father, turning to face Liam. “They call themselves the Crimson Vipers,” he said, his voice heavy with a sense of defeat. “They’re one of the most powerful crime organizations in the city.”He sounded utterly dejected as he spoke. The weight of that name was bearing down on him. He knew all too well how powerless his family was against the Crimson Vipers. It was this helplessness that made him sound so defeated, as if just uttering their name drained the fight out of
“Who just offers to help complete strangers without expecting something in return? For all I know, this could be a scheme from you to get us to trust you and then take everything we have,” Ethan added, stepping in to support his sister. Their skepticism was understandable. And they were speaking from experience. Something like this had happened to their family before. When they were in need of help and their business was going bankrupt, a seemingly kind stranger had offered help, only to lead their father into debt with the Mafia. Now, they were wary of anyone who seemed too good to be true. Trusting Liam felt like risking history repeating itself.Aretha nodded at her brother’s words, her eyes still locked on Liam. “Exactly. Our father got burned once by trusting the wrong person. How do we know you’re any different?”They didn't know what Liam's last name was, hence they doubted him, but if they knew he was a Danver, someone with great wealth, they would never question him, knowing
After some time, Liam exchanged contact information with Aretha and Ethan, telling them to call him if anything came up. He assured them again that he would do everything he could to help and urged them to stay alert and cautious. With a final nod to Mr. Carrington and a polite smile to Rachel and the others, Liam made his way out of the building. As Liam stepped outside of Mr Carringtons apartment, he noticed that it was already evening. It was dark already. He checked the time on his wrist watch and he realized that he had spent almost two hours at the Carrington’s place. He took a deep breath, letting the cool evening air clear his mind as he walked toward his car. The street was quiet, and he took a moment to scan his surroundings, making sure everything looked normal. Given what he knew about how the Mafia's operated, it wouldn’t have surprised him to spot a suspicious vehicle lingering nearby, maybe parked at the end of the block, its occupants secretly watching his every mo