Chapter 8

Eric clenched his fists tightly as David had humiliated him. At the same time, David leaned forward and smiled mischievously at Eric.

"Isn't it a wonderful surprise? Do you like it?" mocked David.

Jasmine could not help but laugh. Eric was not only poor but also a coward. He did not even dare retaliate after David had humiliated him. She was still angry about her encounter with Sylvia yesterday and wanted to vent her anger on Eric.

David spread his arms and shrugged.

"I just love seeing you employees who can't stand me and can't do anything about it. It's pure pleasure," David said as he took a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, and placed it in his mouth. He looked at Eric, released a billowing cloud of smoke into the air, and added, "I cheated on you, so what are you going to do about it? Hit me?"

"David Westman!" Eric gnashed his teeth and punched David in the face. "I'm beating the hell out of you!"

Eric knocked David out of his chair and his cigarette out of his mouth. His nose was bleeding profusely when he got back to his feet.

"Eric, you son of a b*tch!" David pointed at Eric. "It's over for you! How dare you hit me? You haven't even compensated me for ruining my computer! Not only are you going to pay for it, but I'll make sure you rot in prison as well!"

David never thought Eric would have the nerve to make a move on him. Even Jasmine was shocked by Eric's sudden burst of anger. The man had a soft temperament and would never easily resort to violence.

Eric froze on the spot. He knew he was in deep trouble. He could justify his action for ruining David's computer screen but punching David in the face just escalated the whole situation. David would never let him get away with this, and it would be difficult for him to resolve this issue. Alas, there was no point crying over spilled milk.

"David, you deserved it! You crossed the line!" Eric said through his gritted teeth.

David laughed scornfully. "You son of a b*tch. She seduced me in the first place! I'm taking you down today, Eric!"

David was going to call the cops on Eric. However, before he could call 911, his secretary barged into the office and said, "Mr. Westman! Somebody wants to meet you… H-He also said that…" The secretary hesitated.

"He also said what!?" David glared at his secretary.

"H-He said... Tell the *sshole to come down… Brook Williams wants to meet him," the secretary stammered.

David was so shocked he dropped his phone.

"Hurry up!" cried David and shot out of his office, leaving Eric and Jasmine behind.

Eric was puzzled. He never thought the arrogant David Westman would be fearful of another man. He paid no attention to that matter as he needed to find a way to resolve the issue.

"Eric, I didn't expect you to have the courage to punch David in the face. Do you have any clue of his past?" Jasmine snorted coldly.

Eric ignored Jasmine—he was disgusted to hear her voice.

Before David ventured into technology, he was involved in illegal activities. However, due to the intensive crackdown by the local forces in recent years, David had been forced to leave the streets and eventually started his own tech company.

Still, he kept in touch with the people from his old circle. As such, after much consideration, Eric decided to apologize to David when he returned to the office. He was not afraid of David but worried his conflict with David might inflict on his family.

Meanwhile, David had welcomed Brook Williams to the company.

"Brook, what brings you over today? You should have informed me you're dropping by in advance so I could instruct all of my employees to greet you at the main entrance," David said with flattery.

Brook waved his hand and said, "I heard that business is blooming for your company recently, so I decided to come and learn a thing or two from you."

David chuckled and replied, "You must be joking, Brook. We are just a small growing company. How could we compare to your achievements?"

"David, what happened to your face? Nobody could do this to you when we were on the streets back in the old days. Who did this to you? Should I get the boys to get the job done?" asked Brook.

David's expression darkened as he recounted what had happened to him.

"You got beat up by your employee?" Brook could not help but chuckle.

David said menacingly, "I'll never let him get away with this!"

David and Brook arrived at the office shortly afterward, and Eric was still standing there.

David cursed, "The son of a b*tch is still here! Brook, it's him!"

Brook was shocked inwardly to see Eric. He remained calm as he walked into David's office because Eric did not know him.

David signaled for Jasmine to leave, so she left them alone.

Eric took a step forward, intending to apologize to David.

"Get out of my office now. I'll get back to you later. Don't even think of running away from me, Eric. I know your father is still in the hospital," David said with a stern expression.

Eric clenched his fist but loosened it in the end. He knew he could not mess with David.

David poured Brook a glass of water.

The latter glanced at David and said, "You must have offended your employee, didn't you?"

David snickered and told Brook about his affair with Jasmine.

Brook spat a mouthful of water when he learned of it.

"Take it easy, Brook!" David quickly fetched Brook a few tissues.

"His girlfriend? Which girlfriend?!" Brook asked as he wiped off the water he had accidentally spat.

Was his brother-in-law, who had just married Sylvia, two-timing her?

"The woman that left the office earlier. Ex-girlfriend, to be precise. Jasmine said they broke up yesterday," said David.

Brook nodded. He was furious inwardly, thinking Eric had cheated on Sylvia.

"You scoundrel," said Brook. "You could have pursued any woman, but you had to go after your employee's girlfriend. You really are twisted."

David chuckled.

"Let's not resort to violence anymore now that you're off the streets. Spare him for now," said Brook.

David nodded in agreement. He did not think of resorting to violence to settle the issue after all.

Meanwhile, Eric had received a call from his mother while waiting for Brook to leave the office, so he could apologize to David. After a day and a night, Blake had regained consciousness.

Eric left the company in a rush. There was nothing more important than his father's life. Brook quickly caught up to Eric before he could hail a taxi.

"Hey buddy, did you drop your phone?" asked Brook.

Eric furrowed his brow as he turned over and realized Brook was talking to him.

"Did David send you?" asked Eric.

"David?" Brook chuckled and said, "I don't answer to him."

Eric felt a sense of relief. Based on David's demeanor toward Brook, he knew David had no influence over Brook.

"If the phone is not yours, I'll hand it to the cops later." Brook put the phone into his pocket and added, "You hit David. How are you going to settle it? He used to run the streets and will never let you off the hook."

Eric shook his head and remained silent. He refused to reveal anything to a total stranger.

Brook smiled mischievously and said, "I have an idea that will guarantee that David will treat you with respect. Are you interested to hear it?"

Eric stared at Brook, trying to figure him out. He was concerned about the possibility of Brook conspiring with David to set him up. However, he had no significant value for Brook to plot against him. As such, Eric nodded.

"David's wife is his kryptonite," said Brook.