Scarlet hurried to Phineas' side, and he wrapped an arm around her slender waist.Gina, seeing that Phineas had brought a lot of men, was promptly silent.She slid tentative peeks at Chris, wondering if he could resolve the issue for them…"Who demanded my girl's apology?" Phineas suddenly barked."I did," Chris replied, puffing his chest fearlessly.As Phineas wheeled on him right then, Scarlet whispered to him under her breath, "Chris Steiner. Owner of Omens Industries."Phineas narrowed his eyes. "So you're Chris Steiner?"His sharp glare left Chris' heart skipping a beat, and he started sweating down his back in apprehension.Still, he braced himself and strode forward, forcing a smile as he said, "Mr. Tomkins, I presume? I ask nothing much other than that your girlfriend apologize to Peter here. After that, we can let bygones be bygones."Smack!As soon as Chris finished, Phineas slapped him across the face resoundingly!"Oof…" Chris was left stunned and dazed by the sl
Phineas ordered right then, "Break that bastard's arm!"Helen gritted her teeth right then and ran up to stand between them and Peter. "Please, Mr. Tomkins. We will pay, alright?"Reasoning was now not an option—she had to pay through the nose to avert this disaster.Nonetheless, Scarlet snorted. "That's what we've been asking earlier, but you refused. Are you scared now? You really should've known when to stop."Helen braced herself as she said, "The problem is I don't have that much money. Could I pay in installments?"She had already invested all her funds into the West City project and had nothing to spare right now."You mean you're not going to pay?" Phineas asked, turning toward her right then."I'll pay, but in installments," Helen quickly said. "I'm not trying to run, and I'll have my brother apologize too. Let's just put this behind us, alright?""Put this behind us?" Phineas snorted. "Easy for you to say. None of you are leaving until you pay up!"And with those wor
Phineas was left bleeding from Frank's kick, but he remained unfettered."You're dead meat, son," he growled. "My men number up to the hundreds—you're not getting away even if you kill me."Frank scoffed. "I can't say about the others, but you're definitely dying here."His haughty reaction certainly did not sit well with Phineas. "Fuck! Try me! I'm warning you—Skyblade Dojo has my back. Have you ever heard of them?!"In the end, mobsters like Phineas either involved themselves in business to turn legitimate or allied themselves with important families or factions. Leo Grayson did the latter by swearing fealty to the Chandlers of Middleton, and Phineas did the same with Skyblade Dojo of Riverton.And he was certainly getting conceited about it!"Skyblade Dojo…?"Both Gina and Helen were bemused—they did not usually go out of their way to learn about Riverton's major factions. In fact, they had heard about Skyblade Dojo, but not why they should be feared. On the other hand,
Phineas believed that once Frank released him, his legion of thugs would dispatch Frank with relative ease.On the other hand, Gina breathed a huge sigh of relief at Phineas' offer and told Frank, "You heard the man! Let go of him and break your arm.""Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?" Frank shot her a look of disdain."Frank Lawrence!" Gina bellowed right then. "You've been freeloading from my house for three years! You can save Helen now, but you're refusing to do it?! Is your arm more important than Helen's life?!""I'd tell you how stupid you are, but you'd never believe me." Frank snorted coldly. "You're all going to die if I let him go."Phineas quickly said, "I swear—break your arm, and I won't press the issue, and we can all go our separate ways."Chris promptly yelled, "You heard Mr. Tomkins! We have his word—men like him always value honor above all else. Break your arm!""Are you deaf?!" Peter snapped in frustration since Frank was not moving. "What di
Even Phineas' goons promptly cleared a path when they saw Rolf.Gina and the others were left studying Rolf quizzically in turn—was that man from Skyblade Dojo?On the other hand, Rolf could immediately tell that things were bad when he saw Frank being encircled, and he promptly wheeled on Phineas. "What is going on here?"Phineas quickly explained, "That stupid boy was messing about. Just wait a moment, Mr. Sparks. I'll get him sorted right away—Argh!"He did not notice that Rolf was quickly frowning. Rolf then slapped him across the face before he realized what was happening!As Phineas collapsed to the floor, yelping, he looked up at Rolf in shock. "W-Why did you hit me, Mr. Sparks?""Shut up!" Rolf snapped. "Who do you think you are, laying a finger on Mr. Lawrence?!""What are you talking about, Mr. Sparks?" Phineas' heart skipped a beat as he realized something was wrong. Rolf actually addressed the kid as Mr. Lawrence?!"The Turnbulls have his back, and he saved Vick
Phineas put two and two together as he listened to Gina and the others mocking Frank.After all that, it turned out that the brat was just Vicky's gigolo! Fuck! To think that some gigolo got to walk all all over him… How infuriating! However, despite his grievances, he knew that he could not do anything to them since Rolf had personally vouched for Frank."Aren't you going to leave? Or am I supposed to escort you out?" he snapped at Gina and the rest.Gina promptly nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, we're leaving right now…"As they fled Delightpub, Rolf and Frank arrived at a private room on the second floor."May I see the Myriad Hued Snow Lotus?" Frank asked bluntly."Of course." Rolf laughed heartily, putting the wooden case he carried on the table and slowly opening it.A stark white snow lotus lay within, its stem curiously straight with seven leaves of different hues growing on it.Frank's eyes widened and reached out to touch the stem.He was certain from a single glanc
Rolf frowned since Frank was clearly rejecting his offer. "You can't clap with one hand. No person is a match against an entire sect no matter how strong they are.""Hahaha!!!" Frank laughed even louder at that. "That just shows your ignorance."Back then, he fought against the Eight Sects of the North Sea alone, and he was still standing now.Conspiracies, sects, and other powers that be were just pointless, as long as one was strong enough!Rolf's smile faded, and he pulled out a bottle, putting it on the table and growled, "Drop your blood in this vial, Mr. Lawrence. Not only would we stay friends, but I promise you that you answer to no one in Riverton except me."Frank's interest was actually piqued. "What if I refuse?""Then I'll make you."The private room was suddenly eerily silent, the men's presence suddenly magnified.Crash!The table between Rolf and Frank suddenly shattered, crumbling under the burst of air as they moved.Rolf launched the first strike with an ou
Rolf quickly pleaded, "P-Please, Mr. Lawrence. It's all just a misunderstanding. Let's just pretend I never said anything…"Frank remained impassive even as he stood before Rolf. "Misunderstanding? You were demanding my blood just a moment ago."Rolf quickly waved his hands. "No, I don't want it. Let's pretend it never happened."Frank chuckled coolly. "Easy for you to say."The look of disdain in Frank's eyes left Rolf panicking. "W-What are you doing? I may be Kenny Sparks' cousin, but he's like a brother to me… You can't kill me. He gave you a Myriad Hued Snow Lotus too. Isn't that enough in exchange for my life?"Frank snorted. "You'd be dead if not for Kenny."And with those words, he grabbed Rolf's arm."What are you doing?!" Rolf cried."Breaking your arm," Frank growled. "Disrespect me again, and not even Kenny can save you."And with those words, he gave a squeeze, and Rolf's arm broke with a resounding crack!"Argh!!!" A blood-curdling scream resounded across the