Pausing, Ned then asked quietly, "In that case, may I have the honor of your real name?"Anyone could tell right away that Vicky was not Frank's real name.Frank frowned slightly when he saw Ned's earnest gaze and eventually sighed. "Frank Lawrence.""Frank Lawrence?" Ned nodded solemnly then. "Well, it's an honor to have a heart-to-heart with you, and I'd really like us to be friends. And thank you for saving me yesterday, or Pax would really have killed me right then and there."Ned then smiled exasperatedly. "To think that the gang I personally fostered would bite my hand instead.""You fostered them?" Frank raised a brow."Yes." Ned nodded and looked around to ensure that there was no one eavesdropping before speaking under his breath, "See, the truth is that family is embroiled in a familial dispute that only escalated as time passed. Everyone is so hell bent on becoming the next of the family. It's crazy."Ned then sighed. "My brother Yuri especially tried to kill me sever
Frank glanced sideways at Ned, though he had more or less an idea of what Ned was up to."I'm proposing a partnership, Mr. Lawrence. Help me topple my brother and claim leadership over the family, and you can have anything you care to mention, be it money, fame, or women."To no surprise, Ned was trying to recruit Frank, which left Frank in an awkward situation.If he was being honest, Ned certainly did not appear to be some two-bit thug. A friendship would benefit Frank, but the problem was that Frank did not come to Morhen to start one fight after another.He had come to find out what happened to Vicky Turnbull… though Frank's eyes lit up at the thought."Mr. Janko, I'd like to ask… Do you think your family stands a chance against the Turnbulls or the Lionhearts?""The Turnbulls or the Lionhearts?" Ned did a double take and lowered his head in thought before frowning. "Well, we won't fear the Turnbulls since they are all just business people, and they tend to be wary about thei
Ned paused upon hearing Frank asking about his father's condition, and his heart skipped a beat when he remembered how Frank had counteracted the nervebreaker that Pax used on them before."My brother said my father's lips had turned purple," he explained. "His limbs are also twitching and ice-cold, and he has already lost consciousness."Frank nodded and could tell right away that an ice-type poison had been used on Ned's father. Musing to himself, he said, "We can discuss the partnership later, but you'd best keep this pill with you if you want to stay alive long enough to do so.""Huh? What?" Ned appeared puzzled even as he took the yellow pill."It's a pill that specifically counteracts ice-type poison. If your brother has given you the correct description, that's what your father's been poisoned with. The pill will at least remedy it for a few days."The pill was no real loss to Frank either, since it was nothing that precious—it was just some pill he refined while he was r
Hux was certainly terrified, as he was under the impression that Frank was just coming up with an excuse to get rid of him."Good. You can call me whenever you find something." Frank nodded and started to leave, with Hux escorting him all the way outside the bar.That was when they ran into some of Kat's classmates, including Mandy Doncic.However, while Mandy immediately glared at Frank in contempt, the other girls were waving at Frank in greeting.After all, he was quite handsome. Even if he proved to be a braggart a couple nights ago, he was still a decent martial artist. The ladies—especially the younger ones—liked a handsome face. "Hey, remember us?" One of them even went up to Frank and greeted him.Frank nodded politely, showing some extent of manners."What are you doing here? Isn't this the Sunblazers' turf?" the girl in the front then asked hesitantly, glancing behind Frank to check out the signboard."Nothing. I was just taking a stroll," Frank replied, not about to
"It's fine," Frank said. "I won't be staying in Morhen for long—I can make do with this. You don't have to get me another."He glanced at the key Hux shoved into his hands but did not refuse it since it was necessary to have a mode of transport. However, he was just going to 'make do' with the Maserati when a group of boys could be heard gasping from the distance."Shit, a Maserati?! Which bigwig owns it?!""This is Mr. Darman's turf… So probably him?""It looks so cool… The skirts are so low!"As a group of boys gawked over the Maserati, Soren Lionheart appeared envious of it too.However, he pursed his lips in stubborn defiance. "My dad's getting a new car in a few days—I'll drive it out to show you in a few days. It's no Maserati, but it won't lose out to it much.""Awesome! That's Soren for you!""Oh, but we won't be getting a ride—it's definitely meant for Kat.""Hehe…" Soren's vanity was certainly stoked by his friends' fawning, but he soon found a familiar figure walk
Cut off Frank's hand?Not only did Hux not have the ability, but he would never dare!Smack!Hux slapped Soren audibly across the face without another word, pointing at his nose and scolding, "Who do you think Mr. Lawrence is?! Scum like you trying to mess with him?! Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror first?! If you insult Mr. Lawrence again, I'll beat you up each time I see you! Now fuck off! Don't be an eyesore!"Then, as if he was not satisfied with his outburst, he kicked Soren to the floor and spat in his face before returning inside the bar."Huh…"The boys were left staring awkwardly at Soren being mocked and beaten up by Hux, and the girls were all pointing and gesturing at him in disdain.One of the boys asked a friend beside him, "Hey, do you think that Mr. Lawrence was actually a big deal and didn't actually need Soren to save him?""Soren? Who's Soren? I don't know such a person. Let's bail.""I agree."Having seen everything, the boys left—they were goi
Kat rolled her eyes, watching as Frank lay down in bed with a speechless look.Dropping to a crouch, she yelled straight into his ear, "Hey! Are you listening?!""I am," Frank replied noncommittally, picking his ear as he turned his back on her exasperatedly. "I'm satisfied, so keep going, do your best… and can you leave now? This is my room.""And this is my house! You said you'd teach me martial arts if I could hone my vigor!" "You're still far from the necessary standard." Frank waved her off like one would an annoying housefly."Hey, what's your problem? Why does it feel like you want nothing to do with me?" Kat stood akimbo, annoyance showing all over her face."Does it?" Frank growled grumpily. "Then how about you stop paraphrasing your words in a way that would make people misunderstand? I don't care about fame, but I still have a reputation to protect.""What?" Kat snapped blankly, but she started to think about what she was saying at the door.Her expression stiffened
Frank sighed, shaking his head. "Fine."He was not actually keen to teach Kat martial arts. Someone close to her had put a seal on her to stop her from becoming a martial artist. It was most likely Nash or her mother.Somehow, Kat's prodigy proved unstoppable, and she honed her vigor despite the seal with sheer talent.It certainly stoke Frank's interest in grooming talented individuals."Focus your vigor on your wrists, and release everything when you throw a punch. Like so—hup!" Frank gave a quick demonstration, jabbing into the air.There was a popping sound as an apple on the table shattered into pieces."This is the most basic martial technique—the Skyrush Jab," he finished, not telling Kat that it was a Mystic Sky Sect technique."Amazing!" Kat was delighted to see Frank demonstrate his technique and ran back to her room to train.Frank sighed, unsure as to how this would turn out.Either way, having honed her vigor, Kat was now half a martial artist.-In the aftern