Zayn, that son of a b*tch! This had been his plan since the very beginning—he had provoked them as part of his strategy.And they were suckers for taking the bait!The Larsons were shrewd people. They immediately knew what could happen if that recording were sent to the cops and how far-reaching the ramifications would be. They might command a lot of influence in Waltz City and Fenx City, but word of a conspiracy involving several billion dollars could still deal a heavy blow to the family no matter how well-connected they might be.They were careless. They had not expected such an underhanded scheme at all. Their plan to force Zayn into submission had effectively been thwarted, because once the recording got out, the consequences would be a tidal wave.The mob’s eagerness had dwindled. A few of the more cowardly ones were showing signs of backing down and stopped glaring furiously at Zayn.Raymond looked on, bewildered. He had not expected Zayn to pull off such an unexpected, let
Shane Larson was not just any random Joe—he was Jordan’s only son. Within the family, his position was just one rank below Zidane. Nevertheless, Zayn had slapped this all-important figure just like that.Was this Zayn’s hubris showing? It must have been, right?Raymond watched it happen in a nonplussed daze. He was actually desensitized to these mind-blowing developments, he discovered, because he was hardly stunned by any of it anymore.He thought Zayn was at his most arrogant when he taught Chester Turner a lesson the night before, but that could not hold a candle to the degree of bald-faced conceit he displayed this time.To Raymond, Shane had always been an example to look up to, a larger-than-life titan of sorts. Conversely, Zayn flouted that status with a loud and resounding wallop, right in front of the rest of the family—right when both Jordan and Zidane were watching!Perhaps conceit was an inadequate description. The right word had to be hubris; Zayn was so grandiosely s
Smarts, spunk, and schemes—to have all three of them made him downright terrifying. Zidane could not hope to match him, not by a long shot.Suddenly, everyone was reminded of how Zayn had always been the crème de la crème of the family’s younger generation before his exile. Zidane had never been the best.Could it be a result of the exceptional genes Zayn inherited from his mother?“That’s enough!”Jordan had quickly reached his last nerve. He lunged, grabbing Shane by the collar, and dragged the savage away from Zayn.Shane, still burning with rage, protested violently, “What are you doing, Dad? I’m gonna beat the sh*t out of—”His sentence was cut short by two loud slaps across his cheeks. So hard we’re the blows that the young man was stunned into a dumbstruck silence.“You’ve gone too far, Shane Larson! You can’t do that to your own damn cousin!” Jordan fired back, though he paused as soon as he noticed Zayn ending the call to prevent Jordan from placing any doubt on Zayn’s
Gritting his teeth, Shane watched the tides turn in Zayn’s favor as he lay on the floor, his eyes reddening. Hot lashes of shame and regret struck him, yet he could do nothing but wallow in a hell of his own making.Why did he have to be so easily baited into a trap?At that moment, everyone looked at Zayn with even more respect.Zayn smiled. “Aww, you’re exaggerating, Uncle. The Larsons control this city, right? A little recording from me can’t possibly indict Shane, am I right?”It became clear to Jordan as to what the young man had been doing: Zayn had come to the memorial service for the sole purpose of revenge. He had never wanted to return to the family at all. To think he believed it would be easy to con him into doing their bidding before it all began! Jordan really shot himself in the foot here.Tired of pretense, the patriarch expressed his true emotions with a dark, unamused tone. “I’ll concede that I’ve underestimated you completely, Zayn. We lost, quite thoroughly. No
Zidane thought fast and quickly came up with a plan to seize power for his side. “I don’t mind a rematch, Zayn, but if you lose, you will delete those recordings and offer 4.6 billion dollars to relieve the family’s burdens!”If one needed an example of a man making impossible demands, look no further than Zidane. It was so over the top that everyone in the hall jumped. How could anyone expect Zayn to agree to something so preposterous?!Then, Zayn gave them a fright of his own by answering cheerily, “Sure!”They were all dumbstruck, including Zidane himself. He never thought the young man would agree to his extreme request. In fact, his gut instinct was that Zayn was trying to play them again.Zidane narrowed his eyes skeptically. “If you do not object to my demands, then I suspect you have worse in mind, don’t you? What is it?”He had a point. Zayn had shown himself to be ruthless and merciless thus far. The fact that he agreed to such a wager meant he would probably ask for som
Zidane accepted the challenge. His expression exuded confidence and pride. He had tormented Zayn ferociously in front of his grandfather Connor’s grave before. It had only been two short weeks since that incident. He refused to believe that Zayn was so capable that he managed to undergo some brutal training in half a month and significantly elevated his skills. Zayn had managed to take advantage of him because of his own carelessness. It filled him with fury and regret, so he did not expect Zayn would actually yield his power once again. They were going to return to their mutual starting point and fight one-on-one. It could not be better. It was true that Zayn’s requests were rather excessive. He wanted everyone to surrender to him. The whole Larson family would be put under his heel if they were to abide by his request and suffer rather severe consequences. All members of the family—young and old—would not be able to hold up their heads in the presence of Zayn anymore from then
They moved so swiftly and utilized all of their power as soon as they began to fight. This was because both fighters understood their opponents too well and knew everything about each other. They realized, in a battle of life and death like this, holding anything back would be fatal. It was rather ironic that they were supposed to be half brothers who shared the same father, yet due to some strange twist of fate, they were destined to become enemies. Four years ago, Zayn lost to Zidane, so he could not possibly allow himself to be defeated again.Pow! Pow! Pow!They ran into one another continuously, their fists meeting, their kicks colliding. There was an endless stream of loud, vigorous clashing sounds, and a strong wind rushed across the hall, billowing through people’s clothes. They fell back in succession and dared not stand too close in fear that they would get caught in the battle. “Hasn’t Zayn been out of practice for four years? How is he still so strong…?”“You’re ri
Yes, Zidane had lost the fight. Moreover, he was thoroughly defeated and did not even have the strength to hit back. It took ten full seconds for the numerous members of the Larson family to accept the truth. Having to face reality put a cold chill into their hearts, and it felt like ice was coursing through their veins. They soon recalled the price of Zidane’s loss!At that moment, many of them panicked. They were scared out of their minds and even felt the urge to flee. Ever since the Larson family was established, nothing of this sort had ever happened. Jordan was left utterly dumbstruck and bewildered. He felt as if his heart had twisted savagely and he was suffocating from the pain. Everything happening before him was so absurd, so unreal! It was just like a dream. Yes, it was supposed to be the Larsons’ memorial service. Every member who was even a little capable was there, yet they were being bossed around by Zayn, a man who had come alone!If news of this incident