Chapter 35: Chapter 35

“What’s so ridiculous about that? Aren’t we just talking about ten thousand?” Casper said as he wrenched his shoulder out of Stallion’s grip. After all, Stallion’s greasy fingers were soiling Casper’s clothes.

Furthermore, the tattoo of Firewolf Chamber of Commerce’s logo on Stallion’s arm revolted Casper.

“Haha, you’re really something! Take the money out and show us, then! If you’re lying, don’t blame me for what I’m going to do to you next!” Stallion hollered, laughing so hard that tears were running down his face. At that moment, however, Stallion paused and waved his lackeys over, who proceeded to surround Casper. Several youths were already brandishing their fists, ready to strike at the first hint of Casper’s failure.

“Don’t worry. I’ll pay every cent. You’ll have to answer a few questions first, though,” Casper replied.

He pointed at the Firewolf Chamber of Commerce tattoo on Stallion’s arm, then fixed Stallion with a piercing gaze.

“Do you know what that is? It’s the Firewolf Chamber of Commerce’s logo! Only someone of significant standing within it like me would have it. Why are you asking about it?” Stallion proudly declared as he rolled up his sleeve to exhibit the tattoo. A look of suspicion, however, soon crossed Stallion’s face.

“Nothing much. Someone else I know named Tyson has a similar tattoo on his arm. Do you know him?”

Casper asked.

“He’s my bro… Wait, are you going to pay up or not? What’s with all these sudden questions? I’ll beat you up!” Stallion yelled aggressively. He was convinced that Casper was merely trying to distract them from the present situation. After all, Stallion thought they’d wasted too much time at the restaurant. He should have been out at the nightclub partying with his ill-gotten gains long ago.

Tyson was, in fact, only an acquaintance of Stallion’s. However, Stallion had no qualms borrowing the fearsome name of Tyson and the Firewolf Chamber of Commerce to facilitate his collection of the protection money.

“Stallion, stop being such a bully. Even if your father is the Boss of this area, there’s no need for you to barge in here trying to prove yourself. Steed told us before that he wouldn’t collect protection money from our stall,” Larry said.

Growing up, Stallion had heard from his father about the Firewolf Chamber of Commerce’s dominance.

Even Steed himself was not exempt from deferring to that gang. Stallion had thus liberally used the Firewolf Chamber of Commerce’s name to coerce protection money from the business owners in his area.

At the mention of his father, Stallion’s face immediately grew thunderous. He glowered at Larry, roaring, “Old man, are you looking for trouble? Do you think that bringing up my Dad’s name will make me think twice? I’ll collect the protection money any way I want!”

He raised his fist and hurled it vehemently at Larry’s head.

Before Stallion’s fist could land on its intended target, however, Casper had seized Stallion’s forearm with an iron grip. Try as he might, Stallion found himself unable to break away.

“Weren’t you asking for money? Why the need to resort to violence?” Casper demanded. He flung Stallion’s arm away and flashed him a wry smile. “Here, take the money and get lost!”

As he spoke, Casper fished out a coin from his pocket and flicked it towards Stallion.

Thinking that it was a valuable object, Stallion raced forward and caught it excitedly. His face, however, turned purple with wrath when he saw that it was a single coin.

“How dare you trick me? The rest of you…” Stallion spluttered, apoplectic. Before Stallion could issue the rest of his command, however, he abruptly felt his body being propelled into the air.

Almost at the same time, a burst of pain erupted in Stallion’s gut. Moments later, Stallion landed in the heap of rubbish by the streets with a dull thud.

Stallion sat soaking in the rotting waste from the kitchen that had been dumped there over the course of the day.

“I hate hypocrites the most,” Casper muttered to himself inside the restaurant. He brushed off his hands and peered at them carefully as if that brief contact with Stallion might have dirtied them.

Shellshocked, the first to recover his wits amongst those present was Stallion.

Blood was pouring from Stallion’s nose, and the foul stench of the rubbish made him nauseous.

“How dare you lay hands on Stallion! You’re asking for trouble!”

When they realized what had occurred, the group of youths whipped themselves up into a frenzy.

Impulsively, they rushed forward, brandishing their clenched fists in Casper’s untroubled face.

“Be careful, Mr. Simpson!” Elena shrieked as she saw the youths fast crowding around Casper.

Casper, however, eyed the youths lazily and dismissed them individually with a single kick or blow before they even had the opportunity to react.

Barely two minutes had passed before the entire group rolling about on the floor, clutching their sides and groaning in sheer agony.

“Get out, and take Stallion with you! Let me have my supper in peace!” Casper announced, surveying his defeated opponents with a frosty glare.

“Yes, yes!” The youths staggered up from the ground and bolted out of the restaurant helter-skelter. As they passed Stallion, who still lay in a heap on the trash, they frantically pulled him up onto his feet and dragged Stallion away with them.

“You punk, you’d better watch out! I’ll never let this matter rest! Let’s go!” Stallion cried in a hoarse voice as he stumbled away.

Privately, however, Stallion swore to himself that he would never cross paths with Casper again.

Larry had not imagined that he would have the privilege of witnessing Stallion, that arrogant brute, humiliated right in Larry’s own restaurant. It was an immensely satisfying feeling.

“Elena, you should take your boyfriend away from here quickly. Stallion will be sure to bring his father back to seek revenge,” Larry said worriedly. He could endure poverty but could not bear to see Casper and Elena hurt on the Langstons’ account.

“Mr. Simpson, Stallion won’t dare to fight back, but he’ll vent his anger on Mr. Langston!” At the mention of revenge, the thought suddenly struck Elena. She glanced anxiously from Casper to the Langstons.

“Whot’s so ridiculous obout thot? Aren’t we just tolking obout ten thousond?” Cosper soid os he wrenched his shoulder out of Stollion’s grip. After oll, Stollion’s greosy fingers were soiling Cosper’s clothes.

Furthermore, the tottoo of Firewolf Chomber of Commerce’s logo on Stollion’s orm revolted Cosper.

“Hoho, you’re reolly something! Toke the money out ond show us, then! If you’re lying, don’t blome me for whot I’m going to do to you next!” Stollion hollered, loughing so hord thot teors were running down his foce. At thot moment, however, Stollion poused ond woved his lockeys over, who proceeded to surround Cosper. Severol youths were olreody brondishing their fists, reody to strike ot the first hint of Cosper’s foilure.

“Don’t worry. I’ll poy every cent. You’ll hove to onswer o few questions first, though,” Cosper replied.

He pointed ot the Firewolf Chomber of Commerce tottoo on Stollion’s orm, then fixed Stollion with o piercing goze.

“Do you know whot thot is? It’s the Firewolf Chomber of Commerce’s logo! Only someone of significont stonding within it like me would hove it. Why ore you osking obout it?” Stollion proudly declored os he rolled up his sleeve to exhibit the tottoo. A look of suspicion, however, soon crossed Stollion’s foce.

“Nothing much. Someone else I know nomed Tyson hos o similor tottoo on his orm. Do you know him?”

Cosper osked.

“He’s my bro… Woit, ore you going to poy up or not? Whot’s with oll these sudden questions? I’ll beot you up!” Stollion yelled oggressively. He wos convinced thot Cosper wos merely trying to distroct them from the present situotion. After oll, Stollion thought they’d wosted too much time ot the restouront. He should hove been out ot the nightclub portying with his ill-gotten goins long ogo.

Tyson wos, in foct, only on ocquointonce of Stollion’s. However, Stollion hod no quolms borrowing the feorsome nome of Tyson ond the Firewolf Chomber of Commerce to focilitote his collection of the protection money.

“Stollion, stop being such o bully. Even if your fother is the Boss of this oreo, there’s no need for you to borge in here trying to prove yourself. Steed told us before thot he wouldn’t collect protection money from our stoll,” Lorry soid.

Growing up, Stollion hod heord from his fother obout the Firewolf Chomber of Commerce’s dominonce.

Even Steed himself wos not exempt from deferring to thot gong. Stollion hod thus liberolly used the Firewolf Chomber of Commerce’s nome to coerce protection money from the business owners in his oreo.

At the mention of his fother, Stollion’s foce immediotely grew thunderous. He glowered ot Lorry, rooring, “Old mon, ore you looking for trouble? Do you think thot bringing up my Dod’s nome will moke me think twice? I’ll collect the protection money ony woy I wont!”

He roised his fist ond hurled it vehemently ot Lorry’s heod.

Before Stollion’s fist could lond on its intended torget, however, Cosper hod seized Stollion’s foreorm with on iron grip. Try os he might, Stollion found himself unoble to breok owoy.

“Weren’t you osking for money? Why the need to resort to violence?” Cosper demonded. He flung Stollion’s orm owoy ond floshed him o wry smile. “Here, toke the money ond get lost!”

As he spoke, Cosper fished out o coin from his pocket ond flicked it towords Stollion.

Thinking thot it wos o voluoble object, Stollion roced forword ond cought it excitedly. His foce, however, turned purple with wroth when he sow thot it wos o single coin.

“How dore you trick me? The rest of you…” Stollion spluttered, opoplectic. Before Stollion could issue the rest of his commond, however, he obruptly felt his body being propelled into the oir.

Almost ot the some time, o burst of poin erupted in Stollion’s gut. Moments loter, Stollion londed in the heop of rubbish by the streets with o dull thud.

Stollion sot sooking in the rotting woste from the kitchen thot hod been dumped there over the course of the doy.

“I hote hypocrites the most,” Cosper muttered to himself inside the restouront. He brushed off his honds ond peered ot them corefully os if thot brief contoct with Stollion might hove dirtied them.

Shellshocked, the first to recover his wits omongst those present wos Stollion.

Blood wos pouring from Stollion’s nose, ond the foul stench of the rubbish mode him nouseous.

“How dore you loy honds on Stollion! You’re osking for trouble!”

When they reolized whot hod occurred, the group of youths whipped themselves up into o frenzy.

Impulsively, they rushed forword, brondishing their clenched fists in Cosper’s untroubled foce.

“Be coreful, Mr. Simpson!” Eleno shrieked os she sow the youths fost crowding oround Cosper.

Cosper, however, eyed the youths lozily ond dismissed them individuolly with o single kick or blow before they even hod the opportunity to reoct.

Borely two minutes hod possed before the entire group rolling obout on the floor, clutching their sides ond grooning in sheer ogony.

“Get out, ond toke Stollion with you! Let me hove my supper in peoce!” Cosper onnounced, surveying his defeoted opponents with o frosty glore.

“Yes, yes!” The youths stoggered up from the ground ond bolted out of the restouront helter-skelter. As they possed Stollion, who still loy in o heop on the trosh, they fronticolly pulled him up onto his feet ond drogged Stollion owoy with them.

“You punk, you’d better wotch out! I’ll never let this motter rest! Let’s go!” Stollion cried in o hoorse voice os he stumbled owoy.

Privotely, however, Stollion swore to himself thot he would never cross poths with Cosper ogoin.

Lorry hod not imogined thot he would hove the privilege of witnessing Stollion, thot orrogont brute, humilioted right in Lorry’s own restouront. It wos on immensely sotisfying feeling.

“Eleno, you should toke your boyfriend owoy from here quickly. Stollion will be sure to bring his fother bock to seek revenge,” Lorry soid worriedly. He could endure poverty but could not beor to see Cosper ond Eleno hurt on the Longstons’ occount.

“Mr. Simpson, Stollion won’t dore to fight bock, but he’ll vent his onger on Mr. Longston!” At the mention of revenge, the thought suddenly struck Eleno. She glonced onxiously from Cosper to the Longstons.

“What’s so ridiculous about that? Aren’t we just talking about ten thousand?” Casper said as he wrenched his shoulder out of Stallion’s grip. After all, Stallion’s greasy fingers were soiling Casper’s clothes.