Chapter 16 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
âWhat the hell? Why did he bring so many people?â Chris gulped, feeling faint for some reason. Werenât they supposed to fight one-on-one? Edward had disrespected the rules of a fair fight by involving a gang. Though Chris was cursing in his heart, he had no choice but to face them head-on. No matter what, he couldnât lose face in front of Dahlia.
âThatâs them. Surround them!â With a wave of his hand, the bodyguards led by Edward dashed forward at once, surrounding Chris, Dahlia, and Lyra.
âWhat are you doing? Iâm warning you, donât you dare touch me. My father is David Nolan, the president of Nolan Pharmaceuticals!â Sensing that he was at a
disadvantage, Chris hurriedly threatened them with his fatherâs status.
âSo what?â one of the bodyguards yelled. âDo you know who youâve messed with? He is Sir Spannerâs son, the heir of Drey Group!â
His words caused an uproar among the crowd. 2
âSir Spanner? Is he talking about Trevor Spanner, King of the Underworld from East City?â
âIt must be him!â
âPoor guy. I canât believe he messed with Sir Spannerâs son. Looks like heâs doomed.â
Everyone started whispering to one another, expressing their fear.
âYou⦠you guys work for Sir Spanner?â Chris stammered out of intimidation.
Trevor, also known as Sir Spanner, was East Cityâs infamous King of the Underworld, second only to the Mighty Three. He was a man of ruthlessness who showed no mercy to those who wronged him. Under his command were hundreds of subordinates specialized in blackmail and other types of crimes. In simpler terms, Trevor would be the most feared villain in a story. Whoever offended him would face consequences
worse than death.
âFuck, Iâve made a huge blunder this time,â thought Chris in a cold sweat.
âWhatâs wrong? I thought you were confident. Are you scared now?â Edward closed in on Chris, his eyes filled with viciousness.
âUm, this is a misunderstandingâ¦â Chris forced a smile, sounding extremely submissive.
âMisunderstanding, my ass!â Edward roared in fury, slapping Chris across the face twice, leaving his face marked with red fingerprints. Suppressing his exasperation, Chris bit the bullet and smiled apologetically.
âMy father is acquainted with Sir Spanner. Could you let this slide for once? Iâll make it
up to you.â
âWho the fuck do you think you are? Youâre not in the position to ask me for that.â Edward forcefully poked Chris on the forehead with his index finger. With each poke, Chris was forced a step back. At this very moment, Chris had his tail between his legs, not daring to make a sound.
Lyra couldnât take it anymore and shouted, âHey, you bunch of thugs! Do you think itâs cool to bully others?â
âWhy? Are you angry?â Pushing Chris aside, Edward headed in Dahlia and Lyraâs
direction with an evil smirk.
âThis is the Harmon familyâs territory. Donât you dare cross the line!â Lyra warned
sternly. 2
âYou think Iâm afraid of the Harmon family?â Edward scoffed and said, âBesides, you guys were the ones who started the fight. Iâm only acting out of self-defense. What is the Harmon family going to do about it?â 2
âWhat⦠what bullshit are you spouting?â Lyra started to become frantic.
âHmph, looks like youâve not understood the situation. Let my men knock some sense into you if thatâs the case!â Edward gestured for his bodyguards to make a move, and two of them stood forward menacingly.
1
âStop right there!â Dahlia suddenly interrupted with a cold voice. âThis has nothing to do with her. Let her go.â
âDoes that mean you will take the responsibility?â Edward let out a cruel chuckle. Sure. Iâll let her off the hook, but in return, you have to sleep with me tonight. If you manage to satisfy me, Iâll pretend that none of this happened.â
âYouâre shameless!â Dahlia raised her hand to slap him, but Edward caught her wrist just in time.
âBitch, how dare you hit me again? Boys, tie her up!â
âYes, sir!â Several bodyguards complied and immediately seized Dahlia.
âLet go of her, you thugs!â Just as Lyra was about to rescue Dahlia, Edward ruthlessly
Chagh
kicked her to the ground.
âMr. Nolan⦠Please save her!â Lyra cried out in pain, unable to get to her feed. Helplessly, she could only beg Chris.
âEdward, letâs talk this out. Why involve the women?â Chris tried to persuade Edward. For Dahliaâs sake, he had to resort to pleading for mercy.
âFuck you. Iâm not done with you yet, and youâre trying to save someone else?â Edward
cussed.
âNo, no! Thatâs not what I meant. Thereâs no need to get violent. We can settle this peacefully,â Chris explained politely.
âShut your trap!â Edwardâs heavy slap sent Chris stumbling to the ground. âSay one more word and I will kill you.â a
Chris shrank back and kept silent. Although he cared about Dahlia, he had to save his skin first. After all, it was unreasonable to offend Sir Spanner over a woman.
âHmph. Turns out youâre just a coward!â Edward jeered, âI donât understand why these women would stick with you.â
Chris felt insulted, but he couldnât do anything about it.
âYou two, stop struggling already. Take them away. Iâm going to have a blast tonight.â Then, Edward ordered his men to tie Dahlia and Lyra up and bring them away.
âMr. Nolan! Please, help us!â Lyra screamed at the top of her lungs. However, Chris didnât react as he kept his head bowed. His cowardness made the people around shake their heads. Obviously, Chris was too timid to do anything. Just when everyone thought that Dahlia would inevitably be violated, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Edward and blocked his path.
âYouâre not allowed to touch her.â
âWhat the fuck? Are you trying to be the hero too?â Edward sneered.
âI advise you to let her go before things get out of hand,â Dustin stated coldly.
Edward chuckled with indifference.
âWhat if I refuse?â
âThen, go to hell!â