When fate plays its hand

That man was the so–called, fearsome “Mr. Black“.

When they saw their backup arrived, the thugs who had been taken down earlier scrambled to their feet. They rushed behind the newcomers to seek protection while complaining loudly.

“Mr. Black, it’s them! Not only did they hurt Kenny and Shawn, but they also beat up the rest of us!”

“You’ve got to teach them a lesson!”

“Yeah, they trampled on your dignity when they beat us up! Mr. Black, you can’t let this slide!”

“That’s right! If we don’t take our revenge, the reputation of the Black Gang will be tarnished!”

The scrawny young man, Nefario Black, looked visibly displeased upon hearing this.

Kenny was overjoyed. He could already imagine the scene of them being punished and his revenge fulfilled.

However, a punch landed squarely in his face the next second. Kenny was left completely dumbfounded. Despite being covered in blood, Shawn didn’t escape the blow either. After punching Kenny, Nefario turned and slapped Shawn across the face with a resounding smack.

“Mr. Black?” The two were still in disbelief. “Why?”

Once he was done with the Sneiders, Nefario punched and kicked the other thugs as well. Idiots! You’re all a bunch of idiots! How dare you act out in front of Mr. Quigley without knowing your place?”

After cursing them out, he turned to the bald man with a fawning smile. “I’m so sorry for making you witness such nonsense, Mr. Quigley. It’s all because of these useless fools who are always stirring up trouble for me!”

The bald man, Gerald Quigley, gave him an insincere smile. “Nefario, you have grown quite ambitious, huh? You recruited so many underlings out here and even started the Black Gang? Are you planning to gather more people and become a boss yourself?

“Not bad, not bad. It’s good for young people to have ambition. We need more people with boldness and drive. Everyone, take notes from Nefario in the future…”

Nefario’s expression changed dramatically as he apologized humbly, “No, no! Mr. Quigley, you’ve misunderstood. I would never do that! They’re my underlings, but I’m your underling in turn. That makes you their boss too!”

Nefario turned and glared at Kenny and Shawn. “What are you standing around for? Why aren’t you greeting Mr. Quigley?”

Poor Kenny had to endure a punch from his own backup after having just been beaten up by Sam. Shawn was even worse off. His leg was still bleeding, and he got slapped for no reason. Now, they were forced to grovel like a dog. “Good evening, Mr. Quigley. Sorry for not recognizing your presence.”

Gerald remained expressionless.

Shawn’s eyes darted around as he quickly spoke up, “Mr. Quigley, since you’re the boss of our boss, that makes us your people too! You’ve got to stand up for us! These guys had the audacity to cause trouble in our village. They’ve treated you and Mr. Black with contempt!”

Kenny nodded in agreement. “Exactly! We’re just waiting for your orders.”

Nefario also looked at Gerald expectantly. He had been drinking tea with Gerald when he received the call from Kenny earlier. He had prepared to leave as soon as he heard about the situation, but Gerald stopped him and insisted on coming along to see for himself.

Nefario felt honored at his request. He set out confidently to the scene, bringing Gerald and his men. Now, they just needed a word from Gerald to pounce on this group and crush them to dust!

However, Gerald remained silent with an unreadable expression.

Just as Nefario was about to add fuel to the fire, a slap landed on his cheek instead. Now, it was Nefario’s turn to be stunned. “Mr. Quigley?”

The others looked equally shocked, especially Kenny and Shawn.

Gerald didn’t even spare Nefario a glance. Instead, he walked over to Sam with a smile. ” Mr. Cooper, you’re here! Why didn’t you give me a heads–up? I could have arranged a proper welcome for you.”

Sam’s demeanor was cold and aloof. He showed no interest in Gerald’s attempts to curry favor with him. He replied coolly, “There’s no need for a welcome. Let’s just deal with the matter at hand first, don’t you agree?”

Gerald grinned and said, “Of course!” Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

With that, he glanced at the two burly men standing nearby. “Mr. Cooper, are the men I sent you proving to be useful?”