Philip temporarily ignored Leo and replied, “I certainly have the means, but as for the cost…”
“How much money do you want?”
Philip sat back in his chair, crossing his legs, greedily eying Sophia’s figure. He said, “For someone as beautiful as Miss Henley, I naturally won’t make an outrageous demand. How about this: give me ten million a year?”
Ten million!
Sophia’s expression changed. This wasn’t just an outrageous demand; it was pure greed!
Sophia firmly rejected, “Impossible. The intermediaries I’ve worked with before, I pay only two million a year. Your asking price is way too extravagant!”
“Not extravagant at all,” Philip put on a mockingly innocent expression and shook his head. “Miss Henley, you must have quite a few employees under you. Similarly, I have my fair share of brothers to take care of. Ten million isn’t much.”
“Well, then there’s nothing more to discuss.”
As Sophia was about to leave, Philip hastily interjected, “Miss Henley, don’t be in such a hurry. If you’re not willing to give me ten million, two million will do. But the condition is, you need to accompany me to a room and engage in some… intimate activities together.”
Upon hearing this blatant and shameless proposal, Sophia’s face immediately darkened. Her instincts were right; Bruno’s introduction of Philip was clearly not for any good intentions.
As Sophia was about to walk away, Leo spoke up, “Today’s plan, Bruno was involved too, right?”
Philip cast a disdainful glance at Leo and angrily retorted, “Who the hell do you think you are? Is this a place for you to speak? If you dare utter another word, I’ll break your legs!”
“Sophia, let me tell you the truth. This inn is my territory. If you don’t sleep with me tonight, you and your worthless man won’t walk out of here!”
Philip lusted after Sophia’s beauty and had lost his patience, discarding any pretense.
With Philip’s words, his underlings understood his intentions well. They stood on either side of Leo, ready to act upon Philip’s command to attack Leo at a moment’s notice.
Sophia had never witnessed such a scene. Her face turned somewhat pale from fear. She nervously held onto Leo’s hand.
Philip stood up, a wicked smile playing on his lips. “Sophia, don’t be anxious, and don’t be afraid. This weakling by your side can’t protect you. It’s better to let me take care of you. Once you become my woman, I can guarantee that no one in the entire Langstel would dare lay a finger on you.”
At this point, Sophia truly realized the extent of Bruno’s malicious intentions. Bruno had indeed plotted with Philip to insult her and then cast her out of the Henley family.
With these thoughts in mind, a chill ran down Sophia’s spine. She was Bruno’s cousin, yet he was willing to stoop to such levels against her.
Gazing at the menacing figure in the room, fear mingled with despair in Sophia’s heart. She thought of calling the police, but she knew these men wouldn’t give her the chance.
Although Leo was by her side, Sophia didn’t believe he could single-handedly take on so many burly men.
With things having come to this point, Sophia could only buy safety with money, “Philip, if you release me and my husband, I’ll give you whatever money you want.”
Philip grinned maliciously, “Miss Henley, do I need to be any clearer? This is no longer about money. It’s about wanting to have you. Right now, you only have two choices: either willingly let me have you, or passively let me have you.”
“You’re shameless!”
“Plenty have called me shameless; you’re not the first.” Philip’s face contorted into a lewd smile.
“You’ve been married to that useless man for four years. As far as I know, you haven’t even shared a bed. To put it in modern terms, you have a widow’s marriage! I think you’d better obediently come to me. Once you become my woman, I promise you, no one in the whole Langstel would dare touch you.”
Before Philip could finish his sentence, Leo casually sat down in a nearby chair, his face emanating a chilling glint.
His henchman nearby couldn’t stand it, “Are you seeking death? Philip didn’t ask you to sit, and yet you dare to do so?”
With that, the henchman aimed a slap at Leo’s face.
A cold smile crept across Leo’s lips. Without even glancing at the man, he reached out and gripped the henchman’s wrist. The henchman yelped as intense pain shot through his wrist and his body.
With a swift motion, Leo sent the henchman flying to the ground.
The sight left everyone else momentarily stunned.
“His fighting skills are quite something. Has this weakling trained before?”
“Look at how composed he is. He doesn’t seem the least bit afraid of Philip.”
“Something’s not right. Should we all gang up on him?”
What Leo did just now contrasted dramatically with the impression he had left on everyone’s minds. Especially Philip, who couldn’t help feeling a bit cautious now.
After all, Philip had spent years in the streets and had seen all kinds of people. From Leo’s previous attack, he was clearly skilled.
Beside her, Sophia’s panicked heart calmed slightly. Leo’s composure, confidence, and strength gave her a sense of safety.
“Leo, it seems I underestimated you a bit. But even if you have some skills, do you think you can take on all of us?” Philip sneered.
There’s a saying: two fists can’t fight four hands. Even if Leo was skilled, getting out of this room intact was impossible.
Philip was merely surprised by Leo’s unexpected abilities. Fear wasn’t a factor.
Leo regarded Philip with an interrogative tone, “I don’t want bloodshed today. So, if you explain your collusion with Bruno, I’ll let you leave here alive.”
Usually, these words would come from Philip’s mouth. That’s why he couldn’t help but burst into laughter and then, with a menacing face, retorted, “Are you kidding me? Are you trying to threaten me? Do you believe I can kill you in an instant?”
Leo glanced at his watch and calmly said, “They should be here.”
“What do you mean, ‘they’?” Philip was puzzled.
Then, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps and followed by cries of pain. Philip’s face turned pale. He knew things were about to go awry. He quickly got up from his chair.
A loud bang echoed through the room as the door was kicked open.
Philip’s expression changed. He looked towards the door and saw a man with a long scar on his face walking in from the crowd outside.