Sophia sighed inwardly, realizing her mother had fallen into a trap. She knew her mother’s temperament well. Once she made a decision, it would be tough to change her mind, so Sophia didn’t say anything more.
Barry got up from his seat, saying he needed to use the restroom. While Keith was borrowing money, Martin had been silently browsing antique photos on his phone without saying a word. He understood that in most family matters, Jessica was the one who made the decisions.
Feeling the tension in the room, Keith raised his glass, addressing Jessica, “Jessica, the reason I need to borrow this much money from you is because I’ve found a great business opportunity recently. With this startup capital of three hundred thousand dollars, it’ll be easy to make money. Once I start earning, I’ll immediately pay you back. Come on, I’ll drink to that.”
Keith’s statement was only halfway honest. He promised to repay if he made money, but what if he incurred losses?
Monica thought Keith’s words were unnecessary at this point. Their immediate concern was getting the money, so she looked at Jessica and asked, “We happened to be passing through Langstel, and the matter regarding the project is quite urgent. Can we have the money from you after dinner today?”
Jessica couldn’t help but sneer inwardly, thinking, “Monica is worried that I might change my mind after promising the money? How amusing.”
Jessica, although feeling reluctant, said, “Dinner is running late already, so I’ll get you the money tomorrow.”
Monica put on a smile, as fake as a rotten tomato. She immediately raised her glass to Jessica.
Meanwhile, Barry hadn’t returned from the restroom for quite some time. Monica worried that he might have had too much to drink and something might have happened, so she was about to ask Keith to check when the door to the private room was kicked open with a loud crash.
Everyone in the room was startled, turning to look at the entrance. Barry had been thrown in, his face bruised and battered. It was clear that he had been beaten.
Following him, several unfriendly-looking men walked in.
Seeing her son injured like this, Monica rushed over to help him up, her heart filled with concern. Barry, seeing his mother, burst into tears, feeling like he had been through a nightmare.
Monica’s heart ached as she saw Barry in this state, and she angrily confronted the intruders, “Why did you beat my son?”
One of the men, with a gold ring on his hand and a patchy beard, replied with disdain, “Stop shouting. Your damn son had no manners. He dared to harass my woman. If I were not in a good mood today, I would have broken his hands!”
It turned out that Barry, after using the restroom, had encountered a beautiful woman in the corridor. Emboldened by alcohol, he had approached her. Unfortunately, this group of men saw him and attacked him without hesitation.
Barry was lacking any muscle. He was no match for these guys and had been crying for mercy in no time.
However, they weren’t satisfied with just beating him up. They found out which private room Barry had come from and dragged him here.
At this point, the woman Barry had approached sauntered into the room, looking haughty.
Monica, her logic clouded by anger, pointed at the woman and yelled, “This bitch is dressed so provocatively. What’s wrong with my son trying to talk to her?”
“Smack!”
The woman slapped Monica across the face, silencing her.
“Are you daring to hit me? I’ll fight you!” Monica shouted.
Before she could react, one of the men kicked her, knocking her to the ground.
Keith had been too frightened to protect his wife and son and looked to Sophia for help, saying, “Sophia, you’re the General Manager of Henley Group. Can you do something?”
Sophia appeared aloof, pretending not to hear Keith’s plea. In her view, this situation was their own doing.
The leader of the group sneered in response to Keith’s words, his face filled with disdain. He challenged them, “What kind of background or influence do you have? Call them now! I’m not someone you can intimidate.”
His gaze shifted to Sophia, and a greedy expression crossed his face as he pointed at her, presenting two choices, “Now, you have two options. First, let this woman accompany us for a drink, and we’ll call it even.” He then pointed at Barry, continuing, “Second, this kid’s parents and he can all kowtow to me together, and we can put this matter behind us.”
Keith couldn’t help but notice the imposing figures of the four burly men, their muscles straining against their sleeves. He was trembling with fear, and he looked at Sophia with a pleading expression. “Sophia, can’t you extend a helping hand when your uncle is in trouble?” he implored.
Sophia responded dismissively, “I can’t help with this kind of trouble.” She had little interest in assisting them, especially given that they had brought this situation upon themselves.
Desperate, Keith turned to Jessica and Martin for assistance.
Jessica, poking Martin, nodded subtly, indicating that he should speak up.
Martin approached the lead man and said with courage, “Hey, buddy, we’re from Langstel’s Henley Group. We admit we were in the wrong this time. Can you please calm down? Let’s just forget about this.”
“Forget about it?” The man sneered. “You think you can just say ‘forget about it’? Haven’t you heard of me, Stan Christopher? Don’t waste my time. Make a choice quickly!”
The woman whispered something into Stan’s ear, and he grinned. “I’ve thought about it. Let’s add another option. Since you’re from Henley Group and seem quite wealthy, here’s the deal: compensate me with a million dollars for emotional distress, and we’ll call it a day.”
A million dollars?!
Keith and Monica exchanged a horrified look, their faces turning pale. If they had a million dollars, they wouldn’t have come all the way to Langstel to borrow money.
Seeing their hesitation, Stan kicked Barry again, threatening, “If you don’t pay up, I’ll make this kid here a cripple!”
Monica burst into tears, frantically shielding her beloved son.
“Sir, please don’t hurt my son. We really don’t have a million dollars!” Keith pleaded, hurriedly taking out his wallet and phone and placing them in front of Stan.
Stan glanced at him with disdain. “What the hell is this? Are you joking?”