“Don’t get carried away,” Sophia scoffed. “By the way, let’s go out for dinner tonight, and after that, we can visit a bridal shop.”
“Are we retaking wedding photos today?” Leo asked in surprise.
“Why, you don’t want to?” Sophia retorted.
“No, I’m all in for it!” Leo replied with enthusiasm.
After dinner, the two of them drove to SOHO Square, where several renowned bridal shops in the city were located.
They visited several bridal shops together, but none had the right dress. Sophia sighed, saying, “We’ve been to several shops, but we haven’t found anything suitable yet. I wonder if we’ll be able to take the photos today.”
“Don’t worry, there are a few more shops ahead. Let’s go ask there,” Leo reassured her.
As they walked a bit further, a young man approached them with enthusiasm, handing out flyers. “Would you like to take wedding photos? Our shop is currently running a special promotion. Very affordable,” he said.
Leo took a flyer and saw the shop’s name, “Red Candle’s Beauty.” He nodded, and the young man led them into the store.
Once inside, he guided them to the waiting area, served them tea, and placed a photo album on the coffee table.
“Where would you like to take your wedding photos?” the young man asked.
Sophia inquired, “Do you have any recommendations?”
“If you’re looking for somewhere nearby, you might consider Maplewood Shore. Many couples choose it for their wedding photos,” the young man suggested. “Maplewood Shore is lined with beautiful maple trees, and in this season, the leaves are as red as fire, perfect for wedding photos.”
Sophia began flipping through the photo samples taken at Maplewood Shore. From the photos alone, it seemed like an excellent choice.
She pushed the album in front of Leo and asked, “Leo, what do you think?”
“I think it looks great. Let’s go to Maplewood Shore,” Leo agreed.
As they were discussing the details, a thunderous voice from outside caught their attention. “Eden Bright, your business seems to be going well lately. It’s time to pay the management fee!”
Eden furrowed his brows and gave Leo and Sophia a forced smile. “Please take a look at the album for now. I’ll be right back.”
With that, Eden got up and walked toward the loud man at the entrance.
The big-voiced man was accompanied by three burly men, all wearing tough expressions. One of them even kicked a chair out of the way.
The leader of the group yelled, “Eden, you’re moving too slowly. It’s time to pay the management fee. Got it?”
“Kyle, why are you here all of a sudden? I paid the management fee for this month a week ago,” Eden smiled obsequiously.
“Paid?” Kyle, the man, clearly seemed surprised. He turned to his three henchmen and asked, “Did he pay this month’s management fee?”
All three of them shook their heads.
One of them pointed at Eden and said in a threatening tone, “Eden, it looks like you don’t want your shop to stay open. Even Kyle can’t fool him. If you piss off Kyle, you’ll be in big trouble.”
“Kyle is the big shot Bob Abe’s cousin. Without Kyle’s protection, your shop won’t last three days!” the third henchman taunted.
Hearing these guys talking about collecting “management fees” and mentioning Bob, Leo set down the photo album and walked over.
Sophia hesitated for a moment, then followed Leo.
Fear was evident on Eden’s face as he quickly pleaded, “Kyle, business isn’t going well right now. I’m barely making ends meet. I did pay this month’s management fee a week ago; you can double-check if you want.”
“Double-check? Who do you think you are, asking me to double-check? Stop being so damn talkative. This month’s management fee, you not only have to pay, but you also have to pay an extra thirty percent. That extra thirty percent goes as a tribute to my cousin Bob, understand?” Kyle impatiently yelled at Eden.
His three henchmen clenched their fists, showing they were ready for violence if Eden resisted.
“Eden, you’ve been running this shop for a while now. You’d better behave yourself, or you’ll be in big trouble,” Kyle’s henchman warned.
“The big shot Bob has arranged for Kyle to collect the management fee here. If you don’t obey the rules, you might not see this bridal shop again tomorrow,” another henchman taunted.
Eden, with a tearful face, pleaded, “Kyle, I’m running a small business here. With you demanding the management fee twice a month, I’ll go bankrupt.”
“Bankrupt? I don’t give a damn! If you don’t pay the management fee, I’ll trash your lousy shop right now!” Kyle said, kicking Eden in the stomach.
Eden fell to the ground and couldn’t get up.
Sophia was very displeased with the actions of these men. She furrowed her brows and asked, “Leo, your friend Bob from the streets is arranging for his people to do such things?”
Leo sighed and replied, “Bob wouldn’t order this kind of thing. These guys are using his name to cause chaos.”
As Kyle was about to order his henchmen to further assault Eden, Leo stepped forward, pulled Eden up, and stood in front of him.
Leo’s appearance caught Kyle off guard. He sized up Leo and sneered, “Bro, you want to meddle in other people’s business? I think you’re bored, even daring to interfere in my affairs.”
Leo coldly retorted, “You’ve already ruined my mood. I’m giving you a chance to leave. If you dare to pull this stunt again in Bob’s name, I’ll break your legs.”
Leo’s intervention filled Eden with gratitude and worry. In Eden’s eyes, Leo was no match for these four men.
Leo’s words left Kyle and his three henchmen completely shocked. In their years in this line of work, they’d never heard such a threat. They even wondered if they had misheard.
One of the henchmen carefully examined Leo, seemingly recognizing him, and sneered, “Kyle, do you even know who this idiot is?”
“Who knows who he is? I think he’s just a clown hired by the monkey!” Kyle retorted.
Another henchman chimed in, “Something’s odd; this guy looks kind of familiar. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
The henchman who initially recognized Leo exclaimed, “Kyle, this guy isn’t just anybody. He’s the famous ‘gold-digging son-in-law’ in Langstel! Four years ago, he married a female CEO from a cosmetics company, and Urban Entertainment News even ran a special feature about it!”