Kayden reacted swiftly, throwing a punch at Blaise! Blaise stumbled backward, dazed and shocked.
Karis seized the moment, dashing out the door.
“Karis! Karis!” Blaise shouted after her, then turned to glare at Kayden. Covering his face, he yelled, “You’ll pay for this!”
Kayden remained unfazed. His intention was simply to show Georgia’s classmates that she wasn’t to be messed with.
Lacey, observing everything from the side, had her eyes fixed on the genuine Pearl hanging around Georgia’s neck. She couldn’t believe she had stumbled upon such a rare and valuable treasure in Hiphia. “Sir,” she addressed Kayden, “is your Double Phoenix Plays with Dragon Pearl for sale? If you’re willing, I’ll offer 100 million dollars!”
100 million dollars! Everyone at the table heard it. If Georgia agreed to sell, she would instantly become 100 millionaire in Hiphia, a significant figure in the community.
The Double Phoenix Plays with Dragon Pearl was a highly sought-after artifact, rarely available for purchase. Everyone understood its rarity.
Georgia remained silent, so Kayden responded, “Sorry, it’s not for sale. This pearl suits my wife perfectly.”
He then took Georgia’s hand and said, “Let’s go, honey.” They left the Imperial Hotel together.
Georgia, still in shock from the evening’s events, felt as if she were in a dream. The reality of being envied by everyone around her was surreal.
As they walked across the street and into an alley, Georgia began to regain her senses. She touched the pendant on her neck and asked Kayden, “Is this real?”
Kayden stopped and turned to face her. In the dim streetlight, he saw her astonished face. Smiling, he said, “Of course, it’s real. Do you think I’d deceive you with a fake?”
Georgia’s heart raced. She stammered, “Is this pendant really worth 100 million dollars?”
“Probably,” Kayden replied calmly. “But this isn’t something you can just buy with money. There are only two in the world. Wearing it can keep you youthful and extend your life. Only this pearl is worthy of you.”
While the statement sounded exaggerated, it made Georgia’s heart flutter, feeling sweet and cherished.
“How did you get it?” Georgia asked, puzzled. Such a valuable item seemed out of place with Kayden’s simple background.
“A friend gave it to me,” Kayden answered calmly.
“A friend?” Georgia was surprised. “What kind of friend would give you something so valuable?”
“I saved his life,” Kayden said simply.
Georgia nodded, understanding. When a person’s life is at stake, even a priceless pearl might seem insignificant. Trading it for one’s life is a good deal.
She didn’t know that many people had lost their lives over this artifact.
“Let’s go home,” Georgia said, taking Kayden’s hand.
But as they began to leave, a man’s voice rang out from the alley entrance: “Go home? You think you can just walk away after crossing me?”
Kayden turned to see Blaise with six burly men blocking the alley. In the dim light, Kayden could see they were covered in tattoos and looked tough, probably bouncers or bodyguards.
To Kayden, they were just muscle-bound fools.
“What do you want?” Kayden asked calmly.
Blaise sneered, holding up the fake Double Phoenix Plays with Dragon Pearl. “What do I want? I want my pearl back. We took the wrong one from the table. Yours is fake, mine is real.”
He tossed the fake pendant towards Kayden and continued, “You have two choices: give me back my Double Phoenix Plays with Dragon Pearl, take your fake, and walk away, or I beat the crap out of you and take it back myself. I suggest you don’t resist; just hand over what’s mine, and I’ll let you go. I won’t hold a grudge, even though you hit me.”
“Are you crazy?” Georgia retorted, stepping out from behind Kayden. “This is robbery! Do you think you can just take our stuff and get away with it?”
Blaise laughed, advancing towards them with his men. As they approached, Georgia felt intimidated and hid behind Kayden again.
Blaise said, “I told you, we just took the wrong one. I’m here to exchange them. If you don’t want to, then we’ll go with option two.” He gestured to the six men, signaling them to act. “Teach them a lesson.”
As Blaise casually lit a cigarette, he heard a series of rapid thuds. He looked up, expecting Kayden to be on the ground, but was shocked to see the opposite: the six men lay unconscious at Kayden’s feet.
Georgia had watched in awe as Kayden swiftly dispatched the attackers with a few simple moves, each man falling with a single punch. She had known Kayden was skilled, but she hadn’t realized just how formidable he was.
As Kayden stepped towards him, Blaise panicked, dropping his cigarette. “What… what are you doing? If you hurt me, my father will destroy you! We own mines!”
Ignoring Blaise’s threats, Kayden held out the fake pearl and said, “Swallow it.”
“What?” Blaise stammered, looking up at Kayden. The menacing aura around Kayden made him feel like he was staring death in the face. Near tears, Blaise muttered, “I… my family owns mines!”
“You either swallow it, or I cut off one of your hands,” Kayden said coldly.
Trembling, Blaise took the pendant and slowly brought it to his mouth. He knew Kayden wasn’t joking; the man would follow through on his threat.
As Blaise placed the pendant in his mouth, Kayden suddenly grabbed his jaw, forcing him to swallow it whole.
Afterward, Kayden released him, turned back to Georgia, and took her hand. They left the alley together, Georgia still in shock.
“How are you so good at fighting?” she asked.
“I’ve had training,” Kayden replied nonchalantly, with a small smile.
Blaise, struggling to vomit out the pendant, walked over to his fallen men, only to find they were all dead-killed by a single blow to the temple. They hadn’t just been knocked out; they were dead.
The Vincent Villa
Two elderly men sat facing each other. One was bald and dressed in a white robe, while the other, the apparent master of the house, wore a dignified black Tang suit.
The man in the Tang suit was Coleman Vincent, and the one in the white robe was Dr. Rodriguez, Vincent’s personal physician.
Dr. Rodriguez was checking Coleman’s pulse. After a moment, he looked up, astonished. “Sir, this is a miracle! Your internal injuries are healed.”
“Really?” Coleman touched his chest, taking deep breaths without difficulty.
“Yes, sir. Your internal organs were damaged, but now they’re completely restored. It’s as if… as if…”
“As if what, Dr. Rodriguez?” Coleman asked, eager for the answer.
Dr. Rodriguez continued, “It’s as if your organs have a regenerative ability. It sounds like a fairy tale, but it’s really happening. The young man who gave you that medicine must be a miracle worker. Could you introduce me to him?”
Coleman chuckled, “We’ll see. You have that conference to attend, don’t you?”