The Pantheon?
Desmond was stunned. He had never heard of it. He glanced at his men who were being helped up. They looked equally confused.
Not far away, Darnell almost spat out his cola. Damn it. Cesar actually created a gang under his name?
“You haven’t heard of the Pantheon?”
Seeing Desmond’s blank expression, Cesar slapped him across the face, making Desmond’s face even more swollen with five clear finger marks.
“Such a powerful gang, and you don’t know about it? And yet you dare to compete with us for business?”
His usually sleazy demeanor turned fierce, and Cesar looked at them with disdain, exuding a chillingly dominant aura.
“Get lost now, or we’ll kill you.”
Darnell nodded approvingly. This underling had some capability.
“Understood!.”
Desmond nodded repeatedly. “We’ll leave immediately and won’t come after Bailee for debts anymore.”
He then led his men away in a hurry, fearing that Cesar would kill him if they stayed any longer.
After Desmond and his group left, Cesar turned his head, revealing two gold teeth. He stared at Pablo and Maci.
“What is your relationship with Bailee?”
Before Pablo could speak, Bailee bit her lip and said, “They’re my parents.”
For the first time, they wished they had no relation to Bailee. Pablo and Maci forced a smile.
“Your parents?”
Cesar was ecstatic. He tapped the table with his finger.
“Repaying a child’s debt is the parent’s responsibility. Perfect timing. As her parents, you should pay off Bailee’s debt.”
“She owes us ten thousand dollars. Pay up now.”
Pablo’s face changed color. “Who still believes in such nonsense as children’s debts being their parents’ responsibility?”
Maci chimed in agreement, “Exactly! Her debt is her own to pay. Even the courts don’t enforce such feudal collective punishment anymore.”
Cesar smirked sleazily. “Oh, so you know about courts? Educated, huh?”
“But I just heard Desmond say you want Bailee to pay off her debt. Why can’t I make you pay for her?”
Cesar rolled up his sleeves and sneered coldly,
“And do you think we loan sharks care about reason?”
“In our eyes, parents and children are one and the same. As for the debt, you’ll pay it whether you want to or not.”
Beside him, Harry flexed his massive fists menacingly.
Pablo and Maci fell silent instantly.
At that moment, Cesar turned to Bailee and shouted,
“Bailee, do you owe us ten thousand dollars?”
Bailee replied softly, “Yes.”
Cesar pointed at Pablo and Maci before he continued,
“And are these your parents?”
This time, before Bailee could answer, Pablo and Maci shouted in unison,
“We’re not close to her! We sent her to an orphanage when she was three!”
“Her debt has nothing to do with us.”
“If you want to collect debts, go after her. Leave us out of it.”
As soon as they said this, the onlookers gasped and began condemning Pablo and Maci. Those who had misunderstood Bailee earlier were now furious at them for being heartless parents who abandoned their daughter at three years old only to exploit her later.
Despite being cursed at by everyone around them, Pablo and Maci showed no remorse. They simply waved their hands dismissively.
“Her debt is her business.”
“You think saying you’re not related makes it true?”
Cesar placed his rough hand on their shoulders.
“When we collect debts, we go after parents and grandparents above and children and grandchildren below.”
“You have to pay some interest today. Otherwise, my men might get angry.”
“And then it wouldn’t be good if they broke your bones.”
He applied more pressure on their shoulders until they almost collapsed from the force.
Pablo cried out mournfully,
“We really don’t have any money.”
Maci wiped her tears while cursing Bailee,
“Bailee! You’re a jinx! You’re killing your parents!”
Cesar shouted impatiently,
“Enough talk! Hand over your wallets!”
Bailee wanted to speak but Darnell shook his head to stop her. After Pablo handed over his wallet, Cesar rummaged through it and found over two thousand dollars inside.
He took out the bills and returned the wallet to them.
“This will cover this week’s interest. Next week, we’ll come again.”
“No, it’s you two specifically, Pablo and Maci.”
Cesar read out their IDs before turning back to Bailee.
“Make sure you have ten thousand dollars ready next time, or I’ll break all ten of your parents’ fingers.”
“We’ll leave you alone for now so you can earn money, but I’ll torture your parents bit by bit until you pay up.”
Pablo shrank back, holding onto his wallet tightly as he ran towards the door shouting, “We’re not close! You can’t come after me! Otherwise, I’ll call the police!”
Maci also ran towards the door, taking advantage of the chaos, and shouted,
“Bailee! How could you do this? Owing debt without telling us? Don’t ever come looking for us again!”
“Stay as far away from us as possible!”
Maci cried bitterly as she left.
“Don’t leave yet! Sign an agreement first!”
Cesar shouted after them, but they ran even faster, disappearing in no time flat.
Watching them vanish, Cesar chuckled, returning back into his sleazy persona. He then bowed towards Darnell, who approached and sat down across from Bailee.
“It’s okay now. They won’t bother you for months,” he smiled warmly.
“Mr. Halford…”
Bailee felt touched yet sorrowful.
“I’m sorry for causing such trouble for you…”
“Every family has its own struggles. I understand your difficulties,” Darnell smiled kindly. He then took two thousand from Cesar’s hand and pulled out four thousand from his wallet, making up six thousand and pushing it towards Bailee.
“Take this for rent,” he said softly.
“Pay me back when you get your commission.”
Cesar and his three companions occupied three tables, giving the two enough space to talk.
Bailee didn’t shed tears, nor did she touch the money. Her voice was gentle yet firm as she said, “Mr. Halford, take me out for drinks. Let’s get utterly drunk, and I’ll sleep with you.”
She tried to make her attitude seem more natural, but her gaze still avoided Darnell’s scrutiny. Darnell smiled, “Why go to such lengths?”
“I just want to get drunk. You accompany me in drowning my sorrows, and I’ll accompany you in bed. You won’t be at a loss at all.”
A tinge of red appeared on Bailee’s pretty face. “I’m feeling very agitated, and I want to indulge in self-destruction for once.”
She seemed to be naturally adept at seduction, and a simple sentence instantly ignited a fire within Darnell. His blood began to boil, like a dormant volcano erupting after millennia. Darnell could almost hear his blood bubbling in his veins like water coming to a boil.
She also reminded Darnell, “If you don’t, there will be other men who will.”
This statement made it clear that she was determined to fall into depravity at least once today.
“If we’re both drunk, how can we still sleep together?”
Darnell appraised Bailee’s fiery figure and continued, “How about we drink and make love at the same time?”
Bailee’s breasts weren’t as ample as Casey’s, nor were her hips as pert as Shayla’s, but her figure was still top-notch. Her long legs, a flat stomach, and her natural apple fragrance made her an absolute stunner. The four men behind couldn’t help but marvel at their boss’s prowess in attracting exceptional women.
In response to Darnell’s playful question, Bailee’s red lips parted slightly. “As you wish.”