“Stop!”
Seeing a crowd gathering and noticing that Garrett and Cesar were about to fight, Darnell rushed forward and shouted, “Everyone stop.”
The two groups, who were ready to clash, hesitated upon hearing the command. Both Cesar and Garrett looked over.
“Boss, why did you come down?”
Cesar quickly showed his loyalty. “This big guy is tough to handle, but I can still take him down. Boss, you just sit upstairs and enjoy your tea.”
He waved his sturdy fist towards Garrett’s group, taunting them, “If we don’t show you our strength, how will the Pantheon survive?”
At this moment, Garrett recognized Darnell and shouted excitedly, “Mr. Halford!”
“Step back.”
Darnell instructed both groups to retreat and then walked to the middle to address Cesar and Garrett. “We knew each other. Why fight?”
Cesar shivered and grabbed Darnell. “Boss, is this big guy also one of our gang members?”
“When did you recruit such strong men? In less than a day, the Pantheon has grown again. Boss, you attract talent from all over.”
He flashed his gold teeth at Garrett. “Since we’re on the same side, it’s all good. We wouldn’t have known each other otherwise.”
Garrett was confused. “What’s the Pantheon?”
“Garrett, just ignore him.”
Darnell pushed Cesar’s hand away and pointed at Garrett’s group. “His name is Garrett. He’s my friend, a tough guy.”
Then he pointed at Cesar and his group. “This is Cesar Sneyd. I recruited him two days ago. He’s a bit of a rascal. Don’t mind him.”
By this time, Harry and others had explained the conflict. One of Garrett’s companions wasn’t watching where he was going and bumped into Harry, damaging some small items. Harry demanded three hundred dollars in compensation. The other party thought it wasn’t worth that much, leading to an argument that escalated as more people got involved.
When Cesar came down, he intended to separate both sides to understand the situation but was misunderstood by Garrett as attacking his companion, leading to a fight.
“It was a misunderstanding. Give me some face and let this small conflict go.”
Darnell mediated between the two sides. “Times are tough enough. No need to fight over every disagreement. Besides, harmony brings wealth.”
“Boss is right.”
Hearing Darnell’s words, Cesar immediately smiled and extended his hand to Garrett. “Garrett, right? That’s a great name. Your presence and skills match it perfectly. I’m Cesar, Mr. Halford’s subordinate. I apologize for earlier.”
“The one who should apologize is me.”
Garrett was someone who responded well to softness rather than hardness. With Cesar’s polite tone and Darnell’s influence, he quickly waved his hand. “I acted without understanding the situation and caused a commotion. It’s my fault.” He then shouted at one of his companions, “Vance, apologize and compensate them!”
The man named Vance quickly apologized to Cesar and Harry, “I’m sorry. I was in a bad mood today and shouldn’t have treated you poorly.”
Seeing Vance bow repeatedly and apologize sincerely made Harry’s anger dissipate. They handed back the money Vance had taken out.
“No need for compensation. They weren’t valuable items anyway. This gives us a chance to get new ones.”
Cesar also joked with a smile, “If you feel really bad about this, buy us a drink sometime.”
“You sly dog.” Darnell playfully hit Cesar on the head. “Those broken items aren’t worth much. How much does a round of drinks cost? You’re really calculating.”
Hearing this, Garrett laughed out loud, “Mr. Halford, you really know how to joke around. Cesar didn’t mean that.”
Cesar wasn’t embarrassed. He flashed his gold teeth with a smile. “I really did mean it that way.”
Harry and Vance laughed as well, turning hostility into friendship.
Garrett spoke heartily, “Mr. Halford treated us to lunch yesterday and helped us out with a big problem before that. He even saved my life once.”
“Don’t just say drinks. If you need us for a fight, we’ll be there without hesitation.”
He then looked at Cesar with admiration. “Meeting someone like Cesar is truly my fortune.”
“How about this? Since we rarely get together and now know each other better after this misunderstanding, let me host dinner tomorrow night for you, Mr. Halford, Cesar?”
Before Darnell could respond, Cesar bit down on his cigarette holder. “Why not tonight?”
“What? Worried about delays? Don’t worry. I surely keep my word,” Garrett laughed heartily again before pointing at their furniture.
“You guys are moving today? So are we! I’m worried we’ll be too tired after moving to enjoy dinner properly tonight. Let’s rest for a day so we can drink more freely tomorrow.”
Cesar nodded with a smile. “Makes sense.”
Darnell was slightly surprised. “Garrett, you’re moving too? To Woodsea?”
Vance replied, “Yes, our old landlord raised the rent too much. We couldn’t afford it anymore, so we moved here.” He pointed to a building on the left.
“We’re on the fifth floor.”
Darnell looked up. The apartment’s window faced directly onto his living room balcony.
“Why are you standing around?”
At that moment, Garrett shouted at his six companions, “Cesar’s group needs help moving. Get on it! Many hands make light work!”
Vance and the others immediately sprang into action with enthusiasm.
Cesar didn’t stop them but chuckled while smoking until Darnell lifted him up by the collar.
“Don’t slack off either! If they’re helping you move today, then you’ll help them tomorrow!”
Cesar made a face. “Boss, my kidneys aren’t good…”
“Mr. Halford, no worries. We got this,” Garrett laughed loudly again before asking curiously,
“By the way, what’s the Pantheon? Have you joined a gang now? Who’s the leader?”
He looked curiously between Darnell and Cesar. “I’ve been around Northmoor’s underworld long enough but never heard of ‘the Pantheon’.”
“Actually, I’m the gang leader’s right-hand man,” boasted Cesar proudly, introducing himself while pointing towards Darnell.
“And the gang leader is none other than Mr. Halford himself!”
Darnell sighed deeply, “Being the leader sure takes its toll…”
Garrett was stunned. “What? Mr. Halford is a gang leader? Where’s your base, and how many members do you have?”
“Our base currently is right here,” said Cesar, spreading five fingers wide apart indicating their small number, and continued,
“We currently have five members, including Mr. Halford himself.”
Garrett was flabbergasted. The Pantheon, including the leader, had only five people? This must be the smallest gang in Whiteville.
In his understanding, the gangs in Whiteville ranged from thirty to fifty members to tens of thousands. This gang of five was truly an eye-opener.
Fighting and rivaling with others would inevitably lead to annihilation.
“What? Look down on us?”
Cesar exuded an air of confidence. “The Pantheon will sooner or later become a top gang in Whiteville!”
Garrett was immediately convinced.
“Mr. Halford… No, Boss, can we join you?”