Peter, who was barely conscious, regained some awareness after being hit on the head with a bottle by Darnell.
“You idiot, I’m Peter Hinton, the young master of the Blades, and a distinguished guest of the Axe…”
Peter, his face covered in blood, shouted with false bravado. In Baycliff, he could walk around arrogantly, and in Whiteville, under the Axe’s protection, he could act without restraint.
Who would have thought that tonight, he’d suffer such a setback, beaten by an unknown young man twice in a row?
Holding his aching head, he yelled, “You’ll regret this! You’ll regret this…”
Bang!
Darnell ignored him and grabbed another beer bottle, smashing it over Peter’s head. The second bottle shattered, sending blood splattering and shocking everyone present.
Jolie, who had recovered somewhat, felt both relieved and worried that things might escalate beyond control. She moved her aching body forward.
“Darnell, they are from Baycliff and guests of the Axe…”
She trembled as she held onto Darnell’s arm. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
Besides fearing retaliation from the Axe against Darnell, Jolie also worried about the police arresting him for manslaughter, which would be more painful than losing her innocence.
With that thought, Jolie held tightly onto Darnell’s arm to stop him from attacking the barely breathing Peter again. “Let’s go…”
“Baycliff? Guests of the Axe? So what?”
Darnell wiped the alcohol from his hand and still had a look of anger in his eyes. “No matter who they are, if they act like beasts, they must be severely punished.”
He slowly walked up to the big-nosed man. “In my eyes, people from Baycliff are disgraceful, but you scum are even worse.”
“Not only do you send Westergold women to Baycliff people but you also cheer them on outside the door. Why aren’t your mothers or sisters the ones being held down by Peter and his gang?”
With that said, Darnell stepped on the big-nosed man’s injured leg. With a crackling sound, the leg which had been broken by Elliott snapped again.
He let out another scream and fell to the ground in agony with tears streaming down his face.
Darnell didn’t stop there. He kicked Jett, Kole, and Reece each in their vital parts.
“Ah-”
Screams echoed one after another. Most of them feared they’d never be able to function as men again.
The dozen or so singing girls and hostesses were terrified by the bloodshed and screams but also felt an unspoken admiration for Darnell.
This was a rare sight of someone risking everything for a woman. They longed for such protection but had resigned themselves to their fate over the years.
This made them cherish someone like Darnell even more. It felt like all the grievances they’d suffered were being avenged. Some whispered advice,
“Hurry up and leave before security and the Axe arrive.”
“Yes, even the police dine with them. Leave quickly.”
Darnell nodded to everyone with a smile before wrapping Jolie in a blanket and carrying her towards the door.
The doorway was already crowded with people who scattered upon seeing Darnell approach. They kept their distance, clearly having witnessed his ruthlessness.
Several security guards looked pale and sweaty with indecision. They didn’t know whether to stop him or let him go. If they intervened, they might get hurt, but if they let him go, they could lose their jobs or be killed by the Axe.
Darnell didn’t even glance at them as he took the elevator straight down to the first-floor lobby.
“Block them! Block them!”
As Darnell reached the lobby, a dozen cars pulled up outside. More than forty men in black clothing adorned with axe symbols poured into the lobby aggressively.
Security guards, waiters, and guests all moved aside nervously, recognizing these were members of the Axe, a name that struck fear throughout Whiteville.
Leading them was none other than Samuel, whom Darnell had encountered previously. He wore a fierce expression on his face.
“Boss! Boss! It’s him again!”
At this moment, the big-nosed man hobbled out of the elevator supported by two security guards, looking both angry and determined to stop Darnell from leaving.
Seeing Samuel arrive with his men made the big-nosed man ecstatic as he pointed accusingly at Darnell, shouting, “It’s that guy again!”
Samuel’s murderous gaze locked onto Darnell.
Samuel quickly recognized Darnell, sneering, “Brat, what a coincidence, huh? It’s you again!”
He motioned for his men to surround Darnell immediately.
The big-nosed man began accusing loudly, “He knocked Peter and everyone else down, smashed their heads, and stomped on their vital parts!”
“Over a dozen people are lying there, unmoving. Boss, you have to cripple this kid, or the Axe will lose face!”
Darnell paid no mind to Samuel’s encirclement, patted Jolie’s arm to reassure her, and then met Samuel’s gaze with calmness.
“I can’t help it. The more scum there are, the more likely I am to show up.”
Samuel sneered, “Insulting me? With my men surrounding you, you still dare to insult me? Do you know who you’ve beaten?”
Darnell chuckled, “This is a public place. Mr. Stewart, threatening my life, isn’t that a bit too brazen?”
“You managed to slip away last time, but tonight, you won’t be so lucky.”
An axe gleamed in Samuel’s hand, his eyes glowing with the ferocity of a predator. “Let’s settle new and old scores together.”
By killing Darnell, he could not only appease Peter but also vent his own anger from being kicked and let Houston and the Swain family have their revenge.
Jolie instinctively took a step back, feeling a bit scared. Although she was resilient, facing an axe was still daunting.
“Aren’t you the hero saving the beauty?”
Samuel glanced at Jolie, his eyes burning with a man’s ardor. “I won’t kill you immediately.”
“I’ll have dozens of brothers take turns with the two women by your side, right in front of you, and see how you save the beauty.”
He exhaled deeply, “Trust me. I’ll make you wish you were dead.”
“Mr. Halford, what are you doing here?”
A voice rang out cheerfully. As Darnell and Samuel turned their heads, they saw Callum leading a group of the Apex emerging from the left corridor, his face flushed, reeking of alcohol.
Beside him were Hugo, Desmond, and Gisselle. They seemed to have just finished celebrating.
At the celebration in Woodsea, Callum and Darnell had not only reconciled but had also developed mutual respect and gratitude after Darnell healed Callum’s head injury.
Spotting Darnell standing not far away, Callum, oblivious to the situation, ran over excitedly and shouted,
“Mr. Halford, I didn’t know you were here. Let’s have a drink.”
“Your medicine is truly miraculous. In less than three days, my wound healed. Look at this.”
“Today is my birthday, but it’s not too late now. Let’s have another round.”
Callum’s words were disjointed, but his happiness was evident. He showed his bald head to Darnell and added, “I want to thank you.”
Gisselle and the others also greeted enthusiastically, “Hello, Mr. Halford.”
Samuel and his men’s eyes narrowed slightly, clearly recognizing who these people were, but their expressions were not serious. Instead, they were disdainful.
The Axe had always looked down on the Apex, considering them a disorganized bunch.
“Callum, no need to be polite. I was the one who injured you. It’s only right that I healed you.”
Darnell instinctively wanted to give Callum a playful knock on the head but refrained, then spoke indifferently,
“I should have a couple of drinks with you since today’s your birthday.”
Darnell’s tone was calm. “But I’ve run into a bit of trouble tonight, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to drink with you.”
“Trouble?”
Callum was taken aback at first, then sobered up a bit, scanning the menacing axes around him and Samuel’s hostile face, his expression changed.
“The Axe?”
Samuel sneered, “Now that you know we’re from the Axe, why don’t you, the Apex, get lost?”
“A slum is where you lot belong.”
He raised his axe, pointing at Callum and the others, threatening, “Get out of here quickly, or I’ll make you sorry.”
Gisselle and the others initially showed some apprehension, but then more irritation. Although they knew there was a gap between the Apex and the Axe, they still felt affronted by the other side’s scolding. After all, they were also part of the underworld. They managed to squeeze out a sentence.
“Why should we? This isn’t the Axe’s territory.”
Samuel sneered coldly, “Why? Is my axe not enough?”
“I’m Callum from the Apex!”
Callum bluntly stated, “Darnell is my friend. Give me some face and let me take him away. Any grudges, I’ll take them on.”
“Who do you think you are? Why should I give you face? The grudges I have with him is something you can’t handle.”
Samuel shouted impatiently, “Get lost now, or I’ll kill you all too.”
Although he was curious why the Apex was protecting Darnell, he didn’t take it to heart. He didn’t give a damn about a small leader from the Apex!
As Darnell asked Gisselle to look after the two women, Callum’s face darkened. He stared at Samuel and shouted, “Kill us? Not even your boss would dare say that.”
“Darnell is my brother. If he’s in trouble and I run into it, I have to step in.”
“If you let me take him, I’ll thank you and leave.”
“If you don’t let me take him, I’ll step on you and leave.”
Samuel scoffed, “Have you guys lost your minds? When did you gain the strength to stand up to us?”
“Didn’t Luca tell you that even in Northmoor, when you encounter people from the Axe, you should keep your heads down?”
Bang!
Before Callum could respond, Darnell unexpectedly charged forward, kicked Samuel to the ground, and roared, “Callum, take him down!”