Screech-
Jefferson slammed on the brakes, and Garrett and the others also stopped their cars, curiously looking around. Their eyes quickly locked onto a conflict not far away.
They also notice the beautiful girl.
The pretty girl holding a student-like young man wore a yellow T-shirt, her chest high and firm. Below, she wore a pink short skirt, her long legs wrapped in flesh-colored stockings.
From a distance, her legs looked smooth and delicate. She wore light-colored leather shoes, with lace stockings showing at her ankles, very sexy.
She was an exceptional beauty, seemingly just graduated, at that delicate stage between youth and maturity, full of charm.
Jefferson was slightly surprised. “Boss, did you find another target?”
Darnell opened the car door. “An acquaintance.”
He then walked towards the conflict. Street fights were common, especially during the war between the Axe and the Apex. They were like prime-time TV dramas, a way to adjust to the fast-paced city life.
However, it was broad daylight in a school area. These people had to consider the impact even if they had backers.
If it were someone else, Darnell would have glanced a few times and then walked away. But today was different. One of his acquaintances was involved.
“Kid, your motorbike damaged our boss’s Lincoln last time. The repair cost is over three hundred thousand dollars. You can’t just not pay.”
“If you really don’t want to pay, our boss said that as long as the girl with you has dinner and plays golf with him, the debt will be cleared.”
A man with triangular eyes in his late twenties held an unlit cigarette in his mouth, his face fierce.
“If you choose neither option, you’re asking for trouble. We won’t hit you, but we’ll report to the school that you crashed into a car and refused to pay.”
“They might revoke your graduate certificate so you can’t graduate next year.”
“Without a diploma, you won’t find a good job. How will you support a woman?”
He glanced sideways at the girl in yellow. “Especially such a pretty woman.”
Three thugs beside him laughed mockingly. “Yeah, without education, you’ll be worse off than us. You’ll end up joining us.”
“Bastard! Tell your boss this is Whiteville! This is a society governed by the rule of law. There’s no place for gangs.”
The bespectacled young man standing at 5’7″ spoke righteously, “If you’re so tough, come with me to the police station and talk about gangs.”
Many passing students clapped their hands in support of the bespectacled young man.
His chest puffed out more proudly. “Besides, you know very well what happened in that crash.”
“You clearly set me up so I couldn’t afford compensation and had to hand over Raelynn. I tell you, no way! I won’t let you succeed.”
“I’d rather die than give Raelynn to you.”
Although surrounded by four thugs, the bespectacled young man showed no fear and seemed ready to fight. Raelynn held him tightly.
“Saul, don’t be impulsive.”
The bespectacled young man touched his nose proudly. “Raelynn, don’t be afraid. It’s broad daylight at school. They won’t dare touch me.”
“We’re here to reason with them, not fight.”
The triangular-eyed man sneered. “If you’re unwilling to let your woman accompany our boss, then let’s talk about compensation. When will you pay the three hundred thousand dollars?”
“If you dare say you won’t pay, I’ll immediately post surveillance footage and the traffic police report on the University of Whiteville’s bulletin board.”
He poked the bespectacled young man’s shoulder with his finger. “Do you think you can graduate?”
These days, even thugs were educated.
“Shameless!”
Saul clenched his fists and confronted the four thugs, his eyes red with anger. “I have no money but my life. Do your worst!”
“So what if I crashed? I didn’t ask for psychological damage from you guys. Instead, you’re threatening me!”
He called for help from those around him. “Everyone judge for yourselves. Aren’t these people scumbags?”
Many people watched but no one intervened. They were just spectators.
Helping others required strength. Otherwise, one would end up beaten badly.
Spectators wondered whether the bespectacled young man would be beaten down, Raelynn would sacrifice herself, or the police would intervene.
“Make way!”
At this moment, people near the roadside suddenly moved aside as Darnell approached with Garrett and others under the sunlight.
Though they all smiled, passersby felt an intimidating aura from them.
Raelynn turned around and saw Darnell. She shouted joyfully, “Saul! We’re safe now!”
In her excitement, she seemed to remember something. She loosened her grip on Saul’s hand slightly, looking somewhat unnatural.
“Safe? Even if your father comes it won’t matter.”
Hearing Raelynn’s words, the man with triangular eyes sneered, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he swayed arrogantly, exuding an air of superiority. However, when he caught a glimpse of Darnell and his group through the crowd, along with the lineup of BMWs behind them, his expression faltered slightly. Instinctively, he sensed the disparity in status and power.
Darnell walked up to the group and smiled faintly at Raelynn. “Raelynn, what’s going on?”
Judith had already informed him earlier that Jolie and Raelynn had been discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon after their follow-up checkups showed no issues. Darnell wasn’t surprised by their discharge-neither of them had been seriously injured, and with Samuel dead, it was only natural for them to leave the hospital. He just hadn’t expected to run into Raelynn here.
Recalling the note Judith had torn up and glancing at the bespectacled young man in front of him, Darnell casually asked, “Your boyfriend?”
“That’s right. I’m her boyfriend!” Saul shot back before Raelynn could respond, eyeing Darnell warily. To him, a handsome man was more intimidating than a gangster.
Raelynn tugged at Saul and said, “Saul, what are you doing? Be polite. He’s Jolie’s good friend.”
Darnell’s lips curled into a faint smile. Raelynn didn’t dare mention that he was her savior, clearly trying to keep it from Saul, so he didn’t press the matter.
Saul, however, was suspicious and pressed further. “Jolie’s good friend? How do you know him? Why haven’t I heard about this?”
Raelynn sighed in exasperation. “I met him when I went shopping with Jolie. We barely talked. Why would I tell you about it?”
“If you barely talked, why is he stepping in to play the hero? Everyone else is just standing by, but he’s rushing to help.” Saul retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Who does anything for free these days?”
“Don’t worry, buddy. Raelynn and I are just friends. We’ve only met once,” Darnell interjected, then turned to the man with triangular eyes. “Sir, Raelynn is my friend. What’s going on here?”
Raelynn quickly explained the situation. Half a month ago, Saul’s motorcycle had collided with Mr. Fowler’s Rolls-Royce at an intersection. The four men had come demanding $300, 000 for repairs. If Saul couldn’t pay, they wanted Raelynn to accompany Mr. Fowler for dinner and golf. However, she refused, so they threatened to cause trouble at Saul’s school and prevent him from graduating.
Darnell immediately understood-it was clearly a setup. He couldn’t help but marvel at how sophisticated gangsters had become in their pursuit of women, taking things step by step.
“What the hell are you meddling for?” the man with triangular eyes barked, though his bravado wavered slightly. Despite feeling that Darnell and his group were no ordinary people, he reminded himself that this was his turf, and he had his brothers backing him. He pointed at Darnell and shouted, “Get the hell out of here, or we’ll take you down too!”
His companions swaggered forward, only to be swiftly subdued by Garrett and the others. Each of them was pinned down, their shoulders making cracking sounds as if their bones were about to snap. Pain twisted their faces.
Darnell spoke calmly, “Are you from the Axe, or the Apex?”
The man with triangular eyes stiffened and muttered, “The Apex.”
“Go call your Mr. Fowler,” Darnell said evenly. “Tell him to get over here and apologize to Raelynn and her friend. If he’s not here by 4 o’clock, I’ll call Luca directly.”
The four thugs trembled, their eyes widening in shock. They couldn’t believe this guy was demanding that Mr. Fowler apologize to some nobodies. Who did he think he was?
The man with triangular eyes stammered, “Who are you?”
Garrett sneered, “This is our boss, Darnell!”
“Darnell? Darnell Halford?” The man’s face turned pale as he recalled the boss’s orders and the rumors about the battle at Woodsea. Could this guy be the legendary war god? He hadn’t seen Darnell before, but the aura and the name matched. And Luca had made it clear-anyone who offended Darnell would face the gang’s punishment.
“Thud!”
He dropped to his knees, his face contorted in fear. “Mr. Halford, we were wrong… We’re sorry…”
The other three thugs also knelt, bowing their heads and pleading, “Mr. Halford, we’re sorry, we’re sorry.”
The surrounding students watched in astonishment, completely taken aback by how easily Darnell had defused the situation with just a few words.
Darnell said coolly, “Don’t apologize to me. You should apologize to Raelynn and her friend.”
“Saul, Miss Francis, we’re sorry, we’re sorry. We were wrong,” the man with triangular eyes and his companions bowed repeatedly. “Please forgive us. We’ll never do it again.”
“Sorry?” Before Raelynn could respond, Saul lunged forward and slapped each of them hard across the face, the sound echoing sharply. Blood trickled from their lips.
“When you were bullying me earlier, why didn’t you say sorry? Now that someone stronger than you shows up, you cower like dogs?” Saul roared, kicking them to the ground. Raelynn tried to stop him, but he was like a raging bull, unleashing his pent-up fury.
“You scum! You beasts! How dare you target Raelynn? I’ll kill you!”
The man with triangular eyes winced in pain but didn’t dare fight back, covering his head as Saul continued to strike.
Just as Saul was about to deliver another slap, Darnell reached out and grabbed his wrist. “These four may be scum, but what you’re doing isn’t right either.”
Saul struggled to break free, shouting, “They’re trash! Don’t they deserve to be beaten?”
“Aren’t you Raelynn’s friend? Why are you defending them?”