She originally had no way to get Mr. Kane to show up. After all, Mr. Kane wasn’t interested in women like her-plain and unattractive. Mr. Kane had his principles when helping people: if it was a woman, she had to sleep with him; if it was a man, he’d do the job for money. She had neither money nor looks, so she resorted to a different method.
She fabricated a story, claiming Kayden had insulted Mr. Kane, calling him trash and saying he’d have to kneel if they ever met. The plan was to provoke Mr. Kane.
For someone like Mr. Kane, who valued face and status above all else, this was a direct challenge. When he heard such words-especially about an outsider-and they sounded credible, he immediately flew into a rage. Without hesitation, he gathered dozens of his men and came storming in. He was the king of this town, and there was no way he’d allow anyone to act so brazenly on his turf.
“You called me trash?” Mr. Kane’s words had barely left his mouth when his men stepped forward, their intimidating presence filling the air.
Standing off to the side, Annie could feel her blood boiling with excitement.
Kayden glanced at Mr. Kane and the group behind him, speaking calmly and deliberately. “Yes, that’s right. Not just you-all of you are trash.”
The crowd was stunned. Annie was stunned. Mr. Kane was stunned. Even Felicity and her mother were stunned.
No one had expected Kayden to say something so outrageous.
“Enough. Let’s not waste any more time. You have two choices: first, kneel right now; second, I’ll beat you until you kneel. The outcome will be the same, so I suggest you choose the first option and save yourselves the trouble.”
Arrogance!
Kayden’s audacity was off the charts. Not only was Mr. Kane shocked, but even Felicity’s mother and the others couldn’t believe their ears.
No one had anticipated Kayden’s sheer boldness. He completely disregarded the dozens of men behind Mr. Kane.
It wasn’t just shocking-it was unprecedented. Annie, in particular, felt her head spinning. She had made up the story on a whim, fully expecting it to be exposed as a lie. But Kayden had seamlessly picked up where she left off and even doubled down on it.
Mr. Kane’s status and influence in this town were unmatched. Even the local authorities had to give him some respect. Yet here was someone speaking to him with such blatant disrespect.
Mr. Kane scrutinized Kayden from head to toe. Setting aside who Kayden might be, even if he were the boss of Vernon, there was no escaping the consequences of such insolence. Today, at the very least, Kayden would lose a leg and an arm.
Mr. Kane raised his hand, giving Kayden a mocking thumbs-up. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. I admire your style. But courage like yours comes at a cost-your life’s gonna be short. Next time you try to act tough, make sure you know who you’re dealing with.”
He waved his hand, signaling his men. “Get him. Break him.”
Kayden’s voice rang out, calm and cutting. “Looks like you’ve chosen the second option.”
A smart man recognizes the situation.
But Mr. Kane had never met Kayden before. He had no idea who he was dealing with, so he failed to realize the danger.
“You think I care about your threats? In this town, I’m the one who calls the shots. Kid, next time you step out, make sure to wear glasses.”
With another wave of his hand, Mr. Kane gave the order.
His men immediately drew their weapons, glaring menacingly. Their ferocity was palpable.
Felicity, seeing the situation escalate, quickly stepped in front of Kayden, trembling as she spoke, “No, please, don’t fight him.”
Her hand gripped Kayden’s tightly, as if afraid he might act and demolish the group in an instant.
“Wait!” Mr. Kane suddenly shouted, his gaze locking on Felicity. His men froze in place.
“Damn…” Mr. Kane’s eyes widened as he stared at Felicity. Her flawless features, her graceful figure-she was a vision of perfection.
In all his years, even during his time running wild in the outside world, he had never seen a woman so stunning.
The sight of her left him dumbfounded, completely mesmerized.
“When did a beauty like this show up in our town? How could I not know about this?”
Hearing this, Annie’s jealousy flared. She couldn’t stand the idea of someone calling her “ugly cousin” a beauty. The envy in her heart surged uncontrollably.
She rushed forward and said, “Mr. Kane, you must be mistaken. She’s my cousin-you know, the one with the red scar on her face? She’s so ugly!”
“Smack!” Without hesitation, Mr. Kane slapped Annie hard across the face.
Then, his expression darkened as he roared, “Do you think I’m stupid? You think I don’t know who that ugly wretch is? And you, calling her ugly? Have you looked in a mirror? Do you even know what you look like?”
He slapped her again, even harder this time.
After two slaps, Annie’s face was swollen and red, tears streaming down her cheeks. The word “ugly” hit her like a stone crushing her spirit.
It was humiliating, utterly soul-crushing. Annie felt wronged beyond words. She looked pitiful, yet her tearful face only made Mr. Kane angrier.
“Crying? You dare cry in front of me, you ugly wretch? Get lost! If you keep crying here, I’ll lose my appetite. Ugly! Scram! If you want to cry, go do it somewhere else.”
With a vicious kick, Mr. Kane sent Annie sprawling to the ground, leaving her in a pathetic heap.
Turning back to Felicity, he pointed at her and said, “You don’t need to protect this guy anymore. From now on, you’re my woman. In this town, if anyone dares to mess with you, just mention my name. My name carries weight-you know what that means.”
Felicity knew all too well how superficial the world could be. In the past, men like Mr. Kane wouldn’t have given her a second glance. They’d spit on her and call her ugly.
But things were different now. Her appearance had changed, and with it, people’s attitudes.
Shaking her head, she said, “No, you can’t do this.”
Mr. Kane chuckled. “Oh, it’s not impossible. It just depends on you. Agree to be my woman, and I’ll let him go. Not only that-I’ll take him under my wing. I like cocky guys like him.”
He was completely captivated by Felicity’s beauty. Normally, someone like Kayden would be crippled by now, but Felicity’s presence had changed everything.
Shaking her head again, Felicity said firmly, “No, I won’t be with you, Mr. Kane. I know you’re powerful, but you can’t hurt him. I suggest you leave now.”
Hearing this, Mr. Kane froze.
He laughed coldly and said, “So you’re refusing me? Is that it?”
As his words fell, his men stepped forward again, their eyes full of malice.
“Get him! Break him! But don’t hurt her-she’s going to be my woman. Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll only take out his arms and legs. He’ll live.”
“Mr. Kane!” Felicity clung to Kayden’s hand tightly. “I’m not worried about you hurting him. I’m worried that if he starts fighting, you’ll all be dead! I don’t want to see him hurt anyone. You… you can’t beat him!”