When Mr. Kane heard those words, he froze completely, his expression blank with disbelief.
The words had come from the lips of a frail young girl. If he hadn’t heard them himself, he would have dismissed it as nonsense. It was too absurd, laughably absurd.
“Hahaha, hahahahaha!” Mr. Kane threw his arms wide and burst into laughter.
He glanced around at his men, and they all joined in, laughing uproariously. In no time, the entire group was doubled over, laughing so hard they nearly fell to the ground. They didn’t even know how to express their speechlessness.
“You’re adorable, little girl. I think I’ve fallen for you!” Mr. Kane said smugly, his face full of mockery. “I love girls like you-so naive, so innocent.”
He didn’t believe a single word Felicity had said. In his eyes, someone had obviously been bragging to her, hyping themselves up as something they weren’t. And this naive girl had clearly been taken in, which was why she dared to say something so bold, even when faced with dozens of men.
After his fit of laughter, Mr. Kane’s face quickly turned cold. His eyes grew sharp as he said, “Alright, since you say he’s so impressive, I’ll see for myself just how ‘impressive’ he is. Soon, he’ll prove to you that he’s nothing but a liar. Very soon, he’ll be on his knees, begging me for mercy.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mr. Kane waved his hand.
This time, his men charged at Kayden like mad dogs.
Annie’s blood boiled with excitement. She was certain that arrogant man would soon be beaten to a pulp. Even if she’d taken a few slaps earlier, it would be worth it to see him get what was coming to him.
But as Annie watched with hope, her expectations were shattered.
What happened next was far from what she had imagined.
Instead, Kayden stepped forward, meeting the oncoming gang head-on. What followed was a flurry of blows. Left hook, right jab-every punch landed solidly. Within a minute, over twenty men lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.
Mr. Kane, who had been prepared to deliver some cocky remark, found the words stuck in his throat. He swallowed them back down, his face pale.
Kayden hadn’t gone for the kill. He had simply beaten them to the ground, leaving them unable to get back up.
He wasn’t looking for unnecessary trouble. He could hide, avoid capture, and escape from anyone who tried to come after him. Even without his military uniform, there wasn’t a single person in the world who could take him on one-on-one.
But he couldn’t risk Felicity and her mother being dragged into danger because of him. If killing someone brought trouble to their doorstep, it wouldn’t be worth it.
So, he held back. He simply incapacitated them, without going too far.
“Well? Was I wrong? I told you someone would be kneeling. If you’d just knelt earlier, it would have been called foresight. But now? Now it’s called being beaten to your knees,” Kayden said, his cold, death-like gaze fixed on Mr. Kane. His tone was calm, almost casual, but his eyes were anything but.
Mr. Kane looked around in terror at his groaning men, his composure crumbling.
Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees in front of Kayden with a loud thud.
Yes. In the end, he knelt.
This time, he had encountered someone truly ruthless-an absolute force of nature. He could tell that much.
Anyone who could take out so many of his men with just a few punches and kicks was not someone to be trifled with.
No matter how tough or connected he was, in the face of overwhelming strength, he had no choice but to submit.
Without his men, he was like a tree stripped of its leaves-destined to wither.
So, he knelt. Quickly, decisively, and without a shred of hesitation.
“Sir! Sir! I-I didn’t mean it! I didn’t mean it!” he stammered, his head buzzing. The arrogance he had displayed earlier was gone, replaced by sheer terror.
Kayden let out a cold laugh. “If you’d done this earlier, none of this would have happened. Why did you wait until I had to make a move? You really don’t know how to read the room.”
In the past, Kayden wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him. He wouldn’t have wasted a single word.
“Yes, yes! I’m the one who didn’t know how to read the room! I didn’t know my place!” Mr. Kane cried, slapping himself across the face repeatedly as he cursed himself under his breath.
“Good. As long as you understand.”
Kayden didn’t hit him again. Instead, he grew calm, his voice steady.
“Alright, lift your head,” he said.
Mr. Kane froze in place, his head lowering even more in fear. “Please, no! I’ve already surrendered! Don’t play with me!”
Kayden stared at him, unimpressed. He couldn’t fathom how a coward like this had managed to become a gang leader.
“I said, lift your head. I’m not going to hit you,” Kayden said evenly.
Hearing this, Mr. Kane felt as if he’d been granted a pardon. He cautiously raised his head, the arrogance and disdain gone from his face. Now, it was filled with nothing but submission and flattery.
“Look at them,” Kayden said, gesturing toward Felicity and her mother.
Mr. Kane glanced at them, but as soon as his eyes landed on Felicity, he recoiled as if struck by lightning. Shaking his head wildly, he said, “She’s your woman! How could I dare look at her? Even if I had a hundred lives, I wouldn’t dare!”
He thought Kayden was trying to find another excuse to punish him, so he refused to look again.
“Look at them!” Kayden’s voice boomed, as heavy as a bomb dropping onto Mr. Kane’s heart.
Trembling, Mr. Kane obeyed, lifting his eyes to look at Felicity and her mother. He avoided lingering on Felicity, focusing more on her mother instead.
“Do you remember their faces?” Kayden asked coldly.
Mr. Kane nodded furiously. “I remember! I remember!”
“Good. If anything happens to them in this town, I’ll come looking for you. Do you understand me?” Kayden’s voice was icy.
“Yes, yes, I understand! Nothing will happen to them. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to them. Big or small, I’ll handle it. I may not be good at much, but I run this town. I can promise you that,” Mr. Kane swore, his face pale.
“Good. I trust you. Don’t let me down,” Kayden warned, his tone still cold.
“I won’t! I won’t let you down! Never! This town is mine-well, yours, when you’re here,” Mr. Kane said, nodding vigorously.
“Alright. I have nothing more to say. Take your men and get out of here.”
Mr. Kane nodded frantically, calling out to his groaning men. Together, they staggered away, battered and humiliated.
Before leaving, Mr. Kane glared at Annie and spat venomously, “You ugly b, just you wait! I’ll deal with you sooner or later!”