Her words left the man embarrassed, his pride taking a serious hit.
He glared at Leah, clearly annoyed, but suppressed his anger as he said, “Miss, no need to act so cold. Give me your contact info-it won’t cost you anything. Besides, I’m offering more than just one meal! Anytime you want, just shoot me a message, and I’ll take care of everything. Oh, and whenever you come here to eat, it’ll always be on the house. How about that?”
“Leave!” Leah spat out the word again, not even bothering to waste more words on him.
“Miss, I’m the manager and person in charge here. I suggest you think twice before being so ungrateful!” He switched to a slightly threatening tone, realizing persuasion wasn’t working.
Leah turned to Kayden, her eyes slightly misty as she complained, “Kayden, he’s bullying me!”
The man chuckled at her childlike tattling, turning to Kayden with an arrogant smirk. “What’s the point of telling him? This is my territory. Do you think this guy can do anything for you?”
The world is never short of oblivious fools, and this man was a textbook example.
“Hey, kid, I’ve taken a liking to your little girlfriend. You should feel honored! Convince her to give me her number. By the way, let me introduce myself-I’m the manager here, and my cousin is Eagle, the underground king of Inassea. Sure, he’s just the king of the underworld, with only a few thousand men under him, but his backer-my uncle-is someone who can command an entire region with a flick of his hand. You know how the infamous Walsh family’s young master, the so-called most notorious scoundrel in Inassea, died? My uncle killed him.”
As he spoke, his eyes gleamed with admiration and pride.
Back when Kayden handed the reins of this place over to Eagle, trusting him entirely, Eagle quickly rose to become a dominant figure in Inassea. Originally just a regional boss, he had earned the Walsh family’s trust, leaping to the top of the underworld hierarchy.
Eagle often bragged to his subordinates about his achievements, painting himself as a legend.
As for this fool, he must have overheard Eagle’s stories and shamelessly decided to claim Kayden as his uncle, using Kayden’s reputation to intimidate others. Unfortunately for him, this time, he was trying to intimidate Kayden himself.
The irony was palpable.
“So, kid, scared yet? If you’re afraid…”
SMACK!
Before he could finish, Kayden’s hand snapped across his face in a resounding slap, cutting off his words entirely.
Kayden glanced at him with disdain and said softly, “You’re not even qualified to be my nephew.”
The man froze, unable to comprehend what he had just heard.
Before he could process it, another slap landed, sending him sprawling to the ground. He rolled twice on the floor, his face burning with humiliation. To be beaten like this in front of the woman he was trying to impress-it was infuriating!
Pointing at Kayden, he yelled, “You bastard! How dare you hit me?!”
“Not only did I hit you, but you’re also fired,” Kayden said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. “For harassing customers. From now on, you’re no longer welcome here. Get out.”
Letting him leave in one piece was already a generous punishment.
“Oh, and by the way, I don’t have a nephew like you. Don’t embarrass me again.”
Having such a nephew was a disgrace to Kayden. Someone of his stature didn’t need a fool like this claiming ties to him.
Hearing those words, the man gasped in shock.
Who was this person? What did he mean by “unqualified to be my nephew”?
Could it be…
Could he be the one Eagle always talked about?
If that were true, then all the boasting he had just done was like slapping himself in the face.
No, it couldn’t be. That person had to be a legendary figure, someone Eagle always described with awe and reverence. Someone like that would surely be much older-at least in his fifties-and wouldn’t show up here looking so young, flaunting two women.
No, it was impossible. This guy couldn’t be him.
Shaking off the thought, the man blustered, “You think you can fire me? Who do you think you are? Just wait. I’m calling my cousin right now.”
He stormed off to make a phone call.
Wood Faulkner remained calm throughout the spectacle, having seen enough of these situations to not be surprised.
Leah, however, looked at Kayden with wide eyes, curiosity and astonishment written all over her face. “Kayden, are you the owner of this place?”
The decisiveness with which he fired the man-it had to be something only the boss could do.
Kayden nodded slightly. “Sort of. I bought this restaurant for two dollars.”
“Two dollars?” Leah was stunned. “So that means you’re…”
Anyone who could acquire a place for two dollars had to be someone extraordinary, like a scene straight out of a movie.
Leah already admired Kayden deeply. If he had an even more impressive identity, her admiration would only grow.
Kayden shook his head. “Not really. I just happen to know Eagle. We’ve had some history.”
Kayden wasn’t interested in titles or power.
Leah opened her mouth to say something but found herself at a loss for words.
Ten minutes later, Eagle arrived.
He came alone, visibly anxious and tense, entirely lacking the demeanor of a boss.
As soon as he saw Eagle, the man exclaimed, “Cousin! That guy hit me! He even pretended to be your backer and said he’d fire me. Can you believe that? He’s insane!”
Following the direction of his cousin’s pointing finger, Eagle’s eyes landed on Kayden, who was calmly seated inside the restaurant.
Immediately, cold sweat broke out on Eagle’s forehead, trickling down his face uncontrollably. He wiped his face with a trembling hand, feeling dizzy as though the sky was falling.
SMACK! Eagle slapped his cousin hard across the face.
“Kneel!” he barked furiously.
His cousin was stunned, staring at Eagle in disbelief, unmoving.
SMACK! Another slap landed, and his cousin’s legs gave out as he dropped to his knees.
Without a word, Eagle began kicking and beating his cousin mercilessly.
After the beating, Eagle himself knelt down without hesitation.