Darnell chuckled, ignoring Julie’s snide remarks.
At that moment, Gisselle frowned slightly. “If you all act independently, what’s the point of this alliance?”
“Of course, it has meaning,” Julie said, her tone laced with sarcasm as she glanced at Callum and the others. “If we kill Rex, the Axe will lose their leader and become defenseless. You’ll find it easy to wipe them out then.”
It sounded good, but essentially she was saying that the Apex was only fit to clean up the mess after they killed Rex. Callum and Gisselle felt frustrated, wanting to retort but being stopped by Luca.
“And I’ll say it again,” Julie said, her finger tapping on the table, her demeanor arrogant. “One hundred million isn’t too much as compensation. It’s the Apex’s compensation for our fallen brothers.”
“As for fifty skilled fighters, they’re your capital for reaping the rewards later. How can the Apex share in our spoils without contributing anything?”
Although Martin felt that it was unreasonable for allies to act independently, he didn’t dare to voice his concerns in the face of Julie’s overwhelming assertiveness.
“If Rex dies, one hundred million and the sacrifice of fifty men is absolutely worth it,” Darnell spoke up. “But what if the money is gone, the men are dead, and Rex is still alive?”
Julie’s expression darkened. “Darnell, what do you mean by that?”
Darnell was direct in his response. “I doubt your ability to kill Rex. I don’t think you can kill Rex even if you sacrifice yourself and those fifty men in the process.”
Julie’s face grew colder as she glared at Darnell, her teeth clenched. “Anyone I want to kill today will definitely not see tomorrow.”
“Any changes in the environment or variables related to your enemy can lead to vastly different outcomes,” Darnell said softly. “Rex is a legend in the underworld. No one has ever seen him in action. So killing him won’t be an easy task.”
Julie hissed, “Are you questioning my skills? Do you have a death wish?”
Darnell waved for Gisselle to pour him a cup of tea. Then he looked at Julie with a grin. “Well, I might be a bit tired of living. They say that dying under a woman is still a form of charm. I wonder if that’s true. Ms. Farley, while you might lack some femininity, you’re still quite lovely.”
“How about you let me have my moment of charm? Consider my dying wish.”
As soon as he said this, Martin and the others were left speechless.
Since Julie had built her reputation on countless kills over the years, Darnell was the first man to dare flirt with her.
What a fool!
As Callum and Gisselle instinctively tensed up, Julie let out a cold laugh. “Darnell, do you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill you?”
Darnell maintained an innocent look. “Ms. Farley, you’ve killed countless people, completed one hundred and eight missions, and succeeded every single time. Is there anything you wouldn’t dare to do?”
“But I’m not a lamb just waiting to be slaughtered. If it comes down to it, the outcome could be anyone’s guess.”
“If you truly want to take my life, you’ll need to prepare more bullets,” he added.
Julie smirked. “For someone like you, one bullet is enough.”
Despite her playful tone, there was a hint of surprise at how well-informed Darnell was about her.
Darnell took a sip of his tea, maintaining a calm smile. “Looks like Ms. Farley isn’t too pleased with me. Alright, let’s have a good fight.”
“Today, how we fight and what we fight with is entirely up to you. I’ll make sure you know that I never shy away from a challenge.”
Before Luca and Martin could interject, Julie stepped forward, her icy gaze intense. She stared at Darnell, her presence unwavering.
“Fine, I’ll accept the challenge. I’m also quite generous. I’m always willing to give an opportunity to a weakling like you.”
“You choose the challenge!”
Darnell looked conflicted. “You really want me to choose?”
Julie straightened her back, her expression proud. “Go ahead, I’ll give you the advantage in time, place, and circumstances if you want.”
She then called out to Luca and the others, “This is a personal grudge. Don’t interfere.”
As Luca and Martin exchanged helpless smiles, Darnell hesitated before saying, “Well, I guess I’ll choose then.”
Julie slammed her hand on the table. “Less chatter! If I ever say no, I’ll crawl out of here.”
Darnell raised an eyebrow, then burst out laughing. “Since you’re so confident, I won’t hold back either.”
Julie’s icy gaze remained steady. “Cut the crap.”
Everyone tensed, their eyes fixed on Darnell, while Gisselle sipped her tea, trying to suppress her anxiety. Were they really about to see blood again today?
At that moment, Darnell dropped a bomb. “Let’s see if you’re great in bed!”
Gisselle sprayed her tea all over the ground, and Martin and the others were left in shock. They all knew Darnell was bold, but they never expected him to be this bold.
Julie was momentarily stunned, her face flushing red. Clenching her fists, she exclaimed, “Pervert!”
Darnell stood tall. “What’s wrong? Are you afraid? Later, the bed is the battlefield. Whoever begs for mercy first loses.”
Julie was so furious she couldn’t find her words.
Her beautiful servants also blushed, glaring at Darnell for disrespecting their master.
“Are you getting cold feet? If you don’t dare, just say so.”
Darnell finished his tea in one gulp, wearing a teasing smile as he walked towards the exit. “What a bragger!”
Frustrated, Julie couldn’t hold back any longer. She pulled out a gun and pointed it at Darnell’s back, trying to intimidate him.
But before she could lock on, she saw a blur, and Darnell vanished from sight. She felt a hard object pressing against her back.
It was solid and cold.
Julie didn’t even think about what the hard object was. She was just stunned by Darnell’s speed. He was so fast that she couldn’t react at all.
Martin and Callum shouted in unison.
“Ms. Farley!”
“Mr. Halford!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt Ms. Farley. I just want to have a chat,” Darnell reassured them, gesturing for everyone to step back a few meters so he could talk to Julie privately.
“Julie, don’t point a gun at me from behind, whether you intend to kill me or scare me,” Darnell said, smiling as he leaned closer to her. “The consequences could be severe.”
Julie’s face turned pale as she shouted, “Who the hell are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is that you shouldn’t point a gun at me from behind.”
Darnell took Julie’s gun from her, tossing it to Callum, then he reached for Julie’s chest. As she stiffened, Darnell gave a hard tug.
“Pop!”
All five buttons of her white outfit flew off, revealing her white undergarments and fair skin, causing Julie to instinctively clutch herself.
“By the way, this is a little souvenir for you,” Darnell said, slipping the hard object into Julie’s waistband, causing her body to shudder and her face to redden even more.
“Goodbye,” he said, brushing his fingers against her cheek before striding away.
Julie turned around, reaching for her gun, infuriated.
“Darnell!”
In her hand was a hard, unyielding carrot.