From Loser to Mighty

15

Richard's punch flew towards Dave's face, his fist aiming for his jaw. All eyes were on them, anticipating the collision that would knock Dave down. Karina let out a small shriek, her eyes wide.

This time, Dave didn't stay silent. Richard's grip on his collar was still strong, but it wasn't enough to hold him back. As Richard's fist closed in, Dave shifted his head slightly to the side, dodging the direct blow. Simultaneously, his right hand shot up quickly, gripping Richard's wrist as it came down to strike.

Richard groaned. His body trembled, not from emotion, but from the sudden searing pain shooting up from his wrist. He tried to release his hand from Dave's grip, but he couldn't.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" Richard snarled, trying to pull his hand away with all his might.

Dave looked at Richard with cold eyes. "How dare you hit me. This is for your reckless hand."

With a subtle, almost imperceptible pressure, Dave crushed Richard's fingers. The bones in Richard's hand let out a horrifying 'CRACK'. Richard screamed in agony, his shriek deafening. His face was ghastly pale, his eyes bulging. His hand, which had been gripping so tightly moments before, now hung limp and helpless.

Sonia, seeing her husband writhing in pain, panicked. "Richard! What did you do to him, you monster?!" She shrieked hysterically, pointing at Dave. "Guards! Help! He hurt Richard!"

Alex, who had just managed to get back inside and saw his father in pain, immediately lunged at Dave. "You'll pay dearly for this!"

Dave anticipated Alex's move. As Alex approached, Dave merely exhaled lightly in Alex's direction. It wasn't a normal breath. Along with the exhale, a super fine, almost invisible powder shot towards Alex's eyes. It was a special concoction from a hidden pouch in Dave's sleeve.

Alex gasped. His eyes stung as if on fire. He screamed, rubbing his eyes. "My eyes! I can't see! I'm blind!" Alex collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain, his hands ceaselessly scrubbing at his eyes.

Dave chuckled softly. It was only a temporary effect; after washing his eyes with his tears, his sight would return to normal. Dave had deliberately done this because he disliked Alex always meddling in his affairs.

The chaos escalated. Guests panicked, whispering amongst themselves, some starting to back away from the table, seeking a safe distance.

Wilson Young, who had been observing the entire time, his face grew taut. The incident was now completely out of control. His son, Markus, remained rooted to his spot, motionless, his eyes glued to Dave.

Markus was frozen, gripped by a deep fear of the power he had just witnessed in Dave. He dared not defy his father, but he also dared not cross Dave. Karina still stood beside Dave, frozen in place, not daring to act.

Wilson Young wasted no time. Quickly, he pulled a small pistol from beneath his suit. Without hesitation, he aimed it directly at Dave's head.

"You damn intruder!" Wilson Young snarled, his voice thick with rage and menace. "I'll make you realize who I am!"

BANG!

The bullet fired. Wilson Young wasn't messing around.

However, Dave was much faster. With a movement almost too quick to perceive, he shifted his body slightly. The bullet missed by a hair, grazing the wall behind Dave, leaving a small hole. No one saw his movement except Markus, who now stared at Dave with wide, horrified eyes. Markus knew his father had messed with the wrong person.

Dave looked at Wilson Young. Richard was still struggling in his grasp. "You accuse me of being an intruder?!" Dave yelled, his voice echoing in the hall, which was now filled with an eerie silence. "I came here only to help my sister, Karina!"

He flung Richard away roughly, sending him sprawling beside Sonia. Richard screamed in pain, his crushed hand hanging limply.

Dave turned to Karina. "I know a cunning person instructed her to give a cheap watch!" His eyes glared at Richard and Sonia. "That's why I brought this precious urn as a gift from Karina to the Young family!" Dave pointed to the unsightly urn in his hand.

Karina was shocked. Richard and Sonia scoffed in anger, but they couldn't move.

Wilson Young lowered his pistol slightly, frowning. "A precious urn? Which one?" His eyes shifted from Dave to the dull urn in Dave's hand.

The guests, who had been frozen in silence, now began to whisper again. Some chuckled.

"He said that urn is precious?!"

"Just look at its appearance! It looks like a broken urn from a trash dump!"

"Crazy swindler!"

Derisive laughter and sneers filled the room. Maura Winter, who had been observing all along, now spoke up. Her eyes fixed on Dave coldly.

"Karina!" Maura said, her voice cutting through the commotion. "Give me the watch you brought. The family heirloom. That's far more valuable than this useless urn this person brought."

Karina dutifully pulled a velvet box from her inner pocket and handed it to her grandmother. Maura opened the box, revealing an antique pocket watch adorned with delicate carvings.

"Ignorant people like you," Maura said, glaring at Dave with disdain. "How dare you claim this watch, prepared by Karina! You know nothing of its value or history. This is a precious treasure that has been in our family for five generations!"

Dave sneered. He held out his hand. "Ms. Winter, allow me to see it."

Maura hesitated for a moment, but she was too confident in her own assertions. She handed the watch to Dave.

Dave took the watch. He stared at it, and then a cynical smile spread across his face.

CRASH!

Without warning, Dave slammed the watch onto the glass table in front of him. The glass tabletop cracked loudly. The watch, claimed to be a five-generation heirloom, shattered into pieces. Its mechanism was broken, the metal dented.

Everyone was stunned. Total silence fell over the room. Richard, Sonia, Alex, Grandmother Maura, Wilson Young, Markus, and all the guests were transfixed.

Karina shrieked, unable to believe what Dave had just done. "Dave! What did you do?! That's a family heirloom watch!"

"You bastard!" Richard roared, his anger overflowing once more. "You destroyed our legacy! I'll kill you!"

Sonia was hysterical. "Monster! That was our precious item!"

"You'll pay dearly for this!" Alex screamed.

Wilson Young stared at Dave with a furious gaze.

Dave ignored all the curses and screams. He bent down, picked up one of the broken pieces of the watch, and then showed it to everyone.

"Five-generation heirloom?" Dave scoffed. "Do you think I'm stupid? This isn't an heirloom. It's a fake!"

He showed the broken inside of the watch. The metal looked cheap, not real gold. The mechanism was simple, not the work of a high-end watchmaker.

"See for yourselves," Dave challenged. "This is a cheap watch! Its movement is a mass-produced product from a factory in City A, just coated to look old. This isn't the precious antique watch you claim it to be!"

Wilson Young, hearing that, immediately came closer. He picked up the watch shard, examining it carefully. His sharp eyes immediately caught the inconsistencies. The color of the metal, its texture—Wilson Young knew well the difference between genuine and fake goods. His face twisted into uncontrollable rage. He stared at Richard and Sonia with a sharp, betrayed look.

"What is this, Richard?!" Wilson Young growled. "Are you trying to embarrass me?! Giving fake gifts at my event?!"

Richard and Sonia fell silent, their faces pale. They couldn't refute him. They knew Dave was telling the truth.

Karina stared at the shattered watch, then looked at Uncle Richard. "Uncle and Grandma said it was an heirloom, why...?"

Richard looked at Karina, trying to hide his guilt. He knew Grandmother Maura wouldn't suspect him. He had secretly replaced the real family heirloom watch with a fake, planning to sell the original discreetly. He secretly chuckled to himself, thinking his plan had succeeded. He thought Dave would only attack Karina or himself. But he never expected Dave to expose the truth about the fake watch.

However, Dave wasn't finished.

He turned to Alex, who was still rubbing his eyes on the floor. "And it's not just the watch. Even the painting Alex gave, that's also fake!"

All eyes turned to the beautiful silk scroll painting. Alex stopped rubbing his eyes, startled.

"Nonsense!" Alex shouted. "That's a genuine painting! You're insane!"

Dave scoffed. "Do you think I'm blind? A genuine Nuan Yuan painting wouldn't have such uniform brushstrokes, like a machine did them! And the pigments look too new."

This time, everyone's anger completely shifted towards Dave. They felt Dave was just trying to get attention, ruin the atmosphere, and insult everyone.

"He's completely insane!"

"He wants to humiliate us all!"

"Get him out of here! Now!"