2026-01-01 00:26:46Nathan’s hand went deeper into his pocket, and when he pulled it out, it wasn’t a fist.
It was cash.
A thick bundle of clean, crisp bills—about one thousand dollars.
The club went quiet.
Nathan raised the money slowly, his voice calm but sharp enough to cut through the music.
“I’ll give this to anyone who punches that stupid boyfriend of hers in the face.”For a split second, everyone thought it was a joke.
Then Nathan walked to the bartender’s desk and dropped the cash on it.
The sound of money hitting wood echoed louder than the bass.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
“Is he serious?”“At Club9?”Zea’s boyfriend burst into laughter, holding his stomach. “You think money can buy you help here?” he sneered. “Just watch and see how—”
His words died in his mouth.
A huge guy stepped out of the crowd.
No warning. No hesitation.
BAM!
A clean punch landed squarely on Zea’s boyfriend’s chin.
The man stumbled back, eyes wide, mouth hanging open.
The puncher calmly picked up the money from the desk and stuffed it into his pocket.
Silence.
Then—
Explosion.
“What the hell?!” Zea screamed.
People stared at Nathan now with completely different eyes.
“Is that all?” someone shouted.
Nathan reached back into his pocket again.
This time, he brought out ten thousand dollars.
The bills fanned out like a promise.
He dropped them on the table.
“If anyone wants more,” Nathan said coldly, “come collect.”
The club went mad.
People rushed forward like wolves scenting blood.
Zea’s boyfriend tried to back away, fear finally flashing across his face. “Hey—wait—”
Too late.
Fists came from everywhere.
Punches. Elbows. Knees.
Someone hit his ribs. Another smashed his jaw. Someone kicked his legs out from under him.
Nathan’s voice cut through the chaos.
“I’ll double it if he coughs out blood and teeth.”That was the trigger.
The mob descended fully.
Zea’s boyfriend screamed as he fell to the ground, curling up, trying to shield himself—but hands dragged him out.
Punches rained down like a storm.
Crack.
Blood sprayed.
A tooth flew across the floor.
He began coughing violently, blood bubbling from his mouth.
The crowd roared.
Nearby, the waitress and a few women turned toward Nathan.
“What about us?” one of them asked eagerly. “We want a share too.”
Nathan looked at them. “What do you want to do?”
They grinned. “We want to slap a bitch.”
Zea’s face drained of color.
She dropped to her knees instantly, grabbing Nathan’s trouser leg. “I’m sorry! Please! I was foolish—I didn’t mean it!”
Tears streamed down her face.
Nathan pulled out another ten thousand dollars and handed it to the women.
“But don’t touch her,” he said calmly. “She’s already begging.”
Zea sobbed in relief. “Thank you! Thank you—”
Nathan cut her off.
“I’m forgiving what you did to me,” he said coldly. “Not what you did to her.”
He turned to the waitress.
“Take your revenge.”
The waitress froze for half a second.
Then her face hardened.
She jumped on Zea like a storm.
Slaps echoed.
Hair was pulled.
Zea screamed, covering her face, begging now—not Nathan, but the waitress.
Nathan let it go on for a few seconds.
Then he pulled the waitress back gently. “That’s enough.”
Zea collapsed on the floor, sobbing, broken.
Nathan paid everyone their money.
The crowd erupted, chanting his name.
“NATHAN! NATHAN! NATHAN!”
Even the DJ caught on, hyping him over the speakers.
Nathan didn’t smile.
He checked the time.
Two minutes left.
He turned to leave—
—but the waitress ran after him.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly. “For defending me.”
She hesitated. “What can I do for you?”
Nathan didn’t waste time. “I need to find the Zohran Gang. Fast.”
The waitress laughed softly. “Good thing you met me.”
She lowered her voice. “There’s a pattern. If you don’t know it, you can search all day and never find them.”
Nathan’s heart jumped. “Show me.”
She nodded. “My name’s Rhea. Come.”
Rhea led him through twisting corridors, narrow stairs, hidden hallways that didn’t even seem real. Left. Right. Down. Up. Through a staff-only passage.
Nathan’s head spun trying to memorize it.
Finally, they stopped at a steel door.
Rhea knocked.
Three short taps.
Two slow taps.One sharp knock.Nathan checked the time.
Twenty seconds.
The door opened slightly.
A man peered out. “Who dey?” he asked casually.
Rhea replied smoothly, “Night dey hungry, but fire still dey cook.”
The man grinned and opened the door.
Inside—
Nathan’s breath caught.
His grandmother.
Tied to a chair.
Bruised. Pale. Breathing shallowly.
Rage exploded inside him.
The room was filled with armed men.
At the center sat Don Cluster, boss of the Zohran Gang.
Rhea stepped forward easily. “Cluster.”
The men nodded at her with respect.
Too much respect.
Nathan noticed it immediately.
He stepped forward. “Release my grandmother.”
The room burst into laughter.
“Put your money where your mouth is,” Don Cluster said lazily.
“I’ll pay,” Nathan replied without hesitation. “Six hundred thousand. Right now.”
Cluster raised a brow. “It’s gone up.”
Nathan didn’t blink.
“One million,” Cluster said. “Movement costs. Trouble fees.”
“Give me the account,” Nathan said.
Stunned silence followed.
Someone scoffed. “Is this boy mad?”
“If he had money, why suffer this long?”
Nathan turned to Rhea. “Guarantee?”
She nodded. “Cluster keeps his word.”
Nathan nodded.
Fear gripped him as he opened his phone.
‘Please be real.’
He typed.
Facial verification.
Confirmed.
$1,000,000 debited.
Alert received.
Cluster stared at his phone.
Shock flickered across his face.
“…Release them.”
The ropes were cut.
Nathan held his grandmother tightly.
“Thank you,” he whispered to Rhea.
As they left—
Cluster spoke quietly. “Who is that boy?”
“I don’t know,” Rhea replied. “He defended me.”
A man added, “He threw cash like water.”
Cluster smiled slowly. “Maybe we work with him.”
“That’s stupid,” a female voice said.
From the shadows stepped Angela. Don Cluster's wife and a distant cousin of Roland Acuds.
Elegant. Cold. Dangerous.
“Kidnap him,” she said. “If one million is nothing to him, imagine the rest.”
Rhea snapped. “That’s dishonorable!”
Cluster hesitated—his baby sister might not see it as honourable but he didn't care, all he cared about was the money they could make.
Then nodded.
“Prepare.” He instructed his men.
Rhea stormed out.
And the hunt for Nathan began.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 163
The family mansion of the Lee Family wax gated and fenced by wrought-iron gates, that swung open as Melody’s town car rolled up the long driveway that led to the building. She was exhausted from another long day at Cloven Tower, reviewing Helping Hand cutbacks, and sitting through strategy meetings, pretending she didn’t feel the weight of every executive’s side-eye that was given to her. The last thing she wanted was more drama. But drama, was one thing that would always be waiting for her.Just before her, although she hadn't seen it before, a sleek black Lamborghini Urus was already parked at the top of the steps, with the engine still ticking as it cooled. Michael leaned against the hood, with arms crossed, and sunglasses pushed up into his perfectly styled black hair. The moment her car stopped he straightened, and a cruel smile curled his lips.Melody stepped out and started walking toward the grand entrance without a word, her heels clicking on the marble path as she stroll
Chapter 162
The visitation room felt smaller than it really was in reality. The thick glass between the two women did nothing to dull the hostility radiating from Icel’s side of the glass. Amelia gripped the black phone receiver tighter, her knuckles becoming whiter. She had come here for answers, and not games, but Icel was clearly enjoying herself with everything that was going on.She leaned closer to the glass, her orange jumpsuit hanging loose on her thin hour glass frame. “Why do you even want to know who owns DodgerCoin, princess?” she asked, with a voice dripping with mock sweetness. “And while we’re at it, what businesses are you into these days? Are you still trying to climb the same ladder that kicked you off?"Amelia’s jaw tightened. “It’s a private matter," she said. "You really don’t need to know.”Icel’s smile turned malicious, curving slowly and sharp like a blade sliding from the sheath it had been hidden in. “If it’s so private, then keep it to yourself. Don’t come crawling into
Chapter 161
Three days had passed since the merger papers between Cloven and the Lee enterprise were signed, and ESU campus felt different for some reason The whispers in the hallways had turned into those of open speculation. Students who at one point mocked Nathan Rhodes now watched him with a mix of awe and caution, there was something almost godlike to them.The Pauper King had swallowed one of the greatest family empires in the city, and everyone could feel the shift in power that had come of it. Students were uncertain of what would happen next, and so it was about this time, this exact moment, that Michael chose make his entrance.A sleek black Lamborghini Urus roared through the main gates of ESU, with security guards watching in awe as the chrome wheels gleamed under the morning sun. Heads turned instantly. Girls clustered near the steps of the business building let out excited cheers and whistles as the car cruised slowly past them in all of its glory.Michael sat behind the wheel in
Chapter 160
The trap house felt strangely smaller tonight to Michael. The air was thicker, and heavier. Above them fluorescent bulbs buzzed with insects if varied shape and sizes flying close to it, and some of them even dying from going too close, as the lights casted harsh shadows across the stained concrete walls. The chemical stench was still in the air. An acrid smell of burnt plastic, bleach and a ton of other things too numerous to mention, clung to every breath Michael Lee took in, burning the Inside of his nose. He was still not used to this life. His palms were slick with sweat as he stood at the round table, staring at a burner phone Caesar had just slid across the scarred wood.Caesar leaned back in his chair, with his prosthetic arm glinting under the light from the flouroscent bulb. The scar on his face twisted when he smiled. “Listen carefully, Michael and all of you. From here on, there’s no going back. Once the money moves from you, you’re blood in. There are no refunds, and e
Chapter 159
In a penthouse overlooking Central Park in all its beauty, one was supposed to feel like they had just won something glorious, something ever lasting, a victory like no other. Instead, Amelia Frank paced over the marble floor like she was a caged animal in heat, while the seven beautiful vixens lounged on the cream sofas that were across the living room of the penthouse. Donna, Avery, Gene, Golden, Bella, Rene, and Chloe watched her with a mixture of amusement and boredom, they lips looking like they were they were just a little push away from laughing disastrously.They had grown closer in the last weeks with Amelia, bonded by a single thread that still held them together: every one of them still felt that they had been betrayed in some way by Nathan.“I still can’t believe it,” Amelia spat, voice sharp enough to cut the glass that framed the high floor to ceiling windows. “The one person that I thought would never break, the one person who I thought hated Nathan the most, just han
Chapter 158
The hallway outside the business wing of ESU was filled up with whisperes from the students all clustered in various groups, as they stood with their phones out, and their voices low but with that same excitement that characterized gossiping students, especially with the recent news that was pervading across all walls of the school and beyond. “Did you see? The Lees folded. Cloven owns everything now," one student said with an electrifying tone to his voice. It almost seemed like the news was the best thing ever. "Those damn Lees would surely have their tails under their legs in school, wouldn't they?" “The Pauper King just swallowed another empire," another student said to his own group. "That Nathan is not slowing down isn't it? He is like a moving train, you better get off the way or get knocked into a sea of sharks. Loan sharks. Get it?" He laughed. His other friends thought he was being corny, yet laughed as well.Meanwhile, Melody kept her head high and her pace steady as alwa
You may also like
WAR GOD'S REVENGE
Ardy-sensei95.4K viewsFrom Trash Bag to Cash Bag
Zuxian124.3K viewsTHE GREAT GENERAL
Ardy-sensei136.7K viewsDrakon of the Seven Armies
Maddy Taurus539.5K viewsBlood Debts
Ahmedilo545 viewsThe Discarded Heir's Ultimate Revenge
Emma Writes1.1K viewsThe Actor's Emperor System
Alex713 viewsREINCARNATED AS THE SUPREME LORD
Clevee816 views