The Day My Name Bankrupted a City

005

The statement was like a chilly breeze. The faces of those in the vicinity paled.

I could see goosebumps lining Forrest's neck. With a measured glance, he appraised me.

As for Johnny and Dawn, they were completely dumbfounded.

They stared blankly at me. It seemed like they found it hard to understand how the loser they had previously bullied had actually turned out to be such a powerful existence.

With narrowed eyes, Violet signaled to the back. One of the bodyguards standing behind her immediately moved toward Johnny.

Still in shock, Johnny hurriedly backed up a few steps. “W-Wait! Miss, there must be a misunderstanding! Please listen to me! Something’s not right!”

The bodyguard’s face was stoic. With experienced ease, he turned a deaf ear toward Johnny and reached for his neck. However, Johnny’s bodyguard quickly took two steps forward and blocked him.

Seeing this, I grimaced. This was the very same bodyguard who beat me to a bloody pulp.

Noticing my grimace, Violet softly commanded, “Steve, cripple him.”

Steve nodded. With a vicious smile, he smashed his fist into the other bodyguard.

The fist ripped through the air and Johnny’s bodyguard flinched. He could not dodge because his client was right behind him, he had no choice but to punch back.

Bam!

The two fists collided, followed by a shrill scream.

“Aah!" The face of Johnny’s bodyguard twisted. He tried to back up, while clutching his hand.

His fingers were twisted into weird shapes. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. After taking two steps back, he staggered and fell to the ground. He had fallen from a single punch.

With a cold glint in his eye, Steve walked toward him and lifted his foot.

Bam!

The bodyguard’s body went slack and he completely collapsed onto the ground.

Steve turned his gaze to Johnny.

“Stop, do not advance!" Johnny let out a screech. "You can’t touch me! My family is protecting me!”

He was a coward. His legs turned to Jello and began to shake uncontrollably, his face full of fear.

Seeing Steve closing in, Johnny panicked. He turned his head and cried, “Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith, save me! You’re good friends with my grandpa, right? I’m Johnny Miller! Mr. Smith, save me...”

“Good friends with your grandpa, my ass.” Forrest continued with cold disregard, “Fucker, you offended Mr. Taylor. You, along with your entire family, are finished.”

Forrest went over to me and respectfully bowed toward Violet. He expressed his regrets to me. “Mr. Taylor, your reputation precedes you. I don’t know how this trash of the Millers offended you, but, as this is my territory, I clearly failed to perform my duty. How about giving me a chance to redeem myself?”

His words were swiftly and elegantly spoken.

More importantly, he had decided to cut off his relationship with the Millers in favor of establishing one with me.

I glanced at Forrest.

As a self-made tycoon, his mind was certainly sharp, and he knew how to network.

Violet suddenly wrapped her hands around my arm and leaned in. Her soft, plump breasts pressed against me through the thin fabric.

“Forrest Smith is one of the snakes in Razor City," she whispered. "He wants to suck up to you and ride your coattails. If Sir wishes to accept, he’ll make for a pretty handy dog. If not, you can just let him go.”

To Violet, the dignified tycoon of Razor City, Forrest Smith, was only qualified to be a dog?

I was amazed. I could not really follow Violet’s thoughts, but her words clearly demonstrated the Taylor Group's terrifying powers.

Seeing Forrest’s eagerness, I nodded slightly. “Do as you please.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Taylor. I’ll take care of this.” Excitement flickered on his face; he turned and walked toward Johnny.

He patted Steve’s shoulder. “Leave the rest to me.” With a hand signal, over a dozen muscular men rushed out of the Moonlight Club.

“Beat the shit out of him.” Forrest looked at Johnny indifferently.

“Yes!” Armed with clubs, the men surrounded Johnny.

Johnny literally peed himself. Smelly yellow liquid ran down his legs. Dawn’s legs were also stained in pee. She was dumbstruck and shivering. She dared not raise her head.

“Don’t! AHHH!”

Without even being hit, Johnny collapsed in fear. At last, he recognized who controlled his fate.

Johnny crawled toward me in tears, begging for mercy. “Gael... no, Sir Gael. I was wrong. I shouldn't have messed with you. I shouldn’t have hit on your girlfriend. I’ll return Dawn to you. I am insignificant compared to your greatness. Please forgive me just this once.”

Return? The idea made me sick. I signaled Forrest who nodded and smiled grimly. “Do it.” The men pulled a sobbing Johnny into a nearby alley, from which the bangs of clubs could be heard. The crunching sounds of bones breaking and Johnny’s miserable wails entered my ears. They began to mix into a cacophony of pain.

The color on Dawn’s face was gone. Her body began to violently tremble. I saw her meekly look at me with tears in her eyes.

“Gael... I made a mistake," she croaked, tears ruining her mascara, making her look like a drowned ghost. "Can you forgive me? You loved me so much back then. You’ll forgive me, right?”

If it was before, I might’ve forgiven the weeping Dawn, but now, she only made me feel sick.

Before I could say anything, Violet stood before me and looked at Dawn. Her gaze was aloof, as if she was looking at Dawn from a throne. “You’re Dawn, Mr. Taylor’s ex-girlfriend, right?”

Dawn lowered her head. “Yes.”

“Tch, Mr. Taylor, you need better taste in women.”

Violet let out a sigh and turned to face me. In a seemingly displeased voice, she said, “With your wealth, what woman can’t you obtain? Why choose this whore?”

“Who are you calling whore?!” Dawn raised her head in anger. But seeing Violet’s disdainful smile she quickly lowered her head in shame.

If Violet was the aloof frost moon, she was a dirt eating worm.

Even just being in Violet's presence made her uncomfortable. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

“Gael!” Dawn tried to meet my eyes. She continued to beg, “Let’s repair our relationship! I know deep down you still love me, right? I won’t... I won’t ever cheat on you. You’ll be the only one in my mind. How about it?”

I sneered. “Remember that face you made back in the club?”

“I...I made a mistake, a big mistake.” Dawn started sobbing, her voice full of regret.

“I must have lost my mind back there. But, didn’t I already apologize? Why can’t you forgive me?" She looked at me accusingly. "We’ve been together for so long! Did you really let go of your feelings for me?”

The agonizing screams coming from the alley died down. Forrest’s men dragged Johnny out. His limbs were twisted at weird angles, his face contorted in pure agony. He was whimpering and on the brink of death.

Seeing these two broken people in front of me, I was left with a dull, tasteless feeling.

My desire for revenge had dispersed.

“Let’s go,” I said to Violet.

“Ok, a hotel has already been arranged for you.” Violet took my arm and began walking to her car.

Forrest ran over and handed me his business card. “This is my business card. If anything comes up, just give me a call. I will follow your commands. Goodbye, Mr. Taylor.”

“Thank you.” I took the business card with a smile and nodded.

“You’re welcome.” Forrest watched me get into the car.

As the car door closed, I saw Forrest come up to Johnny. With a sneer, he commented, “Kid, go tell your grandpa that the Millers are finished.”