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Chapter 162
Chapter 162
+25 BONUS
*Kelvin stood there with a cocky smirk etched across his slimy face, practically dripping arrogance.
“Now get down on your knees,” he ordered, voice laced with poisonous glee.
“Beg for forgiveness. Grovel enough, and maybe I’ll let you crawl out of here when I’m done using you.” Safe under Scarface’s shadow, Kelvin felt no fear.
Josephine’s stomach churned.
She never expected Kelvin to come on this strong, and the ugly confidence in his eyes sent a chill racing up her spine.
One of his goons sneered, relishing her discomfort. “Didn’t you hear the man, girlie? Hit the floor and start begging, or I can’t promise you’ll keep all your limbs.”
Josephine stood stubbornly; she would never kneel!
Kelvin, still puffed up with self–importance, turned to Scarface.
“See that, Mr. Scarface? They’re not paying you any respect People like this only learn their lesson when they’re looking their own graves in the eye.”
The way Kelvin drawled those words, the way he licked his lips, told everyone he had no doubt Scarface would back him to the hilt.
Scarface, swirling his machete like a showman’s baton, twisted his scarred mouth into a vicious grin.
“Point out whoever laid a hand on you. I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave here with his arms in one piece.”
Kelvin jabbed a stubby finger across the room. “Mr. Scarface, that worthless piece of trash over there!” he spat.
Scarface glanced in Alex’s direction…and froze as if he’d stared into Death itself.
His eyes narrowed, his muscles tensing. “Do I know you?” he asked, a strange tremor in his voice.
Alex only shrugged. “Could be,” he replied calmly, too calmly.
Scarface shot Kelvin a sideways look. “This woman–she’s from the orphanage, right?”
“Yeah,” Kelvin answered, still oblivious to how Scarface’s demeanor had shifted.
“Her old lady ran an orphanage down in the slums till it burned down. They moved to some backwater mining town. Now that the slum’s getting redeveloped, we’re reaching out to–let’s say–give them an opportunity‘ to make money.‘
Scarface’s face went ashen.
A memory flickered through his mind like a horror film he couldn’t shut off.
He remembered Alex now–this was the man who singlehandedly leveled an entire compound, took out Scarface’s old boss, and cleared the path for Carlos, Scarface’s current superior.
In other words, Alex was the one guy Scarface never wanted to cross.
Meanwhile, Kelvin was still flapping his gums, too lost in his own bravado to notice the electric fear creeping through Scarface.
“Why so quiet, you puny dog?” Kelvin taunted Alex, entirely blind to the dangerous tension in the room.
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Chapter 162
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“You gave me a good smack earlier–do it again now that Scarface’s here. I’ll make sure you don’t leave with so much as a heartbeat!”
But Scarface saw his chance.
Like a rattlesnake striking, he sent a fist crashing into Kelvin’s jaw. The sickening crack as tooth and blood flew made everyone flinch..
Kelvin swayed, his vision spinning. “M–Mister Scarface? A Aren’t you beating up the wrong person?” he stammered, pressing his hands against his bleeding nose.
His eyes were wide with shock.
Scarface sneered, his fear morphing into fury. “Me? Beating up the wrong guy? No, you are exactly the idiot I should be beating up!”
Without hesitation, he drove his foot into Kelvin’s stomach sending him crumpling to the ground with a pained wheeze.
Kelvin gasped, eyes darting around in panic. He finally started to realize–something was very, very wrong.
As if his rage knew no bounds, Scarface kept landing blows on Kelvin, punching and kicking without restraint, cursing with every hit.
“You fat pig! I feel like throwing up every time I see you!” He spat, his voice filled with disgust. “Why the hell would a stunning woman like her seduce you? Do you actually believe your own lies?!”
Kelvin curled up, shielding his head, sobbing like a child.
“I am the fighter of justice!” Scarface bellowed, his boot slamming into Kelvin’s ribs.
“Do you even know what you look like? How dare you throw my name around like some cheap trick? How dare you make a fool out of me? I swear, I’ll see to it that you stay dead!”
Each word came with another vicious hit.
Kelvin curled in on himself, arms shielding his bruised head.
Tears and blood smeared his face. He whimpered like a child caught stealing from the cookie jar.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I beg you, Mr. Scarface, please-!”
But Scarface, chest heaving, showed no sign of stopping. Each punch, each kick was fueled by a bigger, darker fear: the fear of Alex.
Scarface would do anything–anything–to keep that nightmare from surfacing again.
Josephine, her heart twisting despite everything Kelvin had done, finally pleaded, “Stop, please! You’ll kill him!”
Scarface’s fist hovered in the air, and he darted a wary look at Alex. Seeing no objection, he relented.
With a final sneer, he spat on Kelvin’s trembling form.
“Count yourself lucky this lady stepped in. Another minute and you’d be a bloody stain on the floo
Kelvin scrabbled onto his knees, his face a swollen mess of ears, blood, and mucus.
“Miss Everheart, please forgive me! I’m so sorry! I swear… I’ll never even look at you again!”
Josephine’s brow creased in confusion.
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Chapter 162
+25 BONUS
This whole scenario felt like a twisted puppet show–Scarface had changed sides so fast, and for no reason that made sense at face value.
Her eyes flickered to Alex, and her breath caught in her throat. Could he be the reason?
As if confirming her suspicions, Scarface bared his teeth at Kelvin again. “You want real forgiveness? Show it. Approve her loan right this second.”
Kelvin, half delirious, blinked in disbelief. “A–a loan? W–what-?”
“Get her a million,” Scarface growled, casually flipping his knife in the air. “No interest, no hidden fees. Don’t even think about the first payment ‘til next year.”
Kelvin’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “That’s impossible!”
“Wanna bet your life on that?” Scarface hissed, pressing the edge of his blade against Kelvin’s cheek. “Because I’ll be happy to collect.”
Kelvin paled, nodding like his head might fall off. “Yes, yes–absolutely! A million dollars, no interest, start payments whenever she wants!”
He stumbled to his feet, blood still streaming from his nose, and darted into the back office.
The hush that fell over the crowd was thick enough to choke on.
Josephine stared at Scarface, then at Alex, still trying to piece together this bizarre puzzle.
Scarface stood there, chest heaving, shooting nervous glances at Alex as if the man were judge, jury, and executioner.
And Alex… Alex just stood calmly, saying nothing, revealing nothing.
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