Chapter 4: Angelo Summons

Carlos Yale's brazen words made Jonas Quinny's skin crawl. His gut told him this man had serious backing. Otherwise, knowing he was the Quinny family's young master, no one would be this fearless-let alone talk to him like that. So who the hell was he? "Which crew do you run with, brother?" Jonas asked, trying to sound respectful. Carlos's face went cold. He slapped his chopsticks onto the table and barked, "Did you not hear what I just said?" At that, Jonas and his friends scrambled out of the private room like a gust of wind. "Such domineering presence-he's ruthless!" Outside, Jonas patted his chest, still rattled. "We've met all the movers and shakers in Jenden's high society, but we've never seen this guy, never even heard of a Carlos Yale," a young man said, puzzled. "Relax. I snapped a photo, tagged his name, and blasted it to my Moments and group chats. We'll have an answer in no time," another said. "Nice one, Vance Lyson, smart move. Hurry up-if this Carlos is a big shot, we bail. If he's just pretending, I'll skin him alive," Jonas said, crowding in, hungry for the result. About five minutes later, a juicy comment popped up. Vance read it out: "I know this guy-broke, no background. If you have to say he has any, it's that he used to be the live-in son-in-law of Wilson Zimmerman's family at Treasure Hall. Three days ago, because Arya Zimmerman wanted to divorce him, he swallowed a bunch of sleeping pills to kill himself. Reliable sources say Arya has already divorced him. I don't get it, Vance-why are you looking up this waste?" "Hahahaha!" The group doubled over with laughter. "I can't believe I let a loser scare me. I thought he was a big shot-turns out he's a massive poser!" Jonas laughed till he almost cried. Vance snorted. "Gotta hand it to that trash-he acted the big-shot role to perfection. If we hadn't dug up his info, I'd've really thought he was one." "Come on. Watch me settle this," Jonas said, leading the pack back to Carlos's private room. Inside the room. Callie Yare laughed and gave Carlos a thumbs-up. "Xiao Chen, your acting was insane. For a second there I thought you were some underworld boss." Kaden Yale also stuck up his thumb. "Yeah, yeah. Xiao Chen sold it so well he scared off the Quinny family's young master. That was badass. The Oscars owe Xiao Chen a Best Actor." Carlos managed a wry smile. "Mom, Dad, I really wasn't acting." Bang! The private room door flew open with a kick. "You weren't acting? You dare say you weren't? Don't think I don't know you're just a cast-off, useless live-in son-in-law. Pretending to be a boss-watch me flip your table, then peel your skin!" Jonas stormed in and flipped the round table, more than two meters across, as if it weighed nothing. Crash, crash! Bowls, plates, and the lazy Susan shattered across the floor. Kaden Yale and Callie Yare trembled, their faces blanching. "Don't be scared, Mom, Dad." Carlos pulled his parents behind him, clasped his hands behind his back, and strode toward Jonas one measured step at a time. "Today I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of the Quinny family, you damn menace." "Still putting on airs? I'll kill you!" Jonas snatched up a chair and swung it at Carlos. "Xiao Chen! Watch out!" his parents cried out. Just then, Carlos kicked out. His foot smashed the chair to splinters and then drove into Jonas's chest. Bang! Jonas felt like a car hit him. He flew backward, slammed into the wall, and spewed a mouthful of bile when he hit the floor. "Young Master Qin!" Jonas's friends stared, stunned. "All of us-go! Kill him!" Vance shouted, and five or six youths rushed Carlos. Bang, bang, bang! In the blink of an eye, they were all kicked to the floor, screaming in pain. With even a thread of true essence and hundreds of thousands of years of battle experience, Carlos could flatten hundreds of ordinary people like these, even if this body was still weak. Kaden and Callie were dumbstruck. When had Carlos become this formidable? "Don't come any closer!" Jonas watched Carlos approach and stumbled back again and again until he was cornered. Carlos crouched in front of him. "Call me brother-in-law." "Call your damn mother!" Smack! Carlos backhanded Jonas across the face. "Will you call me?" "No!" Smack! "Will you?" "No!" Smack! … "Brother-in-law, stop… please…" Jonas bawled, his cheeks swollen like buns, mouth full of blood. Even people who knew him wouldn't recognize him. "You should've said it sooner. Why ask for all that pain?" Carlos smiled as he stood. "How was I supposed to know you were this vicious? If you really are my brother-in-law, treating me like this-my sister would kill you," Jonas spat hatefully. Just then, a group burst into the room. "Young Master Qin!" The middle-aged leader saw Jonas beaten into a pig-headed mess and hurried to help him up. "Kayden Showyer, are you a damned turtle? I get beaten like this and you show up now? Do you even want this seafood restaurant to stay open?" Jonas roared at the boss. "I'm sorry, Young Master Qin! I'm sorry!" Boss Kayden Showyer apologized over and over. "Sorry my ass-hack him to death!" Jonas jabbed a finger at Carlos. "Okay, okay." Kayden bobbed his head like a pecking chicken, then bellowed, "Fight! Beat this punk to death!" At his words, more than a dozen security guards rushed Carlos. "Yale! Let's see how you die this time!" Seeing the guards move, Jonas crowed, practically picturing Carlos beaten to death the next moment. But the next second he was stunned. Carlos dove into the guards, his speed ghostly. In under a minute, all of them were on the ground, howling. Everyone was stupefied. This guy was a trained fighter! Right then, a squad of burly men flooded into the restaurant. A waiter dashed into the room and told Kayden, "Director Showyer, Tiger is here." "Which Tiger?" Kayden frowned. "Bennett Lawne, Angelo's fierce right hand!" Kayden shivered and bolted out like the wind. "No wonder the place suddenly feels golden-Tiger's here. What an honor." Kayden plastered on a sycophant's grin and hurried to greet him. "Help me find which room a young man named Carlos Yale is in," Bennett said, handing Kayden a photo. Kayden took one look and practically lit up. Anyone Bennett came for ended up dead or crippled-and the man in the photo was the same one who'd just beaten Young Master Qin. "I know where he is. Tiger, please come with me." Kayden immediately led Bennett and his men toward Carlos's room. Hearing Bennett had come, Callie rushed to urge Carlos, "Xiao Chen, run! Bennett's a mobster. If the boss called him in, you're done for." Kaden, panicked, chimed in, "Yeah, Xiao Chen, go! Don't worry about me and your mom. It'll be too late." Jonas was ecstatic. "Too late to be scared-you're finished!" He knew Bennett well: Angelo's trusted enforcer, an Inner Strength martial artist. In all of Jenden, you could count on one hand the people who could beat him. He was sure Bennett could pound Carlos to death with one punch. "Oh, yeah?" Carlos let out a cold laugh. "You're celebrating too early." He had grown up in Jenden and of course had heard of Bennett Lawne. He couldn't match Bennett head-on yet, but he was confident he could beat him back. Give him one day to cultivate-forget Bennett, even Angelo himself wouldn't be worth a glance. "Then let's see whether I'm celebrating early or you are," Jonas said. He didn't think he was. "Tiger is here!" Right then, Kayden led Bennett into the room. "Bennett, you're here-that's great!" Emery Quinny came up to him, excited. "Who the hell are you? Are we close?" Bennett shoved Jonas aside. "I'm Jonas Quinny." "Young Master Qin?" Bennett frowned. "How'd you get turned into a pig head?" Jonas flared up and pointed at Carlos. "That son of a bitch slapped me like this. Bennett, you have to avenge me." Bennett followed his finger and paused. Wasn't this the man Angelo wanted him to invite? "Tiger, this guy is vicious. He not only beat Young Master Qin, he put a dozen of my guards down. You have to stand up for us!" "Stand up for your mother!" Smack! Before Kayden finished, Bennett slapped him. Kayden flipped and hit the floor, mind blank. Everyone present was stunned. Why did Tiger hit Kayden? Jonas snarled at Kayden, "Serves you right. You're just a small-time seafood boss. What gives you the right to ask Tiger to stand up for you? You think you're me?" Then he turned to Bennett. "Right, Bennett?" Bennett sneered. To give the Quinny family a little face, he let Jonas off and strode toward Carlos. Seeing Bennett head for Carlos, Jonas shouted excitedly, "Yale, let's see how you die-" He didn't finish. Bennett stopped beside Carlos, bent slightly, and gestured invitingly. "Mr. Yale, our Angelo asks that you come over. He has an important request." The room exploded with shock.