Chapter 8: Stepping In for Justice

When they reached the fifth-floor conference room, Liam Cutmore finally met Trey Lawes. Trey was a bald, middle-aged man with a thick gold chain around his neck and a Rolex on his left wrist. His face was all hard angles and brutish flesh, the textbook look of a street boss. Yet this was the very gang leader of the Five Lakes Gang, the man who made half of Jiangbei break out in cold sweat at the mention of his name. The moment he saw the breathtaking woman, his expression flipped instantly into a wide, fawning smile. "President Quiney! If I'd known you were coming, I would've gone downstairs personally to welcome you!" "Trey Lawes was negligent," he added quickly, still grinning as he gestured for her to sit. "Please forgive me, President Quiney." As for Liam, who had followed her in, Trey took one glance and dismissed him as an assistant, choosing to ignore him entirely. "Master Lawes, no need for the formalities." The woman got straight to the point and sat in the main seat without a hint of hesitation. "I'm here to talk about that plot of land in the north of the city." Trey didn't get angry. He kept smiling, as if she had praised him. "President Quiney really is decisive. We just met and you're already talking business." He leaned forward slightly. "But that land is my prized treasure. The two hundred million we agreed on before is a bit… light." Her face cooled. A pressure rolled off her, sharp and absolute, like a blade laid across the throat. "Master Lawes, don't be greedy." "Your land is decent, but it's worth two hundred million at most." "Stella Group has already given you plenty of face." "Don't push your luck." Stella Group? Liam froze for a beat. Wasn't that the group Misty Yale had just managed to connect with? Did it really have to be this much of a coincidence? Trey, meanwhile, looked as if he'd been pinned in place by her aura. He nodded again and again. "Yes, yes, yes. President Quiney buying my land is giving me tremendous honor. I was blind and disrespectful. I offended President Quiney." He lifted a teacup with both hands and offered it over. "Come, President Quiney. Let me use tea in place of wine and apologize properly." She didn't think much of it. She accepted the cup and took a small sip. "Not bad." The instant she drank, a flash of triumph flickered through Trey's eyes. Then his attitude snapped around completely. His voice hardened. "That tea was something I prepared carefully. Of course it tastes good." He set his own cup down with a deliberate clink. "But if you want that land, two hundred million won't cut it." "One price. One billion." "Otherwise, no deal." Her expression changed. Two hundred million to one billion. It was daylight robbery. Anger rose in her eyes, but before she could speak, Ruby exploded. "Trey Lawes, don't act like the Five Lakes Gang is something special!" Ruby jabbed a finger toward him, voice shaking with fury. "In Stella Group's eyes, you're nothing but a worthless punk who doesn't belong in polite company. Working with you is already your ancestors blessing you from the grave, so don't bite the hand that feeds you!" Trey's face twisted. He erupted. "Snap!" He smashed the teacup to the floor. "Don't bite the hand that feeds me?" He bared his teeth. "Do you even know how the Fierce Tiger Gang got its 'tiger'?" "Today, you either hand over one billion…" "…or you and Stella Quiney make me feel good." "Otherwise…" His eyes burned with vicious light. "Trey Lawes, you're asking to die." Ruby's rage detonated. She swung her palm at him. "Hmph. A mere Fifth-Grade Martial Artist dares to show off in front of me?" Trey sneered. He shifted his body slightly and slipped past her strike with ease. Then he snapped his hand out in a counterpalm, and the two of them crashed into a fierce exchange. Whoosh after whoosh tore through the air. The force of it was startling. Stella Quiney watched, quietly approving. The Martial Artist Realm was divided into First Grade through Ninth Grade. First Grade was entry. Ninth Grade stood at the peak. Ruby had been trained carefully by her. At Fifth Grade, she was genuinely impressive. Liam, however, kept shaking his head. A fight between two Fifth-Grade Martial Artist was no different from children scuffling, as far as he was concerned. Boring. "You should run," Liam said evenly. "Trey Lawes is Fifth Grade too, but he's got real combat experience. In less than ten seconds, your bodyguard will lose." "Nonsense." Stella Quiney's brows knit, displeasure flashing across her face. "They're clearly evenly matched. What makes you think Ruby is about to lose?" "Thud!" A heavy impact sounded. Ruby took a palm strike to the lower abdomen and flew backward. She slammed into the floor and spat a mouthful of blood, her face draining pale. "What…?" Stella Quiney shot to her feet, shock flooding her eyes as she stared at Liam. She hadn't even caught the subtle shift in the fight. He had. Was he a martial way expert too? "President Quiney," Trey drawled as he stepped closer, amusement curling at the corners of his mouth while he casually picked at his ear. "Have you thought it through?" "Money, or your body, hmm?" "What if I choose neither?" Stella Quiney snorted. Her presence surged, sharp enough to make the room feel smaller. "Sixth Grade?" Trey's heart jumped. He narrowed his eyes. "As expected of the Quiney Family's Little Luminary. That kind of strength at your age… truly heaven's favored." Stella Quiney lifted her chin. "Of course. What did you think I relied on to come to your territory and negotiate?" Trey clapped slowly, mockery in his grin. "President Quiney is brilliant, and your martial way is extraordinary. You really are exceptional." "But a thousand-mile dike can collapse from an ant hole." "Today, even if you were a Ninth-Grade Expert, you'd still be ruined here." "Is that so?" Stella Quiney scoffed. "Then try me." She raised her jade-like hand, about to strike. Her body suddenly went soft. She dropped to one knee, breath catching. Heat seeped through her veins, spreading in threads, leaving her limbs weak and boneless, like she had been hit with an aphrodisiac. Her eyes snapped wide. The tea. "Trey Lawes!" she hissed, fury trembling under her control. "You drugged me. Despicable." She tried to suppress it, tried to force her body into obedience, but no matter how she fought, the restlessness only swelled. Soft, involuntary moans slipped out between clenched teeth. Trey stared at her heaving chest and the way she struggled for breath, greed shining openly in his eyes. "President Quiney," he said smugly, "how do you like my gift?" Panic churned inside her, but she forced her face steady and bit out, "I'm the president of Stella Group." "If you touch me today, I promise you this. Within three days, the Fierce Tiger Gang will be ashes." Trey nodded. "I believe you have that kind of power." He smiled wider. "But do you think I came unprepared?" Stella Quiney's expression tightened. "You brought help?" "Heh." A cold laugh cut in from the doorway. "Trey Lawes isn't worthy of having me as 'help.' He's just a dog running errands for me." A well-dressed young man strode in, followed by a blond old man and more than a dozen vicious-looking bodyguards. "Young Mr. Good, you're finally here." Trey hurried over, practically bouncing. He showed not a trace of anger at the insult, only eager flattery. "Young Mr. Good, how did I do this time? Not bad, right?" The young man gave a detached nod. "Passable." He didn't spare Trey another glance, as if Trey truly were nothing but a dog. "Stella Quiney." His gaze slid to her, possessive and cold. "Come with me." "Tonight, I'll take very good care of you." Stella Quiney ground her teeth. "Jasper Good… so this was you." No wonder Trey Lawes had dared to lay hands on her. He had Jasper Good behind him. Jasper Good, eldest son of the Good family, one of the eight great families of the Northern Lands. His influence stood on the same level as Stella Group. Despair crept into Stella Quiney's chest. He had pursued her for years and never succeeded. This time, he would never let her go. "Take her." Jasper Good flicked his hand, signaling his men. His eyes were greedy, chillingly dark. As the eldest son of the Good family among the eight great families of the Northern Lands, he had never lacked women. Whoever he fancied usually threw themselves into his arms. Only Stella Quiney. Proud like a phoenix, she had always refused to even spare him a glance. He couldn't tolerate it. That was why he had resorted to this, using her business meeting with Trey Lawes to pull Trey into his pocket. This time, he would press Stella Quiney onto a bed and grind her down until she broke. "President…" Ruby's face went taut with terror. She struggled to push herself up, desperate to protect Stella Quiney, but her injuries left her shaking and helpless. Her eyes dimmed with the same hopelessness. Then a calm voice cut through the room. "A bunch of grown men ganging up on one woman. What kind of skill is that?" "Come on," Liam said, stepping forward. "Let's see what you've got."