chapter 30 Self-punishment three cups

Chairman Cooper? Sean Cooper? Paddy and his friends all knew how ruthless Sean could be, and their anger instantly dissipated without a trace. The feeling of being offended was quickly replaced by a feeling of fear as the relatives who were previously indignant all knew that none of them could afford to offend Sean. "If so...," Paddy turned around in embarrassment. While glancing sheepishly at his dozens of relatives, he said, "Everyone should be almost done. If we're done, let's pack up and leave." "After all, Mr. Cooper was the one that gave me the project worth 3 million dollars. Doing this much for him within my means is definitely necessary." "Making things convenient for others would equate to making things convenient for oneself." Thankfully, Paddy somehow managed to find a way to get himself out of that sticky situation. Paddy's mother also nodded repeatedly while saying, "Definitely necessary, for sure! You must abide by Mr. Cooper's wishes. He is a busy man handling all the important and big matters. Comparatively, our meal is dispensable." A dozen relatives of the Hudson family hurriedly got out of their seats. Outside, a group of arrogant youngsters stood by the entrance of the private room, conceited. "My dear brother-in-law, the desserts haven't been served yet, why are you even thinking of leaving so quickly?" At this moment, Murray Yoxall raised his head and glanced at the people crowding by the door, "We will not give up on using this private room." "Also, get Sean Cooper over here and apologise." Murray pointed at the chicken drumstick on the ground and said, "He ruined one of my drumsticks." Several fierce-looking men thought that they were hearing things after Murray made his request, and they looked at Murray as though he was a fool. Paddy and his followers, including his relatives, were also shocked beyond words, their sense of disbelief written all over their faces. "Murray, what are you talking about," Paddy retorted. Paddy continued chiding Murray with anger evidently shown on his face, "When did it become your turn to make any decisions here? This is the Hudson family’s banquet, when I say that we'll leave, we will leave. " Paddy continued, "Also, if you really wish to die, please die on your own. Don't involve us in your mess." He then hurriedly clarified with the arrogant young man, "Brother, this is a son-in-law that came from my mother-in-law's side of the family. He speaks without thinking clearly, please do not take what he says to heart." Sophia also yelled furiously at Murray, "Murray, I order you to apologise this instant, otherwise you can forget about going to my brother's construction site to move bricks." Murray ignored Paddy and just stared dead straight at the arrogant young man saying, "I give you three minutes, get Sean Cooper here and punish himself with three cups of drink. Just let him know that it is I, Murray, who is making that request." Paddy and his followers were so mortified that their faces turned as white as a sheet. "Boy, who the hell do you think you are? How dare you punish Mr. Cooper, let alone make him drink?" The arrogant young man stared at Murray with a sharp threatening gaze and asked, "Do you have a death wish?" Just as he was about to step forward to teach Murray a lesson, another man who was wrapped in bandages came into view. This man wrapped in bandages was the same young man who was in a trench coat that was part of the conflict at the Summer Wind Club. Upon seeing Murray's face clearly, the man wrapped in bandages recognized who he was and his eyes widened in shock, showing unspeakable fear. The man wrapped in bandages then quickly started to explain the situation to the arrogant young man through a series of whispers. After going through a sequence of events: kicking the man in bandages, breaking all five of Hamiltion's fingers, and becoming blood brothers with Elroy. Through the interwinding of the whole series of events, an unexpected effect was evoked. Shock and uncertainty started to surface on the arrogant young man's face, and he gradually started to lead his followers out of the private room. "Murray, you are in big trouble." Paddy pointed at Murray and proclaimed, "If something happens later, you better bear all the consequences alone. Don't involve us." A portion of the Hudson family's relatives also glowered angrily at Murray. Freya Thrussell frowned her brows slightly. She had wanted to reprimand Murray as she had always done in the past when he got into trouble, but ultimately, she chose to remain silent. "Mr. Cooper, here." Soon, the sound of footsteps could be heard by the door, and a haggard tired-looking Sean Cooper appeared in the private room with a dozen of his men. Subconsciously, members of the Hudson family stood up, all of them with their hearts in their throats. Paddy Han kept trying to distance the Hudson family and Murray, clarifying, "Mr. Cooper, we do not know Murray. We are not familiar with him at all!" "Brother Murray, my dearest Brother Murray, I'm sorry that I have offended you," Sean proclaimed. The sequence of events that were unfolding shocked Paddy and the rest of the Hudson family to their core. Sean rushed to Murray's side to shake his hands and to apologise sincerely, "These idiots working under me are ignorant and have accidentally offended you. Please, do let me apologise on their behalf. I shall punish myself by downing three cups of drinks. I hope this can help wipe out any of the unpleasantness that was caused." Asking for a bottle of alcohol, Sean proceeded to fill up three large glasses of strong alcoholic drinks to punish himself. "It's really about time that you know your place and remember where you stand," Murray continued in a calm and firm voice, "You're already the boss of such a reputable establishment, yet you do not know your place within the grand scheme of things." Paddy and the rest of the Hudson family stood by the sidelines, flabbergasted. They had not expected Murray to treat a notorious character like Sean in such an unexpected manner. They could not fathom the reason why Sean was nodding and behaving like an obedient primary school student who had met a teacher that he or she held in high regard. Sean continued, "Brother Murray is absolutely right, I should know where I stand, and not forget my lowly position." "I hope that Brother Murray can provide me with more advice in the future," Sean continued. "I am going to drink this as my rightful punishment!" Sean picked up the three large glasses that were loaded full of liquor and drank all three glasses continuously one after another in a single shot. The arrogant young man and his followers also followed suit and poured some liquor for themselves before gulping down these high alcohol-content drinks in a flash. Pin-drop silence encapsulated the entire private room. Sophia and the remaining of the Hudson family had disbelief and shock painted all over their faces. After consecutively swallowing three glasses of high-concentration liquor, anyone could tell that Sean was really apologizing sincerely and not just doing it perfunctory or just for show. This made a few of the Hudson family members feel astounded. How did things turn out this way ultimately? Murray stated calmly, "Okay, this matter is over." "Thank you, Mr. Yoxall, for your kindness and generosity," Sean was all smiles, as he continued respectfully, "Brother Murray, will it be convenient for you to leave me your number? I have an issue I would like to seek your advice about, probably on another day." Without asking, Murray already knew what Sean wanted to consult him about. It was definitive that Sean wanted to find out if Murray could treat his seminiferous ducts. Murray instantly took a piece of tissue and wrote a number. "Thank you, thank you," Sean replied with gratitude. He then folded the tissue and placed it carefully in his arms, as if he had just obtained a heavenly treasure. He then smiled and roared out loudly to the rest of the Hudson family, "I'm extremely sorry for bothering everyone. This meal shall be charged to my account as an expression of my apology." Several key members of the Cooper family nodded and bowed in agreement, showing their indescribable respect and fear towards Sean. Murray nodded slightly in agreement and stated, "Well if there's nothing else, you can go." Murray's statement was made so nonchalantly, as though Sean was his underling. His demeanor was perceived as completely unacceptable and unbecoming in the eyes of everyone from the Hudson family. Freya stood straight upright with her chest out, dignified. She felt extremely proud and happy as finally, for once, she was not oppressed. "Brother Murray, we'll meet again another day. Everyone, I shall take my leave." Sean let out a hearty laugh and left with his group of followers. The whole room became quiet again. Paddy's mother and relatives of the Hudsons were all deeply embarrassed and they hung their heads in shame, sweat dripping profusely down their foreheads. They had just accused Murray of being a useless piece of trash and made him go to the Hudson's construction site to move bricks. In the blink of an eye, he had become Cooper Cooperation's most honorable guest and even made Sean punish himself trifold. This retaliation was like a hard slap across their face and the Hudsons could feel their ego bruised. However, no one felt as bad or as uncomfortable as Paddy. He had always suppressed Murray in all areas of life, but today, he was annihilated instantly by Murray with a single fatal blow. This feeling was even worse than Chole Lynch making a fool of herself during the birthday party. Sean and his followers were long gone, but silence ensued in the entire private room. The atmosphere became rather awkward, souring the tastebuds of Paddy's mother as well as the rest of the Hudson family, preventing them from enjoying their food. Freya, on the other hand, had a great appetite and was even drinking two bowls of desserts simultaneously in a row. However, she was a kind person and was not the type to lead others in ridiculing individuals. "Murray, how did you manage to fool Sean?" Mabel Thrussell could not hold her curiosity any longer and enquired, "Let me warn you, Sean is no character that you can easily mess with. You better explain clearly how you managed to deceive him and have him wrapped around your fingers." "Otherwise, you will not only harm yourself, but you might also implicate other innocent people like us too," Mabel continued. She warned Murray, "It's not easy to make him perform the trifold drinking punishment and get away unscathed." In Mabel's opinion, the reason why Sean valued Murray and saw him in high regard was because Murray had somehow deceived him. Otherwise, such a scene would not have unfolded in front of her eyes. How could Murray be better than her husband in any aspect? Murray nodded repeatedly while eating the lobster, replying in between munches, "I understand, I understand." Paddy's mother also could not bear to see Murray doing better than her own son and commented, "One got to know one's worth and place, Sean is not someone you can make fun of." Murray spat out the shrimp shell and replied, "Yes, yes, yes." "Please grow up and develop some sense of responsibility." Sophia curled her lips and retorted, "Don't say that both you and Sean have a good friendship. Regardless, you have nothing to be proud of." "Sean's businesses are not clean, nor are they by the books. If you were to associate yourself closely with him, you might not even be able to benefit but instead risk putting yourself in the line of fire." "Times have changed. It is no longer like a few decades ago. Only by making money cleanly, legally, can you thrive in the long run," Sophia continued. "Sean Cooper's empire is not going to last any longer anyways..." She looked at Murray with contempt and commented, "If you truly wish to honor your ancestors, you must join a big, prestigious company." Paddy's mother nodded in agreement, "Yes, times have changed. Unconventional methods can only take you so far, ultimately, entering big companies is still the safest way to go." Paddy felt awkward because, after all, he had also already subcontracted the Cooper Corporation project. However, as long as he could find a way to dampen Murray's arrogance, he decided to keep silent. "Just take the high road," Sophia said. Sophia started to lecture Murray, "One day if you even become half as successful as me, you will have considered to have finally helped our family obtain some prestige..." Halfway through her sentence, her voice trailed off as another group of individuals, comprising both men and ladies with some of them in traditional attires, appeared in her field of vision. One of them was a familiar face. Sophia left Murray and walked excitedly to the door while shouting at the man in traditional Chinese attire walking right in the front, "Hello, Mr. Lynch." Murray tilted his head and looked towards Ralap Lynch. Ralap was dressed fashionably in Armani, coupled with a pair of pointy leather shoes and sleek narrow pants. His impeccable dressing accentuated his sharp, defined features, creating a strong aura that screams presence and wealth. However, Ralap's head and hands were wrapped in bandages, clashing with his clothing, resulting in his overall appearance looking slightly weird and out of place. When they heard Sophia calling Mr. Lynch, Paddy's parents subconsciously stood up to greet him. "Mr. Lynch, what a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet you here." Sophia altered her voice and gestures to make herself look more gentle and pleasant. Her arrogance quickly developed into enthusiasm, "I have always wanted to thank Mr. Lynch for helping me develop in my professional capacity, but I never had the chance." "I wonder if Mr. Lynch can give me an opportunity today to treat you and your friends to a meal," Sophia asked. The relatives of the Hudson family nodded secretly in acknowledgment when they heard Sophia's request. Sophia was indeed perfect at maintaining cordial relationships. "Sophia..." Ralap casually cast a glance at Sophia's family and found his gaze landing on the face of Murray who was eating lobster. Ralap was startled as he did not expect to meet Murray here. His cold, emotionless face suddenly lit up as though a spring breeze had swept away all his negative emotions. Seeing Ralap accept her invitation and striding in, Sophia was elated, "Mr. Lynch, thank you for granting me this opportunity..." She continued speaking, "Mom, this is the general manager of the Midsea branch's Midsea States Hotel that is part of the Five Lakes Group. He is also my benefactor who has helped me in many areas of my life." Paddy's mother and her family, including her relatives, were all in high spirits. Paddy also smiled radiantly as he was extremely proud of his sister. He also rolled up his sleeves in preparation to shake Ralap's hands. However, Ralap ignored the entire Hudson family, walked straight past them, and headed straight to Murray before addressing him with the utmost respect, "Mr. Yoxall." ----------