A professional bodyguard

Noah's words caused Jake's expression to turn to shock for a brief moment before he started anxiously laughing and said, "You are bluffing. Why would they do that over the words of someone like you? Do you think you are some kind of big shot now? There is no way they would cancel on me. They signed the contract. The penalties alone would cost them a fortune." Though he tried to sound unfazed with his words, his voice revealed that he was clearly distraught.

This was not only because he could see the calmness in Noah's eyes but also because the deal Noah was talking about had only been signed yesterday. From the moment they started working on the deal until it was finalized, they had only discussed matters internally with the team that was working on it, the higher-ups and the team of the other party. So, how did Noah even know about this deal? This was the same reason he couldn't believe that Noah had been able to do something to make the deal fall through.

Despite not believing Noah's words, or at least not wanting to believe them, he couldn't deny that there was a trace of doubt. This feeling of doubt was strengthened by the eerie calmness surrounding Noah which showed Jake that he didn't care what he thought or if he believed him. His calmness, along with the powerful energy that he exuded, one that had turned the air surrounding them cold from the moment he arrived, made Jake instinctively know that he wasn't the same Noah from before. But his pride and his unwillingness to admit defeat to someone who had been the rug underneath his feet back when they were teenagers, caused him to remain foolishly confident on the surface and made him continue to taunt him. Digging his own grave along the way. But this confidence crumbled the moment his phone went off and he saw that it was someone from the office.

Jake answered the phone with shaking hands. "H-hello..". As Jake stood there, phone in hand, his face turned paler and paler by the second as he stared at Noah in disbelief. The person who had called him was the colleague that he had worked on the deal with and he was currently confirming Noah's story, causing the ground underneath Jake's feet to crumble. He knew that if the first part of his words were true, the rest of his words were probably true as well and that possibility frightened him. After he hung up the phone in the middle of his colleague's story, he looked back at Noah. His whole body seemed like it was shaking and his eyes had turned red.

In a fit of anger he started shouting at Noah, saying "How dare you do this to me!? Who do you think you are?! You are nothing but a wimpy kid who has turned cocky." As he was saying these words he was angrily approaching Laila and Noah, while the latter remained as calm as ever. Laila looked up at Noah as she was getting nervous from Jake's actions, wondering why he wasn't doing anything to stop Jake who seemed to have officially snapped. But before he was able to get close enough to harm either of them, he was floored by someone who stepped out from the side.

Both Maria and Laila gasped while Noah's expression had remained the same. The man who had stepped out had blond hair and was wearing a tailored suit, which made Laila believe he wasn't just anybody. He had floored Jake so effortlessly and he had now pinned Jake's arm behind his back, making him unable to move another inch. It was almost as if the man was a professional bodyguard but Laila knew that Noah didn't have one. As Jake was trying to break free he said, "Let go of me. I will sue you for assault. How dare you do this to me. You let one man run his mouth and suddenly everyone thinks they can step all over you. Just you wait. Once I get free I will show you what true regret is."

As Jake was spouting one threat after the other, the man simply pushed down in order to silence Jake before he said, "Calm down there buddy, before you get yourself into even more trouble. My boss over there isn't a very forgiving person when it comes to people harming his family. Right now there is still something to salvage but once you lay your hand on him or the missus, you are done. So stop fighting me and listen."

Though Jake's expression revealed that he was still full of anger but being in the position that he was, forced in submission and being unable to fend for himself, had sobered Jake up a bit from his anger haze. Seeing that all struggle was futile, had apparently made him finally be willing to listen. Even if it wasn't fully voluntarily. Besides, having heard what he had just heard on the phone, he could use any lifeboat he could get. Through his teeth he replied, "I'm listening". Jake's words caused the blond man to reduce some of the pressure he was applying but he still had his guard up and his hands ready to take action should the situation require it. Then he turned around, finally revealing his face to Laila and Maria, as he said, "He is all yours boss". The man saluted Noah, like he was some kind of navy captain, causing the former the smile from amusement while the latter rolled his eyes and got ready to take the second step in his plan.