chapter 15

Chapter 15: Arrogance

After hanging up the phone, Derek didn't seem the least bit rushed. He casually pulled up a chair and sat down, looking every bit like he intended to wait for the money to arrive.

He had made a name for himself in the neighborhood and had a few connections on the street. So, Derek wasn't worried in the slightest.

"Derek, maybe we should let the guy go. After all, this is Don Giovanni's place," one of the colleagues suggested, sounding rather nervous.

After all, what they were doing had crossed a line. It was extortion, and things could easily spiral out of control.

"Hmph, anyone who offends me won't get away easily," Derek sneered, radiating confidence.

"Don't worry. I've been around for a long time. I still have some clout. Even if Don Giovanni himself shows up, he'll give me some respect."

Derek crossed his legs, puffing himself up. With his girlfriend present, he was determined to save face, whether he actually had influence with Don Giovanni or not.

Hearing this, everyone was impressed with Derek. Many shot disdainful glances at the timid colleague.

"Hey, if you're a man, don't be a coward. Besides, my dad has some connections in New York. Nothing will happen!" Henry chimed in, boasting.

His father owned a hotel and knew a fair number of people in the underworld. He thought he had some leverage.

"Victoria, see? This is the kind of boyfriend we should have!" Emily tugged at Sophia, flaunting Derek to Victoria.

Victoria glanced at Lucas, then at Derek, and couldn't help but shake her head.

Lucas had stayed in the private room, not even bothering to go out. Victoria felt utterly humiliated. How could she have ended up with such a spineless boyfriend?

"Thanks, everyone. Let's drink to this. From now on, we're all brothers," Derek raised his glass, changing the subject.

"Derek, you were amazing! It was so satisfying to watch," one of the guys said.

"Yeah, Derek, your moves were on fire!"

"Hey, there's someone here who doesn't seem to be one of us. When we all went downstairs, someone cowardly hid upstairs," Henry suddenly piped up, clearly referring to Lucas.

"If you're not one of us, then get out!"

The word "out" was barely out of his mouth when, with a loud bang, the door of the private room was kicked open.

"Which one of you is Derek?"

Standing outside was a short, stocky man wearing sunglasses. He had his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of menace.

His expression was cold, and it was clear he was looking for trouble.

When Lucas saw the man, he couldn't help but smirk. He sensed a faint trace of bloodlust on him. It was an aura that only clung to those who had taken multiple lives.

"Who are you?" Derek seemed taken aback by the man's imposing presence. There were a lot of people behind the door, all wearing black tank tops.

"I'm asking which one of you is Derek! Who the hell told you to talk so much?" The man was even more arrogant.

"I'm Derek. What's going on?" Despite feeling outnumbered, Derek thought this was Don Giovanni's place. Surely, no one would dare to cause trouble here.

"Come out to the lobby. Our boss wants to see you!" the short, crew - cut man ordered.

"Listen, my name's Derek!" Derek announced himself, thinking he still had some influence.

"I don't give a damn if you're Derek or some nobody. You've offended our boss. Come with us now, or none of you are leaving here on your feet today." The crew - cut man was impatient and extremely arrogant.

"Fine, I'll go." Derek walked out. He was confident in his fighting skills and thought they wouldn't dare to do anything to him.

However, none of the "brothers" he had just made followed him. They all hesitated. After all, who wanted to get involved in a dangerous situation?

Finally, after Sophia said a few words, the group reluctantly followed. Lucas glanced at Victoria but didn't try to stop her. He had no intention of going out either, choosing to stay in the private room.

He couldn't be bothered with this mess.

Derek and the others walked into the lobby. There, a middle - aged man in a traditional Chinese robe was sitting on a sofa, surrounded by nearly fifty men, all in black tank tops with the same tattoo.

It was clear that this group had significant influence.

"Hey, friend…"

"Hmph, who the hell's your friend?" The man in the robe looked at Derek with disdain.

"Sir, I'm the son of Frank Thompson. Does that ring a bell?" Henry piped up, his voice a bit shaky. His father owned a hotel and had some connections in the underworld.

"If you don't want your old man to end up in a ditch, don't mention him. Why don't you call him and see if he dares to show up?" The man in the robe sneered.

"My dad knows a lot of big shots on the street!" Henry said, trying to sound tough.

"If you're so tough, call him and see what happens."

"Is there some misunderstanding?" Derek frowned. The situation was getting out of hand, especially with the girls looking scared out of their wits.

Even the guys were starting to tremble. After all, they were just ordinary office workers. They weren't used to dealing with such dangerous situations.

"Misunderstanding? You beat up my man and tried to extort money?"

The man in the robe nodded to the crew - cut man who had fetched Derek earlier. The crew - cut man took off his jacket, revealing a black tank top, and sneered as he walked towards Derek.

"Listen, though we're outnumbered, I wouldn't recommend you try anything. I'm…" Derek was about to mention his title as a sparring champion.

But the next moment, the crew - cut man lunged forward and swung a slap at him.

The slap was fast and sharp. An ordinary person wouldn't have been able to avoid it. But Derek sneered. He wasn't an ordinary person.

As a trained fighter, he wasn't worried about a simple slap. He raised his hand to block it.

But in the next instant, there was a loud thud!

Derek was kicked back. He knew how to fight, but the other man practiced a lethal form of martial arts. Taking advantage of Derek's attempt to block the slap, the man had kicked him in the stomach.

The 6 - foot - 3 man was sent flying three or four meters and landed on the ground, unable to get up.

Derek curled up on the ground like a shrimp, clearly having underestimated his opponent.

The middle - aged man who had been beaten by Derek earlier stood up and walked over. He kicked Derek's face several times.

Blood began to pour from Derek's face, and he let out a miserable scream.

Henry and the others were horrified. Their faces turned ashen.

"Hehe, you thought you could beat up my men on my turf and get away with it? You've got some nerve."

"This is the first time I've seen someone this arrogant."

"Now, everyone here, except that guy in the private room, owes me two hundred thousand dollars. And the one on the ground owes me two million. Otherwise, none of you are leaving."

The middle - aged man in the robe pointed at Derek. His tone was serious, and it was clear he wasn't joking.

Two hundred thousand dollars?

Everyone's faces paled. They didn't even earn that much in a year.

Even if they saved every penny, it would take two or three years. After all, they were just ordinary office workers.

Where were they going to get that kind of money?

"Sir, this is Don Giovanni's place. You're…"

"You still know this is my place?"