Chapter 45 A Night of Revelry
"Handle something? But I'm talking to you right now, can't you just—" Jenny's words were cut short when she saw several men in black jackets appearing along the riverbank.
The men were escorting someone with a hood over their head.
One of them approached Wentworth. "Boss, this guy was trying to muscle in on our territory."
Wentworth's entire demeanor shifted instantly, his aura turning ice-cold, his voice carrying a chilling edge.
"Anyone who tries to take what's mine pays a steep price. Throw him in the river. Let the fish deal with him."
"Understood, Boss!"
The hooded man began desperately begging for mercy. "Wentworth, please spare me! I'll never touch your business again, I won't go near your territory!"
Wentworth remained expressionless. "Too late."
The men in black carried the man to the river's edge and hurled him in with a splash. He thrashed around for a few moments before disappearing beneath the surface.
Jenny collapsed to the ground in terror, her legs giving out as warm liquid trickled down her pants leg. She couldn't utter a single word.
Dear God, Matilda's boyfriend was a cold-blooded gang leader!
Only then did Wentworth seem to remember her, walking over. "Mrs. Morris, what were you saying just now?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. I didn't say anything."
"Weren't you just telling me to leave Matty so she could be with your son?"
"No! My son isn't good enough for Matty. Our family... we don't want her anymore, we can't afford her!"
"Shall I drive you back then?"
"No need, I'll get back myself."
"Alright then. Take care."
After saying this, Wentworth turned and left with the other men.
Jenny glanced at the churning river water. Once Wentworth was gone, she practically crawled to the main road, flagged down a pickup truck, and headed straight for the hospital.
...
Jenny immediately rushed to find Reuben.
"Ben, it was terrifying! Matty's boyfriend is a murderer—he just killed someone!"
Reuben frowned. Though he wasn't close to Wentworth, he absolutely didn't believe Wentworth was a killer.
"Mom, what are you talking about?"
"Should we call the police? I saw him throw someone into the river with my own eyes!"
"When did you see this?"
"Half an hour ago!"
"What exactly happened?" Reuben asked.
Jenny recounted every detail.
Smelling the sharp odor of urine on his mother, Reuben was furious. "Mom, you got played. That was all an act for your benefit."
"But I saw that person sink with my own eyes!"
"Mom, dead bodies float—that's basic knowledge."
"Plenty don't float up though. Otherwise why can't they find so many drowning victims?"
"Mom, I'm not discussing this anymore. I'm at work."
Reuben was thoroughly disgusted with her.
"So we don't need to call the police?"
"No!"
"What about Matty..."
Reuben decided to scare her instead. "He already gave you a warning. If you don't wise up, next time it might be for real."
Jenny's face went pale with fear.
Between having a "daughter-in-law" and staying alive, she decisively chose the latter.
That same day, she packed her things and headed straight back to her hometown.
...
Wentworth was currently sitting in Charles's office.
Charles had Kai bring in black coffee, and the two men chatted while drinking.
Charles laughed. "You haven't put on that performance in a while, have you? You usually seem so quiet, but when you really act, you've got the right vibe."
Wentworth stirred his coffee. "I did plenty of acting during military missions. After enough time, the skills naturally develop. If I went to Hollywood, winning an award wouldn't be impossible."
"I heard the old lady already went back to her small town. Looks like she won't be bothering Matty anymore."
"Good." Wentworth took a sip of his coffee.
"Grandpa said you two are getting along well when I called yesterday. But you need to have a proper talk with Mom."
"I still haven't figured out what to say. Mainly because I can't read Matty's thoughts."
"She's still hot and cold with you?"
Wentworth nodded.
Charles sighed. "Girls like Matty who had unhappy childhoods tend to lack security and become suspicious as adults. The moment something seems off, she'll shut herself away. You have to take it slow to reach her heart."
...
That evening, Wentworth picked Matilda up from work.
As soon as she got in the car, she asked curiously, "Wentworth, what did you talk about with Mrs. Morris today? I heard when she came back, her pants reeked of urine. Did you scare her?"
During lunch at the hospital cafeteria, someone had gossiped about Jenny returning with urine all over herself. Everyone speculated that Wentworth had intimidated her.
Matilda didn't believe Wentworth was that type of person. She emphasized, "My boyfriend is very gentle and polite to elderly people and children. Maybe something happened to her on the way back?"
Wentworth smiled. "I just demonstrated some military combat moves for her, and she got scared off."
"Really?" Matilda was skeptical.
"Mrs. Morris hasn't seen much of the world. She probably thought I was some kind of martial arts master," Wentworth added.
Matilda remained doubtful while finding Wentworth somewhat amusing.
...
Adalyn had also heard about the incident. The details were unclear, but knowing that Jenny had been scared back to her small town, she couldn't help but sneer—how pathetic.
After work, feeling bored, she headed straight to a bar in the city center.
The bar wasn't crowded at this hour. She ordered a margarita and sipped it slowly.
As night fell, more people arrived, the DJ started working, and the music gradually became more intense.
Two men in their thirties approached her. "Hey beautiful, here alone? Where's your boyfriend?"
Adalyn glanced at them. "We broke up."
"Hey, he's just one guy—don't give up the whole forest for one tree. We can keep you company."
Adalyn looked them up and down. "You guys aren't male escorts, are you?"
These kinds of "professional players" were common in bars.
One of them laughed. "Of course not. I work in finance, my friend's in trading. We're both legitimate. Beautiful, want to play a game?"
Adalyn smiled. "Game on. Who's afraid?"
"Just you by yourself?"
"What? Am I not enough for you two?"
"We're both really good at having fun. It would be even better if you could find another girl."
Adalyn snorted and pulled out her phone to call Irene.
When Irene heard it was about a nightclub, she immediately refused. Adalyn shrugged. "Can't find anyone. No luck."
The two men went to hit on another girl dressed provocatively. Probably because they were wearing Rolexes, she quickly agreed to join them.
They left the bar for a nearby motor inn to play dice—whoever lost had to drink and strip.
Adalyn was good at dice, but after a while, all four of them were down to very little clothing.
What happened next occurred naturally.
A wild night!