Chapter 51

"You loser! You think you're all that now, huh? You actually had the guts to ask your grandma for the chairman's spot? Are you nuts?" Lucy yelled at the top of her lungs.

Louis was caught off guard, instantly wide awake. He looked confused and said, "No, I was just messing around, trying to lighten the mood."

"Messing around? Do you have any idea how close you came to giving me a heart attack with that joke?" Lucy was furious, her eyes bulging. "Do you know the Brown family members are tearing into me? They're practically ready to eat me alive!"

Louis shrugged casually. "Let them rant. It doesn't change anything. Just ignore them."

"You useless idiot, you're driving me insane!" Lucy stomped her foot in frustration, her chest heaving as she panted heavily.

"Anna, come on, we're going to apologize to your grandmother. Admit your mistake, and this will all blow over!" Lucy reached out to grab Anna's arm, trying to drag her away.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?" Anna shook her head coldly, her face set in stubborn defiance.

"When I say you're wrong, you're wrong! Where do you get off talking back to me? You've changed so much I hardly recognize you!" Lucy was trembling with rage, her voice rising to a scream. She raised her hand high, ready to slap Anna hard.

Lucy was a volcano of mixed emotions, ready to erupt at any moment. She had been simmering with anger ever since Anna refused to give her a million dollars. And just now, she had been chewed out by Harper. But Louis only added fuel to the fire. She was desperate to vent her frustration.

But before her slap could land, Louis grabbed her wrist with a grip like a vice.

"Let's talk this out and not get physical." Louis frowned, his voice tinged with displeasure.

"How dare you interfere with me disciplining my daughter? Who do you think you are? Let go of me! You're hurting me, you idiot!" Lucy was still shouting, but her expression changed dramatically as pain contorted her face. She screamed in agony.

Louis's grip was so strong it felt like her wrist was about to be crushed, the bones nearly snapping.

"Louis, what are you doing? Are you crazy? Let go of Mom!" Anna was frantic, rushing forward to pry Louis's hand away.

Lucy clutched her arm, tears of pain welling up, nearly fainting from the agony.

"Mom, Dad, I really didn't do anything wrong. It's Grandma and the others who are being unreasonable! I just want to help the Brown Group and do a good job on the project, but they misappropriated the funds and blamed me for everything. Even if you want to discipline me, you should be fair about it!" Anna's voice was choked with emotion, tears brimming in her eyes.

Barclay looked at Anna's tear-streaked face, his heart aching. He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Anna, I've never thought you did anything wrong. In fact, you're very capable and hardworking. I've always been proud of you."

Louis was taken aback, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected Barclay, usually so timid and conflict-averse, to speak up and comfort Anna at this moment.

"Louis, even though you haven't shown much ability... I don't care if you're successful or not. As long as you take good care of my daughter, that's enough. As her father, I've never looked down on you." Barclay gave Louis a deep, meaningful look, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Lucy, let's go. Stop making a scene here," Barclay said, pulling Lucy's hand, ready to leave and end the confrontation.

"Where do you think you're going? You coward! Barclay, you suddenly have a lot to say now, huh? Why couldn't you speak up in front of mother? You're just as useless as this idiot! You both deserve to be trampled on forever!" Lucy shook off Barclay's hand, cursing him, spittle flying, her refined image completely gone.

Suddenly, a sharp slap echoed like a thunderclap!

"I told you to go back. Are you deaf or what?" Barclay shouted.

This sudden turn of events left Louis and Anna stunned.

Barclay, looking like a different person, had slapped Lucy hard across her still-pretty face.

Lucy was roughly shoved into the car, Barclay's actions surprisingly forceful.

"Wow. Barclay actually has some sense," Louis muttered to himself.

"Louis, do you think Grandma will let this go now that Mom and Dad have stepped in? I'm feeling uneasy," Anna said, her expression complicated.

"Don't sweat it! Let them do whatever they want." Louis grinned, like he had everything under control.

Over in Sunshine City, at the Midnight Rose Bar, Samuel was up to no good.

"Half a million bucks to make someone disappear for good." Samuel slid a bank card across the table to a burly guy who looked like trouble.

The guy, Tony Gibson, was a big shot in Sunshine City's underworld.

He'd recently been locked up for a brawl but got bailed out real quick by his "mysterious backers," showing just how deep his connections ran.

"Mr. Brown, you think half a million is enough to get me moving? Do I look like an idiot to you?" Tony flicked his cigarette ash, not even glancing at the card, his disdain clear.

"Name your price." Samuel's face darkened, his tone grim.

Tony held up a thumb, exuding confidence. "A million bucks, and that's just to start. Depending on the target, the price could go up. Not a penny less!"

Samuel's face fell. A million dollars was no small sum for him now.

Since the Brown Group's accounts were frozen, their personal accounts were also locked. The money he had now was from a secret stash in an overseas account.

"Fine, a million it is! The target is a useless son-in-law of the Brown family. He's a nobody, so that should be enough." Samuel said through gritted teeth, making a tough decision.

"A million for a nobody? Interesting." Tony sneered.

"Are you taking the job or not? Give me a straight answer!" Samuel was getting impatient.

"Alright, since this is my first job out of jail, I'll take it." Tony stubbed out his cigarette and asked, "Do you want him dead or just messed up?"

Samuel's face twisted with malice. "Killing him is too easy. I want him to suffer! Break his legs and turn him into a vegetable."

"Got it. Consider it done." Tony pocketed the card and left, his movements swift and decisive.

The next morning, Anna adjusted her mood and went to work at the hospital as usual.

Louis, following Anna's request, went out to look for a job.

But before job hunting, Louis had something more important to do.

In the early hours, Samuel had called him, asking to meet in Alley 101, sounding mysterious.

"The target is at the intersection of Alley 101. You can move in now. Give him a good beating!" Samuel stood on a high building, binoculars in hand, directing through an earpiece.

He never expected Louis to actually show up alone.

At that moment, Samuel could visualize Louis on his knees, begging like a stray dog, a smug smile creeping onto his face.

"Mess with me, will you? You'll see what happens!" he muttered.

With Samuel's command, a group of thugs emerged from the alley, menacingly approaching Louis, looking ready to tear him apart.

Tony strode confidently towards Louis.

Just as Samuel thought Tony would bash Louis into a pulp, something unexpected happened.

Tony, the burly man, suddenly knelt straight in front of Louis, dropping his weapon.

Tony's men were stunned, standing there like statues, unsure of what to do.

Samuel was even more shocked, nearly dropping his binoculars.

"What the hell is going on? Tony! Weren't you supposed to teach Louis a lesson? Why are you kneeling? What are you doing?" Samuel shouted through the earpiece, but Tony removed it and crushed it to dust.

Samuel was completely dumbfounded. What was Tony up to?

What Samuel didn't know was that Tony's heart was nearly leaping out of his chest in fear.

If Tony had known earlier that Samuel's target was Louis, he would never have agreed.

Louis was no pushover; he was Tony's nightmare!

Previously, Tony had been jailed and managed to get a cushy spot in Unity Medical Center's psych ward, but then Louis was brought in by Ben and others.

Tony had initially planned to teach Louis a lesson, but within a minute, things turned the other around. He found himself crumpled up on the ground, haunted by Louis' beating, which became an eternal nightmare for him.

Tony never expected his first job out of jail to run into Louis.

Tony's legs had already turned to jelly as he recognized Louis.

"Mr. Windsor, hello!" Tony said, his face a mask of misery.

His men were utterly flabbergasted. They had never witnessed Tony kneel before.

"What are you all standing around for? Kneel and bow!" Tony roared.

In a flurry, the thugs dropped their weapons and knelt, bowing to Louis.