Despite his aggressiveness, Bill didn't take him seriously. To Bill, Shane was just a mere bargaining chip that he could use to threaten Ethan.
“Wow! You're pretty arrogant now. Did you forget that you used to be just a dog of mine?“ Bill said with a smirk and stepped hard on Shane's hand.
With a stone-cold glare, Shane spat on Bill's face. Bill was famous and powerful in the world of underground businesses. Nobody dared to go against him, let alone spit on his face. Naturally, he was livid. He had no tolerance for blatant disrespect.
Angrily, he kicked Shane in retaliation. “You bastard! How dare you! Do you have a death wish? Do you want to die?!“ Bill screamed at Shane with a nasty scowl plastered on his face.
It was a good thing that Shane was pretty good at tolerating pain. Bill kicked him quite hard. If it was someone else, they probably would have been knocked down by the force of the kick. Since Shane was shackled, he could only think of childish ways to annoy Bill. His movements were limited, so spitting on Bill was the best that Shane could do under the circumstances.
“No one in our group is scared of death! If you want to kill me, then do it! I won't tell you anything!“ As they glared at each other, Shane's eyes darkened. He couldn't stand the sight of the man who had once humiliated him to the core.
Still angry at being spat on, Bill stepped on Shane's hand again. With a condescending sneer, he said, “Those are big words for a mere blacksmith. I'm not planning on killing you. I had you brought to me because I wanted to teach you a lesson. I am the one that you should be following, not Ethan!“
It was clear that Bill just wanted to win over Ethan's subordinates and make them his allies. That way, Ethan wouldn't have enough subordinates to do anything. He would be spread too thin.
“You wish! You'll never make us do anything! You don't deserve our service or our loyalty!“ one of the prisoners shouted.
However, Bill didn't pay him any attention. “Well, I certainly didn't expect all of you to be so chatty under Ethan's leadership. However, I doubt that you learned much from him. If you pledge your loyalty to me, I assure you that you will learn a lot…“
Before Bill could finish, one of the captives spat at him. As a powerful member of the underground business, he couldn't stand people spitting at him again and again. He couldn't allow them to disrespect him like that!
“Damon, teach these scoundrels a lesson! It seemed that Ethan has spoiled all of you to the point that you don't know how to respect others at all.“ Bill was seething with anger.
Damon moved quickly. It was as if he had just been eagerly waiting for Bill to give the orders. Gritting his teeth, Damon ordered a few men to help him, and together, they beat up Ethan's subordinates. They didn't stop until all of them were bleeding.
With another lit cigar in his hand, Bill casually lay down on the chair and showed Shane a contemptuous smile. “So tell me, how are you feeling right now? Would you like me to continue treating you this way? Or are you going to pledge your loyalty to me?“ Bill asked menacingly.
Instead of saying anything, Shane and the others just continued to glare at Bill.
“Oh? I guess you still want more, huh? Damon! Keep beating them. Don't stop until they give me an answer,“ Bill ordered with a serious expression. Then, he took another long drag on his cigarette.
Ethan asked Marc to call Shane several times, but nobody answered. After a few more tries, he realized that something wasn't right.
“Boss, Shane didn't show up the whole afternoon. We tried to call him several times, but he isn't answering his phone,“ Marc reported to Ethan in a worried tone.
Ethan's eyebrows furrowed as he frowned. “It looks like he couldn't wait any longer…“
“Do you mean Bill?“ Marc asked in a soft murmur. He tilted his head curiously.
Much to Marc's disappointment, Ethan remained quiet. Instead, he turned on his phone and sent a message to somebody. Afterward, Ethan turned to him and said, “Quick, get everything ready. Then, follow me. Bill has already started to take action.“
Confused, Marc asked, “Boss, what are you planning to do?“
Looking at his clueless subordinate, he smiled encouragingly and explained, “I already expected that Bill would try to steal my men and make them defect to him. So, I hired some people to work in his shops. Once he lays his hands on any of my men, then we will surprise him with an attack. Maybe he'll finally give in without a fuss.“
Marc listened intently to Ethan's explanation and stared at him in awe. He said, “Wow, boss! That's a really good plan. You're truly a smart leader. So we are going to…“
“Get the car ready first, so we can go and find Bill,“ Ethan replied sternly.
Back at the warehouse, Shane and his comrades were beaten almost to death. Their faces had turned to varying shades of blue from all the punches they took. Fortunately, they were Ethan's confidants and wouldn't give up so easily.
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