From Ruin to Reign Leander's Unbreakable Will novel Chapter 703

Chapter 703 Trouble Comes Knocking, Rowan

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The wine glass slipped from the table and rolled to a stop by Leander’s feet. What little was left inside splashed out and soaked into his pant leg.

He paused mid–step, then slowly turned around. A girl shot to her feet, pointing straight at him. “What are you staring at? Yeah, I’m talking to you!”

Her name was Orlena Newton, Rachel’s childhood friend.

In my opinion, he’s just some college kid from Astria, a part–time worker at best. What gives him the right to treat Rachel like that? I can’t stand guys who have nothing going for them but still act all high and mighty like they’ve got some kind of principles.

Right then and there, she decided she was going to knock him down a peg.

Ignoring the look Rachel gave her, Orlena snapped at him, “What kind of job are you even doing? You brought this over and didn’t even check if the beer was cold?

“And you call yourself a server? Get your manager. I’d love to ask how someone with your level of service even got hired.”

Rachel tried to stand and stop her, but the well–dressed girl beside her grabbed her arm and held her back.

Leander found it faintly amusing.

This beer is definitely cold. She’s obviously just picking a fight for no reason.

Thinking back to how he had treated Rachel earlier, it clicked almost immediately. He was about to speak when his gaze flickered. He suddenly turned toward the entrance.

A middle–aged man in a long, old–style shirt stepped in. His features refined and composed as he walked into the bar.

The moment he entered, his eyes lifted and went straight to Leander.

Their gazes met for a brief second.

Leander was the first to look away, turning back as he continued to deal with Orlena’s provocation.

“Interesting kid,” the man murmured with a faint chuckle. He walked past Leander and took a seat in one of the innermost booths.

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14:45 Fri, May 15

Chapter 703 Trouble Comes Knocking, Rowan

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“Where are you looking? I’m talking to you, and you’re checking out something else? What kind of attitude is that? Don’t you know the customer is always right?” Orlena refused to let up. Seeing how calm and unbothered he was only made her more agitated.

She looked like she was ready to tear into him.

Sensing exactly what she was trying to do, Leander didn’t react much.

He pressed two fingers lightly against the beer bottle, then gave a faint, easy smile as he dipped slightly toward them. “Sorry, that’s on me. I didn’t realize you preferred it extra cold. My bad. I’ll go grab you another one right away. This round’s on me.”

I’m not planning to make a big deal out of this. Right now, I’m just a server, so I should act like one. Getting hassled by customers is basically part of the job. It happens every day. I can’t just flip the table and lose it over something like this.

Even though he apologized, she wasn’t about to drop it. She crossed her long legs, and her expression turned colder. “You’re treating us? Do we look like we need that? We came here to spend money. Do you think we care about the price of one drink? I don’t know where a nobody server like you gets the nerve to ignore my bestie.

“The fact that she was even willing to get to know you should’ve been your lucky day. And you’re still acting all full of yourself, offering to buy us drinks? Do we even know you?”

Her voice rose sharply, loud enough that people at nearby tables started turning to look.

“Go on, get your boss out here. I’d really love to see who hired a server like you. With that kind of attitude and service? You should’ve been fired a long time ago.” Orlena looked completely unbothered, like she had him cornered and wasn’t letting go.

Leander didn’t react.

He just gave a faint chuckle, shook his head, and stayed where he was, letting Orlena keep pushing.

“Okay, Orlena, what are you doing?” Rachel finally pulled free from her bestie and stepped right between them.

Her brows pulled tight as her voice dropped. “Orlena, I know you’re trying to stand up for me. I get it. But this is too much. Nothing even happened to me, so stop going at him like this. He’s my friend.”

Orlena clicked her tongue and turned her head away with a soft huff, clearly still not taking Leander seriously.

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14:45 Fri, May 15

Chapter 703 Trouble Comes Knocking, Rowan

73

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Rachel sighed and shook her head before turning back to him. “Leander, I’m really sorry. I came here to show you some support, and I didn’t expect it to turn into this. She’s one of my closest friends.

“We go way back. She just has a bit of a temper, so please don’t take it to heart. If this caused you any trouble. I could explain it to your boss.”

She looked genuinely apologetic, but Leander just waved it off, his tone easy and casual. “It’s fine. A girl sticking up for her best friend? That’s normal.”

He really didn’t care that much.

This kind of thing came with the job. He wasn’t who he used to be, not the Iron Sovereign who stood above everyone else. Right now, he was just another Astrian student, working shifts to get by.

“What’s going on here?” He was about to leave when the bar owner showed up. The noise had drawn attention, and one of the servers had already called her over.

She glanced at Leander, then at Rachel and the others. Her frown deepened. “Leander, did you mess up the service and offend our guests?”

Rachel started to speak, but Leander nodded first. “That’s on me. I didn’t think things through and ended up offending them.”

He didn’t try to argue. In this line of work, the customer always came first.

“I see. Then, you know the rules. Half your pay this month is gone. Consider it covering their drinks,” the owner said.

Rachel waved her hands, trying to step in, but Leander moved forward first, stopping her. He gave a small nod. “Got it.”

There was never really a clear right or wrong in this line of work.

When a server clashed with a customer, the blame almost always landed on the server. He did not even bother trying to defend himself.

Just as the bar owner was about to apologize to Rachel and her friends again, a deafening crash exploded from the entrance. The glass doors shattered on impact, breaking into pieces that scattered all over the floor.

A few of the servers shrieked and scrambled out of the way.

The rest of the customers turned toward the door.

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14:45 Fri, May 15

Chapter 703 Trouble Comes Knocking, Rowan

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A thick–built, rough–looking middle–aged man stormed in, his presence aggressive and imposing. Dozens of men in black followed right behind him, forty or fifty at least, filing into the bar one after another.

Most of the people inside had no idea what was going on. Some, however, recognized the man immediately. Fear flashed across their expressions, and they pushed to their feet, ready to leave.

Right then, the man at the front barked, “Everybody stay seated. Do not move. I am looking for someone. If anyone so much as twitches, I will make sure they leave here missing a piece.”

The moment he finished speaking, those who had tried to stand slowly sat back down, not daring to move again.

He dropped heavily onto a couch, leaning back like he owned the place. His legs were propped up on the table. The men in black lined up on both sides of him, gripping knives and clubs, making it clear who was in charge.

He lit a cigarette and spoke in a low, threatening voice. “I know some of you are scared. That is fine. Just do not scream, and do not call the cops. Otherwise, I cannot promise this blade will know who to spare.”

Seeing the scene unfold, the bar owner forced herself to step forward. “Sir, I do not know how Ironwood Bar has offended you, but was it really necessary to smash our front door? Do you even realize this place is under Mr. Ware’s protection?”

With that one line, she had played her strongest card.

Harden from Downtown had been the one calling the shots in that area. He was the kind of guy straight out of those triad dramas, the one playing the gang boss. Even the local police had given him some leeway, and almost no one had dared to cross him.

“Mr. Ware? You mean Harden Ware?” The man let out a short, mocking laugh. “Then, go ask him if he has the nerve to stick his nose into my business. Rowan Zachman.”

The moment the name “Rowan Zachman” was spoken, the entire room went pale.

The bar owner froze where she stood, completely speechless, fear filling her eyes.

Rachel and her friends were no different. Their expressions shifted instantly, and they fell silent, not daring to say a word.