Vengeful Billionaire and His Lovers (Jerome Howard) novel Chapter 7

Henry drove away from the campus without any real direction.

It was June, blistering hot outside. But he felt frozen from the inside out, like he was trapped in ice.

All the happy memories with Luciana kept flashing through his mind. But now, they only stung, like a cruel joke.

Before he realized it, he was on Newhaven Avenue. The area was still under construction, almost deserted, and there were barely any cars around.

Suddenly, his vehicle jerked. Reflexively, Henry slammed on the brakes.

He stepped out and saw a van behind him. He'd been rear-ended.

The bumper was crushed. The troubles kept coming. He was already in a crappy mood, and now he got this little mess to deal with.

"What's your problem? Do you think you're hot stuff driving a rusty Audi? You drive so slow on a main road—can't afford gas or what? Screw you!"

The van's owner was a burly middle-aged man. He had sunglasses on and a thick gold chain around his neck, full of attitude.

He barely looked at the damage before pointing a finger at Henry. He yelled, spit flying everywhere.

"Watch your mouth," Henry said with a frown, his voice cold.

The van's owner sneered, eyeing Henry. "Alright, tell me how we settle this. I'm not greedy—10,000, and we're square."

Henry shot back, "Dream on! You hit me from behind. You're paying, not me."

"Heh, I don't care. I said you pay, so you pay. Stop whining. You're not leaving without the cash."

The van's owner was getting arrogant.

Henry scoffed in disbelief. "You rear-ended me. It's your fault. Enough talk. I'm calling the cops."

He pulled out his phone.

"You wanna die? Calling the cops, huh? Screw you!"

Before Henry could react, the van's owner shoved him, knocking his phone to the ground.

Henry's anger boiled over. He threw a punch, hitting the van's owner square in the face. The sunglasses cracked, and the man let out a grunt as he stumbled backward.

Right after, Henry grabbed the man's arm, twisted it, and slammed him face-first onto the van's hood.

But he didn't see the van door quietly open. Five men stepped out, holding iron rods.

"You bastard! If you've got guts, kill me now! Or you're a coward! You—"

Pinned down, the van's driver couldn't move. His face pressed against the hood, but he kept yapping.

Henry turned cold. He gripped tighter. A sickening pop echoed as the man's arm popped out of its socket.

The van's owner screamed, "Shit! It's broken! Come on, what are you waiting for? Get him!"

Before Henry could react, a shadow caught his eye. He instantly looked up, but it was too late.

Bang!

A rod smashed into the back of his head. Pain shot through his skull. The world spun, and everything went dark as he collapsed.

"Damn, this bastard is strong," the van's owner muttered, shaking his head as he rose, his arm hanging uselessly. He glared at Henry and delivered a hard kick.

"Enough talking. Let's finish this," one of the men said, swinging an iron rod at Henry's calf without hesitation.

Crack!

Even out cold, Henry's face twisted in pain.

...

When Henry finally woke, he was staring at a white ceiling, machines beeping around him.

He realized he was in a hospital. Instinctively, he tried to sit up.

Henry couldn't believe it, yet he had to accept the truth. His voice trembled as he asked, "Can it be fixed?"

She shook her head. "No. The doctor said the only choice is amputation. Otherwise, your legs could rot and harm your body ... "

Amputation?!

Henry's mind went blank. Luciana's words pierced him.

He turned pale, as if all strength had drained away.

I'm only 29. My life is just starting. But now I might be crippled?

He shivered. It was too cruel. He couldn't process it. His eyes went blank, full of despair, feeling like life had nothing left to offer.

Just then, Luciana abruptly stood, wiping away her tears, though her eyes remained red.

"No matter who did this, they'll pay," she said.

With that, she turned and walked out, not daring to meet his gaze again.

Henry turned to watch her go, showing a twisted, bitter smile.

Luciana, will you truly get revenge for me?

He already suspected it wasn't random.

Newhaven Avenue was a new development, surrounded by empty lots, hardly any cameras, and none where the crash happened.

Almost no people or cars were around. A random rear-end was basically impossible.

That van was waiting for him.

And he was certain those men weren't acting alone. Someone else was behind it all.