Chapter 4

Just as the iron pipe was about to swing down!

"Stop!"

A sharp voice rang out, and my assistant, Sean, rushed into the alley with seven or eight heavy-duty guards.

Every single one of them was carrying crowbars and tactical batons!

"Mr. Franklin!" Sean’s eyes turned red when he saw my bloody state. He let out a roar and charged.

"You dare beat Mr. Franklin?! I'll make you pay with your lives!!"

James and his crew were startled by the sudden intrusion.

"You piece of shit, you actually called backup?"

James cursed, letting go of me and stepping up to Sean without a hint of fear. In fact, he looked excited.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!"

He grabbed Sean’s collar, spitting as he yelled,

"Do you know who owns this turf? Arthur Jones!"

"You dare to act tough here? One call from me, and you'll all be buried underground by tomorrow morning!!"

Sean and his men weren’t intimidated at all. They raised their batons, ready to swing.

Right then, a sharp car horn echoed through the alley.

The next second, a middle-aged man in a casual jacket and messy hair stepped out of a car at the entrance of the alley.

Seeing the chaotic standoff, he frowned and yelled impatiently,

"Who is causing trouble on my turf?!"

Hearing the voice, James spun around. The moment he saw the middle-aged man's face, his whole body shivered, and his cigarette dropped straight to the ground!

In an instant, his face morphed into a groveling smile, and he practically crawled over.

"Uncle Arthur! What are you doing in a dump like this?"

He bowed so low his head almost touched the ground.

"Hold on, let me guide you inside! I’ll get the cleanest VIP room ready for you!"

Arthur Jones's forehead creased with deep annoyance.

He completely ignored James. His impatient gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on my face.

The moment he saw me.

It was as if Arthur had been struck by lightning. His entire body shuddered violently.

"Mr.... Mr. Franklin?!" His lips trembled so hard he couldn't even control his limbs.

He froze on the spot for a solid three seconds before snapping out of it. He stumbled forward, rushing to my side.

"Mr. Franklin! You... how... how did you get hurt like this?!"

Then, he stood up straight, his bloodshot eyes glaring furiously at the crowd.

His gaze locked onto James, who was already frozen in shock.

The next second, Arthur roared like a wild beast,

"James! You absolute piece of trash!! What did you do to Mr. Franklin?!"

"This guy wouldn't behave, so my boys and I were just teaching him a lesson. Who knew he’d actually call backup!" James said, acting like it was no big deal.

Hearing this, Arthur’s face turned from pale to completely purple.

He delivered a brutal kick straight to James’s chest, sending him flying back and crashing heavily into the ground.

"You brainless bastard!"

Then, Arthur fell straight to his knees right in front of me, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

"Mr. Franklin, it’s my fault. I failed to educate my nephew. I am so sorry you had to go through this."

"Please rest assured... I will make sure these bastards pay dearly!"

James lay on the ground, his brain completely failing to process the situation. He yelled in frustration,

"Uncle Arthur... what are you doing? Why are you being so polite to this loser?!"

Arthur stood up, spun around, and kicked James in the ribs again.

"Open your blind eyes! Mr. Franklin is the sole heir to the Franklin Empire—the richest family in New York!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You dared to lay a hand on him?!"