Chapter 7: How Do You Want to Die

Theo's words caught Nathaniel off guard, leaving him momentarily confused.

"The Lowe family?"

If Nathaniel remembered correctly, the so-called Lowe family was nothing more than a second-rate family.

But looking at Theo's attitude, it was as if the Lowe family were some untouchable top-tier dynasty.

Trying to scare him with a second-rate family?

Was Theo out of his mind?

Nathaniel's brief pause didn't escape Theo's sharp eyes.

His confidence surged instantly.

So the guy was scared after all!

He'd been rattled by the Lowe family!

Theo let out a cold laugh.

"What's wrong, scared? That's right — standing behind our Calvino family is none other than the Lowe family! You should know what the Lowe family means in this country!"

At those words, Leah, Cameron, and the others all went pale with fear.

Cameron muttered under his breath, "What? The Calvino family has the Lowe family behind them? No wonder. No wonder."

Leah clenched her fist against her chest, her heart pounding with anxiety. "How can this be?" she whispered. "The Calvino family actually has ties to the Lowe family? This is bad. This is really bad."

Theo glanced around at everyone, deeply satisfied by their reactions.

The Lowe family name never failed to do the trick.

The tables had turned. Now it was time to make this guy pay.

He clutched his broken hand and pushed himself off the ground, his face twisted with venom.

"I'm going to—"

Before he could finish, Nathaniel slapped him clean across the face and sent him crashing back to the floor.

"Who told you to get up?" Nathaniel said coldly.

"You—!" Theo stared in disbelief, his voice rising. "Did I or did I not just tell you that the Lowe family is backing the Calvino family? Are you looking to die?"

Smack!

Nathaniel cracked him across the face again.

"So what about the Lowe family?"

"They'll have you killed!"

Smack!

A third slap.

"So what about the Lowe family?"

"The Lowe family will end you!"

Smack!

A fourth.

"So what about the Lowe family?"

"What is wrong with you?!"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Nathaniel went at him relentlessly, leaving Theo's face so swollen it looked ready to burst.

"I'll ask you again — so what about the Lowe family?"

"The Lowe family... they're... nothing."

Theo finally got it. This guy didn't care about the Lowe family at all.

"Why'd you stop throwing their name around?"

"I was wrong! Please, stop hitting me!"

Theo threw both hands up to shield his puffy, throbbing cheeks, his face full of panic.

Nathaniel stood over him like a giant, his gaze cold and contemptuous, looking down at him from above.

"A second-rate family, and you actually had the nerve to use them as your trump card? Is that really the best the Calvino family can do?"

Theo was completely broken. His face looked worse than if he'd just lost his father. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was wrong."

Nathaniel's dominance left Cameron, Leah, and the others completely stunned.

That was the Lowe family he was talking about!

Sure, they were second-rate — but still!

Where did Nathaniel get the nerve to keep slapping the guy around, knowing full well the Lowe family had his back?

Did Nathaniel have someone even more powerful behind him?

No one could figure it out — including Theo.

Then Nathaniel spoke, his tone leaving no room for argument. "All debts between the Calvino family and the Adams family are wiped clean. On top of that, you'll pay Leah ten million dollars in compensation. Any problem with that?"

"Ten million dollars?"

Theo's jaw dropped. "You're joking, right?"

"What did you just say?" Nathaniel's eyes went cold.

Theo immediately swallowed the rest of his words and forced a nervous smile. "No problem. No problem at all."

"Good. Then pay up."

"I — I don't have that kind of money on me. And besides..." Theo looked at Nathaniel, gritted his teeth, and worked up the nerve to say it. "This is extortion."

"Extortion?" Nathaniel kicked him to the ground and planted his foot on Theo's chest. "That's rich. You want to talk about the law now? Earlier, when I tried to be reasonable, you blew me off and said we'd settle it with fists. Now that I'm doing exactly that, you want to hide behind the law? You can't have it both ways. You're paying that money whether you like it or not. Otherwise—"

Nathaniel raised his foot as if he was about to bring it down hard.

Theo flinched and threw his hands up in a panic. "I'll pay! I'll pay! I'll pay right now!"

Only then did Nathaniel step back.

"Then pay."

"Yes, yes, of course."

Theo nodded frantically and reached into his jacket for a pen and a blank check.

But just then, everything changed.

The doors burst open and a large group of armed bodyguards flooded in.

They moved with military precision, fanning out the moment they entered and surrounding everyone in the room.

Then a man in an expensive tailored suit walked in at a leisurely pace.

A faint smirk played on his lips. His eyes swept lazily across the room before settling on Nathaniel.

The moment Cameron, Leah, and the others saw him, their faces went white.

But Theo lit up like he'd just seen God himself, and screamed across the room, "Mr. Lowe! Perfect timing! Save me, please, save me!"

The man was Efrain Lowe — heir to the Lowe family.

As it turned out, Theo had managed to slip out a distress signal to the Lowe family while Nathaniel wasn't watching.

That was why Efrain had shown up so quickly.

Efrain's gaze shifted from Nathaniel to Theo — battered, disheveled, his cheeks puffed up like balloons. A flash of contemptuous amusement crossed his eyes. He let out a scornful snort. "Theo, you're an embarrassment."

Theo hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lowe."

Efrain turned his attention back to Nathaniel, his voice dripping with disdain. "Who are you?"

Before Nathaniel could answer, Theo jumped in eagerly. "His name's Nathaniel. Just some ordinary guy, but he hits like a freight train. Mr. Lowe, look what he did to my face — he did all of this!"

Since Theo had already answered for him, Nathaniel just smiled and shrugged. "He covered it pretty well. That about sums it up."

Efrain's face stayed cold. "Then how would you like to die?"

Nathaniel shot back with a grin, "Is 'not dying' an option?"

"No." Efrain's expression didn't change. He spoke with the flat certainty of a judge reading a verdict. "You put your hands on one of my people. That means you die. But I'll give you a choice. Do you want to be shot full of holes, stabbed until your organs give out, or thrown off the roof?"

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