An Understated Dominance - Chapter 404

“Something happened? What happened?” Edmund asked, shocked and unable to move. “My daughter just called and said Abigail got into a fight at the karaoke bar! You need to hurry and check on her!” his neighbor urged.

“What? A fight?!” Edmund exclaimed, startled. He quickly dropped his fork and ran to the door, then turned back and said, “Mr. Rhys, I’m really sorry, but I need to go help my daughter.”

“I’ll come with you,” Dustin said, standing up. He didn’t want to just sit around while Edmund rushed off. If he could help, he would.

“Um…” Edmund hesitated.

“Don’t worry. I won’t make things worse,” Dustin smiled reassuringly.

“Edmund, don’t waste any more time. More people means more help. Go!” the neighbor insisted again.

“Okay,” Edmund nodded. Without saying anything else, he jumped into his Mazda and drove off. All he could think about was his daughter’s safety.

Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the karaoke bar.

Dustin followed Edmund inside. They spotted a group of tough-looking men standing outside one of the rooms. The leader, a young man in a flashy Versace suit, was yelling and kicking the door. Inside, Abigail and some other girls were huddled together, scared to come out.

“Damn it! You should be grateful I even touched you! How dare you hit me? I’ll teach you a lesson today!” he shouted.

With a loud crash, the door finally gave way and fell open.

The girls inside screamed in fear, but Abigail stood her ground. With determination in her eyes, she warned, “Stop right there! I’m telling you not to do anything stupid. I’ve already called for help!”

“Backup? Once my friends arrive, it’s going to be a great show!”

The man in the suit laughed coldly. “This is my territory. It doesn’t matter who you call; I’m going to take what I want tonight!”

He reached out to grab her.

“Stop!” Edmund rushed in front of his daughter, standing protectively. “Young man, let’s talk this out instead of fighting.”

“What are you doing here?” Abigail frowned, clearly annoyed.

“Who are you, old man?” The man in the suit looked Edmund up and down with a sneer.

“Listen, this is my daughter. She’s young and may not understand everything. If she upset you, I’m sorry on her behalf,” Edmund said, forcing a smile and bowing slightly.

“That girl slapped me and broke my watch! Do you think an apology will fix that?” The man scoffed.

Just then, a girl with short hair next to Abigail spoke up. “You were the one acting inappropriately! If you hadn’t groped her, she wouldn’t have slapped you!”

“She should be grateful I even touched her. Don’t act so shameless!” the man shot back.

Edmund’s expression faltered, but he tried to stay calm. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Let’s all take a step back from this situation, okay?”

“Don’t think it’s over just because you say so!” The man slapped Edmund hard, shouting, “Who do you think you are? You’re not worth negotiating with!”

Edmund staggered back from the blow, nearly losing his balance.