Chapter 445 Turning the Tables
Thelonious's tone had turned icy. William had humiliated him over and over. A man could be killed, but not humiliated!
Mary sat down quietly, not planning to step in. She seemed to get what William was up to.
When she and William walked in earlier, Thelonious had been running the show. But now, the tables had turned, and William was calling the shots.
"Hey, don't get mad, Mr. Gonzales. I'm a straight shooter and sometimes I speak without thinking," William said with a laugh.
He added, "No need for any pretense with me. If you've got something to say, just say it."
He glanced at the brooding Thelonious and continued, "Mr. Gonzales, you invited us here today. We all know why. So, why are we beating around the bush? Let's cut to the chase."
Thelonious looked at William and suddenly felt a chill.
As a big shot in the business world, he was always the one in control during negotiations. But today, things were flipped. Since they walked in, William had been leading the dance.
So, William couldn't be just any guy; even heirs of some big families couldn't match him. Maybe he had underestimated William from the get-go.
Knowing the situation wasn't in his favor, Thelonious forced a smile and kept his cool, saying, "Alright, since you put it that way, I'll be straight. Looks like I underestimated you."
William leaned back casually and said, "Go on."
Thelonious sneered and said, "Fine. I invited you here today for two reasons. First, I want an explanation for my nephew!"
"What kind of explanation?" William shot back.
He straightened up, his eyes cold as he looked at Thelonious, and then slowly said, "I'm sorry. There's only one explanation: he had it coming."
"Lazlo is my nephew. Even if he messed up, I'll take responsibility, and the Gonzales family will handle it," Thelonious said, feeling like he was about to explode. Just thinking about Lazlo's recent antics made him furious. How could such a cheerful kid end up like this?
"I was just defending myself." William leaned in slightly, his gaze icy as he stared at Thelonious.
"Self-defense? How dare you say that? If it was just self-defense, why did you beat him so badly? He broke several ribs. Is that still self-defense? If he hadn't gone to the hospital in time, he would've died!" Thelonious snapped, shaking all over, unable to believe how casually William was talking.
The Gonzales family's reputation was in shambles!
If it weren't for the underground business meeting, Thelonious wouldn't be here talking to William; instead of, they would've crushed William directly!
But BK Pharmaceuticals was a big local company, and taking it down wasn't easy; it was a big deal.
So, Thelonious was feeling things out right now.
"If I hadn't beaten Lazlo, he might've already hurt my wife," William said, his eyes cold and indifferent. "I did it to protect my wife; sparing his life was an act of mercy."
Thelonious's face turned beet red, and he stood up angrily, ready to say something. But when he saw William's icy stare, he swallowed his words. William had broken several of Lazlo's ribs and messed up his internal organs. If Lazlo hadn't been lucky, he would've died.
And now William was claiming he had been merciful. Lazlo was a living person, a member of the Gonzales family.
Thelonious couldn't stand anyone bullying the Gonzales family, especially not this blatant humiliation.
The Gonzales family was a big deal in Imperial City. They couldn't be pushed around by outsiders!
"You haven't felt Lazlo's pain. He's now wrapped in bandages, and his life is ruined. All of this is your doing! You destroyed his life, his future!" Thelonious shouted at William.
"Oh, I ruined his life?" William said sarcastically. "If he hadn't learned his lesson, who knows how many lives he would ruin. Given his past actions, it wouldn't be too much if I had killed him!"
William sneered, his smile mocking. "Your two nephews, Lazlo and Dashiell, both deserve to die!"
In William's eyes, breaking a few of Lazlo's ribs was already the lightest punishment.
"I don't care what you're saying, but you're committing a crime and must be punished!" Thelonious said firmly.
William looked at Thelonious, his cold gaze softening a bit, and said, "You’re a good uncle, but you spoiled your nephew. He got what he deserved."
Thelonious was taken aback, unsure why William was saying this.
"Mr. Gonzales, don't ruin yourself because of your nephew. If you truly care about them, you should look for the problem within yourself. This is an issue with the Gonzales family's upbringing, not mine!" William declared.
After finishing, William glanced at the untouched food on the table and shrugged. "Honey, looks like we won't be enjoying this meal today. Let's go out to eat."
"Okay."
Mary nodded, stood up, and gathered her things.
Today's meeting was entirely dominated by William; she didn't need to say much, or it would disrupt his flow.
But just as William and Mary were about to walk out of the private room side by side, Thelonious sat down sullenly, filled a glass with red wine, and said, "Did I say you could leave?"
"Do we need to ask for your permission?" William asked, looking coldly at Thelonious.
He had already given Thelonious a chance. If he didn't take it, he should be ready for the consequences!
"I didn't say you could leave; you can't leave!" Thelonious declared.
He finally dropped his act, looking grim, and said, "Today, I just want to have a talk with you. Our family has never been humiliated like this before!"
Hearing this, William sat back down and said, "So what do you want to do?"
Thelonious said in a deep voice, "It's simple. You must accept punishment."
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