Chapter 174 Slapping Xavier
Jessica looked up quickly when she heard the voice.
When Jessica saw James step in to block Xavier, her mouth fell open in shock. Her expression was a mix of disbelief and astonishment.
She never expected that James would be the one to come to her rescue at this moment.
"James, are you nuts?" Zoe rushed over, trying to pull James back.
But James stood firm, not budging an inch.
Xavier, reeking of booze, yelled at James, "I'm in a good mood, so I'll let this slide. Get lost now, and I'll forget you said that..."
"Let Jessica go!" James repeated.
"What did you say?" Xavier's face twisted in anger.
"James, I'm fine. Just go and stop getting involved!" Jessica said, worried. She knew Xavier was bad news and didn't want James to get hurt.
"James, come on! You can't mess with Xavier!" Zoe shouted, still pulling at him.
"Zoe, let go!" James snapped.
Startled, Zoe let go.
James stepped forward, pointed at Xavier, and said, "Last chance, let Jessica go!"
"Oh, you're quite arrogant, aren't you? Who do you think you are? Do you even know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that?"
Jessica, seeing Xavier's anger, yelled, "James, just leave me and go!"
But James ignored her, still staring down at Xavier. "I don't care who you are. Let Jessica go and get out."
Xavier sneered, "Your name's James, right? Kneel and kowtow, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, you'll leave on a stretcher."
His shout echoed through the bar, instantly plunging the place into a heavy silence. The music cut off abruptly, and every head turned to watch the confrontation between James and Xavier.
As they observed the clash, the patrons exchanged looks of sympathy with James. It was common knowledge that crossing Xavier at the Stellar Lounge often led to disastrous consequences.
Jennifer, Michael, Ashley, Timothy, and others rushed out from their private room, hearing the noise.
Seeing James facing off with Xavier, they froze, shocked.
"Is James nuts? How dare he mess with Mr. Murphy," Timothy said, horrified.
"Yeah, he's got some nerve. Doesn't he know Mr. Murphy is Yancy's brother? He's asking for trouble," Sandra added.
Jennifer and Michael exchanged pleased looks.
"I was going to get Mr. Reed to teach James a lesson, but now there's no need. James picked a fight with Mr. Murphy himself. He won't leave here in one piece," Michael said, laughing coldly.
"Exactly. Acting like a big shot at school is one thing, but now he's messing with Xavier? He's got a death wish!" Jennifer chimed in.
To them, James was just a poor delivery guy. Messing with Xavier meant he'd get beaten up for sure.
Seeing things escalate, Jessica shouted at Xavier, "This has nothing to do with James. He's new and doesn't know the rules. Let him go, and I'll go with you."
Xavier looked at Jessica and said, "Since you asked, I'll let him off. But he has to apologize."
When Jennifer, Michael, and the others heard Xavier's words, their faces fell in disappointment.
If James really did apologize to Xavier, they would miss the spectacle of James begging on his knees.
Jessica, hearing Xavier, shouted at James, "James, what are you waiting for? Apologize to Mr. Murphy!"
"Apologize?" James laughed coldly. "I own trillions. I'm not getting bullied by a thug."
"What did you say?" Xavier didn't catch it and was about to respond.
But James didn't wait. He stepped forward and slapped Xavier hard.
The slap echoed, and Xavier, already tipsy, fell to the ground.
Everyone was stunned. No one expected James to hit Xavier.
Jessica, standing beside James, looked desperate. She thought if she went with Xavier and James apologized, it would be over. But now James had hit him!
"James, are you crazy? Do you even know who he is?" Jessica shouted in despair.
"I don't need to know who he is. Soon, you'll all know who I am," James replied coolly.
