Chapter 407 William and Hayden (8)
Nikolai stopped before William, flanked by two towering bodyguards, Black and White. Squinting his eyes in discontent, he slapped William's face and spat in his direction. "You dared to touch my girl? You tired of living..." he sneered menacingly.
Before Nikolai could finish his threat, William, fast as lightning, grabbed the wrist that had just slapped him and executed a swift armlock.
A howl erupted from Nikolai as he felt the hold. Reacting too late, the bodyguards swung at William, but he maintained his grip on Nikolai, grabbing his throat with his other hand and issuing a fierce kick at the bodyguards. He bellowed, "Nobody moves, or I'll snap his arm off."
With a forceful twist, Nikolai screamed in pain and yelled at the eight bodyguards, "Don't move! Stay back!"
As the one footing the bill ordered a standstill, the eight henchmen froze, eyeing William warily.
With his grip firmly on Nikolai, William said, "Liam, can't seem to hail a cab at this hour.
How about you give me a lift?" He increased the pressure on Nikolai's wrist as they moved toward a sleek black car parked nearby.
The bodyguards readied to follow, but William's sharp look halted them. He turned to Nikolai with a smirk and said, "Just a ride for one; no need for such a grand escort."
"Ah! Gentler, dammit..." Nikolai's cries grew louder as the pain surged. He was convinced his arm was about to break, shouting furiously at the bodyguards, "You useless fools, get out of here!"
Both William and Nikolai spoke in English, clear enough for the bodyguards to understand.
With Nikolai's command to disperse, the bodyguards held their positions to avoid unthinkingly rushing into a beating.
William now fully trusted that Nikolai, who dreaded both death and pain, wouldn't pose a threat. He secured a tight grip on Nikolai with all his might, forcing him into the car.
"If you dare mess with me... with me, I'll make sure the whole Bennett family goes down... down!" Egg! "Ahh!"
As Nikolai was hauled into the car, he tried to yell out, but a firm twist of his arm by William elicited another pig-like squeal from him, quieting him considerably.
In fact, earlier today, he had casually researched the Johnson family's rise to wealth.
The Johnson family was previously a non-entity in the Imperial Capital, engaged solely in smuggling and illegal trades.
It was only about ten years ago, roughly, that Sophia hooked up with Finn. After bearing him a son, with Finn's unwavering support, they reform, giving up their illicit activities and starting legitimate business operations.
In these past ten or so years, the Johnson family had grown rapidly, becoming a noteworthy force among the elite in the Imperial Capital, especially after Sophia married Finn and rightfully became Mrs. Finn.
However, the true blue blood of the Imperial Capital didn't regard the Johnson family highly. Their interest mostly revolved around the Smith family's dignity.
"Drive to the business school's female dormitory," William ordered the driver after subduing Nikolai into the car.
"Why... why are you taking me to the business school's female dorm?" Nikolai whined timidly.
William glanced at him sidelong, the corners of his thin lips coldly curling. Then he tightened his grip on Nikolai's arm and commanded, "Tell your man to drive."
"Ahh... Ahh!" In pain, Nikolai yelped sharply and hurriedly barked at the driver, "Drive... Drive, damn it, just drive!"
Spurred by Nikolai's shouts, the driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror and promptly drove off, not daring to disobey.
"Let go... let go of me now!" Nikolai demanded once they were on the move.
William looked at him with a slight smile as he loosened his hold a bit—but didn't let go completely, merely easing Nikolai's discomfort slightly.
"Liam, you're too precious to harm, and I really don't want to hurt you, but there are some things we need to clear up. It's better to understand each other than to have any misunderstandings that could spoil our rapport," William said.
"Clear up what?" Nikolai retorted, turning his head and glaring at William.
William smirked at him, his eyes brimming with heavy sarcasm. "Of course, I'm here to sort out Liam and Jocelyn's relationship. After all, Liam, I wouldn't dare go after your lady. Michael would never dream of it either."
"I reckon you don't have the balls!" With that, William eased his grip, allowing Nikolai to feel less pain and regaining his bombastic tone, "Now let go of me."
William glanced at Nikolai, who knelt before him, looking pathetic and diminutive, and raised his narrow eyebrows subtly, "See, Liam, I'm too scared to die, so unfortunately, you have to bear with me a little longer."
"You..." "Ah!"
"Liam, save your spit and energy. If I were to lose my cool and hurt you, it wouldn't be a pretty sight in front of Jocelyn."
Nikolai struggled and tried to talk back, but William cut him off again before he could finish, intensifying his grip.
Nikolai fell silent abruptly after a sharp outcry.
The place they were was close to the business school; in less than twenty minutes, the car pulled up in front of the women's dormitory building.
William initially considered asking Nikolai to call Hayden to coax him to come down from his dorm.
However, given Hayden's disdain and even hatred for Nikolai and the Johnson family, Hayden was unlikely to answer Nikolai's call or heed his request.
Just as William was pondering how to get Hayden to come down, he spotted the tall and noticeable silhouette of Hayden already in his field of vision.
William smiled as he watched Hayden, dressed casually, carrying a trash bag out of the apartment building to dispose of it. Only then did he let go of Nikolai and exit the car.
"Hayden!"
Seeing William release him and get out, Nikolai was initially tempted to tell the driver to hit the gas and run him over.
But when he heard William calling "Hayden" and then saw Hayden stepping out of the building and glancing their way, Nikolai was caught off guard, his face flushing with guilt.
Hayden followed the voice and saw both William standing by the car door and Nikolai still seated inside.
If her guess was right, these two arrived together in the same car.
‘Why on Earth would William be with Nikolai?!’
At that moment, Hayden's brows furrowed slightly.
"Ugh... Hayden." Coming to his senses, Nikolai hurriedly got out from the other side of the car, adjusting his suit while fixing his gaze on Hayden with a cheesy grin. "Hey there."
Seeing Nikolai's pig-like demeanor only made Hayden's brow furrow tighter.
Despicable!
Without a word, she walked away.
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