Chapter 183: If You've Got the Guts, Finish Me Off!
The auction ended at 10 pm.
Outside the exclusive Wisteria Club..
After exchanging pleasantries with Nathan and Cara, Ryder Clark bid them farewell.
Once they were gone, Dylan gave Ryder a grateful nod and said, "I owe you one for driving up the price, Mr. Clark. Thanks to you, I made a tidy profit!"
Ryder Clark chuckled. "Honestly, I just wanted to teach Mrs. Johnson a lesson. But hey, if it also lined your pockets, it's a win-win!"
"I'll remember this, Mr. Clark. I owe you dinner; you'd better show up when I invite you!"
"Absolutely!" Ryder wholeheartedly agreed.
Then, as he thought of something, he lowered his voice and asked, "Manager Dylan, can I confirm something with you, if you don’t mind?"
"Of course! Ask away, Mr. Clark!"
"I'm curious about this ebony box I won. Where did the auction house get it from?"
Dylan answered directly, "To tell you the truth, I bought that ebony box last month from an old friend I've worked with for years. He deals in antiques and is pretty well-known around the capital of Texas. I often pick up treasures from him to auction off. Honestly, I didn't think much of the box when I first got it, and I was surprised you bid on it. But if you ever change your mind, just let me know, and I'll buy it back at the original price."
Ryder waved off the offer. "Ha! I like the box; there's no way I'd return it. It's getting late, so I better head out. See you around!"
"Until next time!"
...
Ryder found his electric scooter in the parking lot, but as he was about to ride off, several figures blocked his path.
It was the Johnson clan, all four of them.
Grandpa Johnson stood in the center, his face ashen and his eyes filled with hostility as he glared at Ryder.
Ryder Clark initiated the conversation with a teasing shout. "Hey, if it isn't the one and only Mrs. Suarez from the Houston secondary elite, congrats on snagging that dreamy Platan Height villa! Color me green with envy!"
Those comments would have been better left unsaid, because the moment Ryder spoke, Grandpa Johnson's body shuddered and he burst into a tirade. "Ryder Clark! Do you even have a shred of human decency? Have you done a single thing that benefits us since you married into the Johnson family?
“We could overlook your past shenanigans, but you just made us throw away an extra $21 million tonight! How do you plan to settle this debt?"
Ryder saw that Grandpa Johnson was fuming, but his face was a mask of nonchalance as he replied, "You’re the one who wanted the villa, and you’re the one moving in. Why should I pay for anything?"
Unable to hold back, Abigail Johnson stepped forward, pointing right at Ryder’s nose. "Stop making excuses, you loser! The extra $21 million our family spent tonight is because of your little stunt, so you're going to reimburse us, period!"
Lawrence quickly chimed in, "Exactly! Pay up the $21 million!"
Ryder Clark chuckled inwardly.
He had bid on the villa to drive up the price on purpose!
His intention was clear—to get back at Grandpa Johnson!
He had been brazen enough to bid higher with two plans in mind.
The best result was that he'd trap Grandpa Johnson into overpaying. And if that didn't pan out and he ended up with the villa himself, so be it!
After all, he could afford it. If he owned two Platan Height villas, he would use one to live in and the other as storage. It didn't bother him one bit!
But them demanding compensation from him was absurd!
Thus, Ryder didn’t bother to sugarcoat his response. "Before you go accusing others of anything, why don't you take a good hard look in the mirror? Especially you. You're over seventy! Better stop doing shady stuff, you know? If you stepped in dog poop tomorrow and took a fatal tumble, you'd be on the express elevator down to hell!”
His words enraged Grandpa Johnson, who snarled back, "You little mongrel, are you cursing me? I'll beat you to a pulp!"
As he spoke, he grabbed his cane, intent on striking Ryder.
But Ryder was quicker; he snatched the cane and shoved.
Caught off guard, Grandpa Johnson fell back, landing on his rear!
“Ouch! My back!”
As he saw there on the ground, grimacing in pain, Granpa Johnson's misfortune left Matthew and the others in shock.
Abigail Johnson's eyes bulged with fury as she yelled, "You’ve got some nerve, Clark, taking a swing at your own grandma. Aren’t you afraid of getting struck by lightning?"
Ryder Clark sneered, “Don't worry. If lightning strikes, it'll hit trash with nasty intentions like you first!”
Seated on the ground, Grandpa Johnson glared at Ryder spitefully. “You little… punk! You've got guts, huh? If you’re really that tough, why don’t you ride your bike over me again and finish the job? Are you scared, you punk?”
Matthew scoffed coldly. “He’s all bark and no bite. As if he’d have the guts to actually ride over you. He wouldn’t dare, even with ten times the courage!”
But as he finished speaking...
Grandpa Johnson let out an agonizing squeal like a pig being slaughtered. “Ah! My foot!”
Matthew focused his eyes and saw that Ryder Clark's electric scooter had just rolled over Grandpa Johnson’s right instep!
The sight made Matthew and the others' skin crawl. Could Ryder Clark really be audacious enough to do it?
Grandpa Johnson was drenched in sweat and writhing in pain, and bellowed, “Ryder Clark! Are you insane? You really ran over me!”
With an innocent look, Ryder retorted, “That’s not fair! You were the one asking for it just a moment ago. I was just following orders! If you’re not up for it, I’ll stop, okay?”
As he said that, he reversed the scooter.
The front wheel rolled back over Grandpa Johnson’s right instep again.
Another scream echoed through the ait.
This time, Matthew and the others were too terrified to speak.
Because, in their eyes, Ryder Clark was a certified lunatic, the kind who was utterly reckless.
Continuing to provoke him might genuinely lead to them getting hit by his bike.
As they realized this, the trio fell into a silent consensus.
After all, they weren’t the ones suffering; it was Grandpa Johnson.
Speaking of Grandpa Johnson, he was on the verge of collapse.
Veins on his forehead bulging, he shakily pointed at Ryder and stammered, “You... you...”
But he couldn't muster a complete sentence.
Ryder's face broke into a benign smile as he said, “Calm down! Anger is bad for your health. Imagine getting so worked up that you can’t even enjoy your $46 million Platan Heights mansion. You’d never rest in peace if you died like that!”
That statement was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Grandpa Johnson's vision went dark, and his head tilted as he swooned into unconsciousness.
In a panic, Matthew and his friends scrambled to lift Grandpa Johnson into the car to rush him to the hospital.
No sooner had they left than Ryder Clark came pedalling back home on his scooter, whistling all the way.
"Another great day…" he mused contentedly.
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