Chapter 48 The Urge To Kneel!
Ryder's words made Joseph, who was sitting on the ground, tremble.
He lifted his head and looked at Ryder with a complex gaze.
"Just ten minutes ago, I walked in with great spirits, and now I find myself in this situation. Why did this happen? Why should it be this way?" Joseph kept pondering.
At this moment, Sam, who was stuck to the wall, shouted fiercely, "Dad! Don't be fooled by him. This must be a coincidence! Ryder is just the son-in-law of the Johnson family. How could he have such great influence?!"
Humans all have a common flaw. Once they form a fixed impression of someone, it's hard to change it. And this flaw is more pronounced in those who hate themselves!
Sam's words made Joseph realize something. He clenched his teeth, stood up, and glared angrily at Ryder. "Damn it! Don't you know I'm in a bad mood right now? How dare you pretend and deceive me!"
Ryder looked serious and said, "I'm sorry, but I have no interest in deceiving someone like you!"
Joseph became so angry that he wanted to tear Ryder apart.
He said solemnly, "You bastard! The Smith family did indeed lose an important partner and backing, but no matter how much you scheme, we still have enough power to make you pay the price!"
"I don't care how you got this information beforehand or why you intentionally came to me and played games, but just remember, your actions have crossed our bottom line as the Smith family!"
"So what?" Ryder shrugged, displaying an attitude of letting Joseph continue to insist.
Joseph turned to Tony and said, "Tony, help me kill this bastard!"
Tony hesitated. While he couldn't be sure that Ryder was an untouchable existence, years of cautiousness made him reluctant to act rashly.
Moreover, the reason he actively helped Joseph was because he knew the Smith family's influence in Houston. Seizing this opportunity to seek cooperation with the Smith family would have brought great benefits.
But just now, the Smith family suffered a heavy blow in the business world. It wasn't just a matter of self-preservation. It also greatly damaged its vitality.
Joseph noticed Tony's hesitation and understood what he was thinking.
After silently cursing Tony for being indecisive, Joseph slightly lowered his posture and said, "Tony! I won't let you do this for nothing. If you help me this time, I'll give you half of the wealth accumulated by the Smith family over the years. How about that?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was astonished. Especially Tony, his heart couldn't help but race!
Though it's true that the Smith family just stumbled, Joseph was right in saying that even after losing these heavyweight partners and backing, the Smith family's wealth resources could still amount to six billion!
Getting half of that would be three billion!
Three billion, in a city like Houston, a third-tier city...
Not a small sum indeed.
Tony was a prominent figure in Houston and had a certain level of prestige. But for him, besides engaging in illegal activities, there weren't any particularly good sources of income.
After struggling for so many years, he had accumulated a fortune of only two or three billion!
At this moment, helping Joseph's meant doubling Tony's wealth.
The temptation was too strong!
However, when he caught a glimpse of Ryder, who was calm and composed across from him, a sense of unease surfaced once again.
"What if this Ryder is truly formidable..."
But just as this thought arose, Joseph dropped another bombshell.
"Tony, you may not know this, but the Smith family bought a piece of land in the South district earlier this year for a billion! How about I also give you that piece of land?"
A billion-dollar piece of land!
If invested wisely, the subsequent returns would be immeasurable!
Now Tony had no reason left to refuse.
Smirking, he revealed his yellowed teeth and said with a laugh, "Haha! Joseph, you're so generous. We've been good friends for many years. Since we've come this far tonight, if I don't help out, what kind of reputation would I have? Ryder is nothing more than a burden of the Johnson family!"
Upon hearing this, Joseph patted Tony's shoulder and said with a smile, "Thank you, Tony!"
He thanked him, but in his heart, Joseph had cursed Tony countless times!
But for him at this moment, as long as Ryder could be dealt with, he would say anything. This was his and the Smith family’s last bit of stubbornness!
Tony took a step forward and pulled two walnuts out of his pocket, holding them in his palm.
The surface of the two walnuts was shiny and beautifully patterned, obvious signs of their high value.
As soon as George saw Tony take out the walnuts, his brows furrowed, and he cautiously moved a step closer to Ryder.
After mingling in Houston for so many years, he knew Tony's habits very well.
Tony had a special fondness for these walnuts and reportedly purchased them at a high price, treating them like his most precious possessions.
But all these years, he only took out the walnuts when expressing his intention to kill.
Now, Tony taking out the walnuts indicated that he wanted to make a move.
The target was obvious!
With his face full of meat and a bloodthirsty glint in his small eyes, Tony said to George, "You’ve seen the situation. No matter what, tonight I’m going to take down that bastard Ryder! If you insist on helping, even if we both suffer heavy losses, I can bear that cost!"
"Let me remind you, tonight I've brought all my men here, and you guys have only brought a little over half. So, you're bound to lose!"
This threat even made George, who had weathered countless storms, feel immense pressure.
Having mixed in Houston for so many years, he had never encountered such a scale.
Conflict? It was the first time he had ever faced one!
Nevertheless, George scratched his bald head and smiled, revealing a set of white teeth as he said, "You only know victory or defeat after going through it!"
Tony spat on the ground and then stopped wasting words, waving his hand to signal his subordinates to start the battle.
As the large-scale conflict was about to erupt, a deep voice sounded from the crowd outside the private room, saying, "It's late at night, yet no one is sleeping at home. You all came here to join in the fun!"
With the voice, the crowd that had blocked the corridor outside the private room voluntarily made way.
Joseph and Tony immediately turned their heads towards the direction where the voice came from.
A middle-aged man in his forties walked in. He was of average height and appearance, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, giving off a friendly vibe.
But upon seeing him, Joseph and Tony couldn't help but tremble, feeling an uncontrollable urge to kneel down!
"Mr. Brown, why are you here?"
The visitor was none other than Arthur Brown, the current CEO of Maple Group and the son of Houston's wealthiest man, Scott!
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