Chapter 14
The strike was ruthless, shaking countless onlookers to their core.
James was well aware that without Olivia's support and his abilities, Jonathan would have likely trampled him like a dog today.
And it was quite possible that even Mary would have been forcefully taken by Jonathan.
Therefore, he showed no mercy in crippling Jonathan's left hand.
Only by doing so would Jonathan and his ilk hold fear and respect, daring not to target him and Mary again.
Indeed, the remnants of defiance in Jonathan dissipated with James' blade.
As James left with Mary, Jonathan's eyes were filled with fear and a sense of relief from narrowly escaping disaster.
From that day forth, James was his nightmare.
Upon leaving the restaurant, Mary had intended to press James for answers, but an urgent call came through, and she had to return to the company for a meeting immediately.
She could only leave James at the bus station.
As she departed, she warned James, "You're not allowed to collect debts!"
After sending Mary off, James left the bus station and hailed a taxi to SH Corporation.
Whether he divorced in the future or not, he intended to repay the favor Addison had asked of him.
In the taxi, James took the time to review the boxing techniques he had practiced that morning.
At 3:30 p.m., the car arrived at the end of CL Street.
There stood a seven-story building, somewhat aged but sturdy in appearance. At the entrance, a spacious area was flanked by small shops.
At the entrance of the building hung the sign 'SH Corporation,' its characters bold and imposing.
On the way there, James learned that the SH Corporation was an organization under the SH Group and one of Aaron Collins' dark forces, led by Aaron's trusted aide, Jacob Davis.
Under the guise of a business association, it engaged in various shady activities and had blood on its hands.
Because injuries were common, the SH Corporation consistently sought treatment at CF Clinic, purchasing large quantities of anti-inflammatory drugs every month.
Although Addison was reluctant to associate with these people, the clinic could not refuse patients and feared retaliation from the SH Corporation.
Thus, they had cooperated politely over the years.
The SH Corporation, out of respect for CF Clinic, settled accounts every sixty days, with the debt always hovering around $140,000.
There was not too much to owe, but it never settled in full, forcing CF Clinic to maintain the partnership.
However, for some unknown reason, they had not settled the accounts after sixty days and had recently taken away over 70,000 dollars worth of drugs on credit.
The CF Clinic's stock of anti-inflammatory and hemostatic drugs was completely depleted.
The debt soared to 200,000 dollars instantly.
This put immense pressure on Addison and made her feel uneasy, prompting several reminders to Jacob, who kept saying they would discuss it later.
It was clear to anyone that Jacob was defaulting.
Two hundred thousand dollars was not a small sum for Addison; it was roughly equal to a year's profits. The outstanding debt of 200,000 dollars kept her up at night.
Yet, she could not afford to sever ties with Jacob, especially with Aaron behind him.
So when James mentioned divorcing Mary, Addison saw an opportunity to pass the problem on to him.
She wanted to see James make a fool of himself.
As James stepped out of the taxi, several thugs chatting at the entrance approached him.
Seeing this, the driver sped off.
James calmly approached the thugs.
A young man shouted, "Who are you? What do you want?"
James replied politely, "Hello, I'm from CF Clinic. My name is James Williams. I'm here to settle the final payment with Mr. Davis."
"James Williams? FromCFClinic? The son-in-law of the Smith family, James?" Hearing that the one asking for the final payment was James, the young man's eyes lit up. "Are you that loser?"
The next second, he blew a whistle.
Suddenly, more than a dozen thugs poured out of SH Corporation, armed with baseball bats and steel pipes.
Soon after, a bald man with prayer beads appeared.
Rugged in appearance, with malice flowing through his veins, it was none other than the head of SH Corporation, Jacob.
He stared at James with a sneer and asked, "Are you James?"
James sensed something amiss, saying, "Yes, I'm James from CF Clinic."
"Jennifer is truly a marvel." Jacob laughed proudly. "She said as long as we hold onto the final payment from CF Clinic, the Smith family would send you, the loser, right to our doorstep."
James narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You're in for bad luck." Jacob grinned wickedly. "Brian is my nephew, and you hurt him. I'm going to avenge him."
"Originally, I wanted to send someone after you, but Jennifer said you had some skills, and it would be easy for you to escape if we just ambushed you."
"Better to withhold Addison's final payment."
"She figured you'd likely be sent to deal with this thorny issue, and I could just wait for you to fall into the trap."
"I didn't expect you actually to show up, and our wait these past few days hasn't been in vain."
He burst into laughter, radiating smug satisfaction.
Meanwhile, on the second-floor balcony, several familiar figures appeared, including Brian and Jennifer's group.
They stood tall, looking down on James with arrogance.
Jennifer and Donna's fair legs were dazzling in the sunlight.
Despite the distance, James could sense their contempt.
Clearly, they had been waiting for James for days.
James clenched his fists, thinking, 'A woman's heart is as venomous as a snake. 'He had not expected Jennifer to set such a trap for him.
Unfortunately, she had underestimated him.
"Brian was disrespectful to my mother first; I merely defended myself." James spoke calmly, "Besides, Mr. Davis is a figure of some standing. Isn't it beneath you to deal with a nobody like me in such a manner?"
He attempted to reason.
"I don't want to deal with you either, but my nephew offered more money." Jacob shrugged helplessly. "So just consider yourself unlucky."
"However, I'm a reasonable man. You broke Brian's hand, so without resistance, we'll take both of your hands."
"If you resist, we'll add both legs."
He stepped forward, patting James' shoulder lightly, asking, "Any objections?"
James grabbed Jacob's hand and said, "Mr. Davis, you're going too far."
"In this world, it's survival of the fittest." Jacob pulled his hand free from James and stepped back with a smile. "You're too weak; you deserve to be bullied."
"Uncle Jacob, stop wasting words with him, "Brian shouted from above, "Just break his hands and feet, and let him crawl back like a dog."
James had humiliated him and his friends at the hospital entrance, and Brian felt the sting of shame in his dreams.
For years, as a profligate son, he had only bullied others. When had he ever been trampled like this?
Especially in front of Jennifer and the others?
Jennifer and the women remained silent, merely lifting their cool faces, waiting to see James' embarrassment.
Suddenly, James charged forward, flipping Jacob with a slap.
Then, turning around, he landed a punch on the young thug's chin.
Before the blonde thug could scream, James' left foot kicked another in the shin.
As the latter fell, James closed in with a body check, sending a third man flying.
The next second, a left hook from James hit the fourth man's neck.
The fourth man collapsed like a noodle, and James then stepped on the knee of a fifth...
In an instant, the fifteen men surrounding James were all howling on the ground, completely incapacitated...
It was too fast.
James fought just too hard.
Seeing this, Brian and Donna were dumbfounded.
"Damn... the freeloader, he dared to strike first!"
"Isn't he a loser? How can he fight like that?"
Donna and the others, eager to see James humiliated, all felt a burning pain on their cheeks.
"How is this possible? How is this possible?" Brian and Jennifer's eyes were wide open, looking as if they'd seen a ghost.
These fifteen weren't pampered rich kids; they were seasoned street fighters. How could they be taken down so quickly?
Jacob was equally incredulous.
Amidst the complex gazes of the onlookers, James slowly approached Jacob.
Jacob, with a swollen cheek, turned cold and drew a knife, stabbing towards James' thigh.
The dagger stopped midway, not because Jacob had a change of heart, but because James had grabbed his hand.
Steady as a mountain.
The next second, James snapped Jacob's wrist.
Jacob screamed in agony, his forehead beading with sweat.
The onlookers, including Donna, felt a tingling sensation on their scalps.
Jennifer also covered her mouth, her eyes wide with surprise.
For the first time, she felt James' strength.
James said, "If you want a fight, then let's do it."
He kicked Jacob away.
"I'm the head of SH Corporation. You've hurt me, you've hurt my people..." Jacob, clutching his broken hand in pain, managed to squeeze out a face-saving remark." SH Corporation will never let you go."
The name' SH Corporation' was a gold standard in Rosewood City, capable of intimidating many.
But as soon as he finished speaking, James, with a cold laugh, strode up to Jacob and, under everyone's gaze, swung his arm to deliver a resounding slap.
Jacob's face bore five more red marks, his head buzzing. He heard James' cold snort, "Let's skip the chatter. Now, call someone—call the toughest person you have!"
"I want to know how your SH Corporation will not let me go..."
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