Chapter 498 A Trip to the Council Hall
Githa flew backward from James's devastating kick, crashing to the ground with a pained cry.
Seeing his wife hurled across the room, Beckett lunged forward with a snarl. In a blur of movement, James seized him by the throat.
Before anyone could react, he slammed Beckett's head against the stone table in the courtyard.
The plates on the table shattered on impact. Blood sprayed from Beckett's forehead as James hurled the dazed man to the ground and delivered another kick that sent him tumbling across the courtyard.
One of Beckett's companions charged forward. Without even glancing his way, James backhanded him across the face.
The man crumpled instantly, blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
James moved through the remaining attackers with terrifying efficiency—a punch here, a kick there—until seven or eight men lay groaning on the ground with bruised faces and bloodied lips.
"Young man, stop this at once!" A Garcia family elder stepped forward, his face flushed with indignation. "Have you no respect for the law?"
James's response was a swift kick that sent the man flying across the courtyard.
"Where was your concern for the law when they were beating my mother?" he roared. "Were you blind then?"
"They were apprehending a thief!" another round-faced elder shouted. "Their methods may have been excessive, but—"
SLAP!
James's slap silenced him mid-sentence. "What evidence do you have that they're thieves?"
The elder howled in pain as he tumbled backward. His companion helped him up, trembling with rage. "Lawless! Completely lawless!"
"James, stop!" Michelle grabbed her son's arm as he prepared to strike again. "You'll kill someone!"
Samantha clutched at his other arm. "We're okay! Don't throw your life away for them!"
The murderous rage in James's eyes gradually subsided, though fury still contorted his features.
He'd always suspected Beckett wasn't a good person, but this level of cruelty—ganging up on defenseless women, threatening to mutilate them—made his blood boil.
"You dare strike us?" Githa struggled to her feet, clutching her chest. Her hair wild, eyes bulging with hatred, she looked half-crazed. "I'll destroy you all! I'll see you rot in prison!"
Beckett touched his bleeding head and bellowed, "The mother's a thief, the son's a violent thug—your whole family is nothing but criminals!"
Though his fists were clenched, he kept his distance, wary of James's skills.
"Don't waste words on these thieves," Githa shrieked. "Call the police! I'll hire the best lawyers to ensure they die behind bars!"
James helped Michelle and Samantha to chairs, using acupuncture needles to ease their pain. "Mom, what happened here?" he asked quietly.
Michelle's face contorted with anguish as she looked at her brother. "It's... it's..."
"It's simple," Githa interrupted, waving the tea formula like a battle flag. "Your mother exploited our hospitality yesterday to steal this priceless tea formula from our car."
She jabbed a finger toward Michelle. "Twenty years ago, she leaked our formula, and now she's stolen another! She's caused devastating losses that could ruin us! We should have cut off all ten of her thieving fingers!"
She screeched her accusations, determined to brand Michelle a criminal. Only by destroying her reputation could Githa and her husband claim the new tea formula as their own.
James's voice dropped dangerously low. "Stolen tea formula?"
"Exactly," Beckett snarled. "I spent six months perfecting an upgraded version of Grandma's Black Tea, and your greedy mother stole it. Everyone witnessed us finding the formula in your room. She confessed and signed a statement."
He waved the confession document triumphantly. "She'll spend her life in prison. And you—attacking us without provocation—you'll join her there."
"That's not what happened!" Samantha cried. "They threatened me to force Michelle to confess! She only admitted it to protect me when they nearly cut off my finger!"
James's gaze turned glacial as he stared at Beckett and Githa.
"What are you looking at?" Beckett's eye twitched nervously. "Your mother stole from us. She deserves punishment!"
The crowd of onlookers began murmuring among themselves:
"That formula is the Garcia family's lifeblood."
"Like mother, like son."
"No morals, no principles."
"No wonder they were driven out twenty years ago."
"I felt sorry for Michelle being beaten, but now I see I was too kind."
"With a mother like that, how could her son be any better? Probably a thief too."
Unable to bear seeing her son's reputation tarnished, Michelle pulled James close and whispered urgently in his ear, "No, that's the Great Grandma's Black Tea formula..."
James shot to his feet, his voice thundering through the courtyard: "Beckett, you're despicable! That formula is OURS—it's called Great Grandma's Black Tea!"
He advanced on the couple, fists clenched. "You stole it and now you accuse us? Your cruelty knows no bounds!"
"How dare you!" Beckett's face twitched before he recovered himself. "What Great Grandma's Black Tea? This is MY upgraded version of Grandma's Black Tea!"
He pointed a trembling finger at James. "Not only do you and your mother steal formulas, but you have the audacity to lie about it! Since you're so shameless, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
His voice rose to a shout, "Call the police! Let them determine who this formula truly belongs to!"
"I've seen shameless people before," Githa hissed, "but never anyone as shameless as you!"
Just then, the sound of tires on gravel cut through the tension. A sleek business sedan pulled up outside, and several security personnel emerged.
An elderly man walked in, his imperious gaze sweeping across the chaotic scene—the broken table, the bloodied faces, the torn clothing.
"Beckett. Michelle." His voice carried the weight of authority. "The family has learned of what transpired here. You're all summoned to the council hall immediately."
A heavy silence fell over the courtyard.
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