Chapter 287 The Big Shot
Noah rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. He had zero interest in dealing with the thug.
"What's the deal? Why are these guys wrecking the supermarket?" Noah asked Timothy.
"Paying off debts is only fair! Timothy owes us a hundred million bucks and hasn't paid up, so we're here to collect. What's the problem?" the thug sneered.
"I wasn't talking to you. Shut up," Noah said coldly, giving the thug a look that could freeze fire.
Noah's glare was like a sharp, icy blade, making the thug shiver. It felt like he was being stared down by a predator, and he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
"That look is terrifying," the thug muttered, not daring to speak again.
"Timothy, after I bought the supermarket, you should have used the court funds to pay off the suppliers. Why is there still debt, and why is it a hundred million dollars?" Noah asked.
Timothy's face changed, and he quickly explained, "Mr. Anderson, there's no hundred million dollars! It's only thirty million! The extra seventy million is interest!"
"Thirty million in debt and seventy million in interest? Is this a loan shark?" Noah frowned.
"Mr. Anderson, here's what happened," Timothy sighed. "When Evergreen Market was about to go under, we owed a supplier thirty million dollars."
"I had no way to pay it back then, and the supplier couldn't collect. After you bought the supermarket, I had the money to repay the thirty million, but I found out the supplier had sold the debt to a big shot in the underworld."
Timothy glanced at the thug. "That big shot specializes in loans and debt collection. These thugs work for him."
"Since the thirty million debt had been outstanding for several months, I thought paying thirty-five million, with the extra five million as interest, would be fair. Even by national law, that five million interest is already considered high. Paying thirty-five million wouldn't be a loss for him."
"But I never expected that big shot demanded seventy million in interest, making it a total of a hundred million! A hundred million dollars is no small amount. Even if I had the money, I wouldn't pay it. That interest is thousands of times the legal limit! It's outright loan sharking!"
Noah nodded, getting the picture. "So, you didn't pay, and the big shot sent his men to trash the place?"
"Yeah," Timothy nodded, looking bitter. "I've heard that big shot has a high standing in Oceanbridge City's underworld. Regular folks can't mess with him. This is big trouble."
"Timothy, since you know you can't mess with the big shot behind me, just pay the hundred million dollars!" the thug said, having recovered from Noah's earlier glare."If you don't have the money, sell the supermarket! Don't you have a daughter? I heard she's pretty. You can send her to our club to work off the debt!"
Timothy's eyes flared with anger. "Over my dead body! I'd rather die than give you my daughter!"
The thug smirked arrogantly. "I'm not afraid to tell you, the underworld in Oceanbridge City is unified now. The whole city is ours. Taking your daughter and making her work in our club would be a piece of cake!"
Timothy's face turned pale. He didn't want anything to happen to his daughter. But where would he get a hundred million dollars? The thirty million debt was his, not Noah's. The supermarket belonged to Noah, and he had no right to sell it to pay the debt. Noah might not be willing to help him pay either. A hundred million dollars was no small amount, even for Noah.
Was he doomed?
Despair filled Timothy's eyes.
"You have two choices," Noah said calmly, looking at the thug. "First, take thirty-five million dollars and leave."
"Second, call your boss here. I want to ask him which law says thirty million in debt requires seventy million in interest."
"Kid, if thirty-five million could settle this, we wouldn't be here in the middle of the night," the thug laughed. "As for calling my boss, if he comes, things won't be so simple. You've injured so many of us. You'll have to pay a million dollars in compensation! Can you afford that?"
"I can afford it," Noah said seriously. "Call him."
The thug was taken aback by Noah's attitude, then sneered. "Fine, I'll call him!"
He picked up his phone and dialed. "Jack, we've got a problem collecting from Timothy."
"What problem?" a deep voice asked on the other end.
"Several of our guys got beaten up. This kid wants to ask you in person which law says thirty million in debt requires seventy million in interest," the thug explained.
"He wants to ask in person? I'll come tell him myself!" the voice on the phone laughed coldly. "That's my rule! If he doesn't like it, I'll beat him until he does! I'm on my way!"
Hanging up, the thug sneered at Noah. "Kid, Jack said that's his rule. If you don't like it, he'll beat you until you do."
"Jack," Noah murmured, smiling slightly.
Half an hour later, a black Buick pulled up. The door opened, and seven or eight burly men stepped out. Leading them was a large man with dragon tattoos on his shoulders and earrings, looking fierce.
"Jack!" the thug called out respectfully, rushing to greet him.
"Where's the kid?" Jack asked.
Since taking over Lucas's operations at the club, Ethan had put Jack in charge of consolidating Lucas's territory. Jack's power and status had skyrocketed, with hundreds of men under him. Lucas had run a loan sharking business, which Jack now controlled.
Jack had taken over all of Lucas's accounts.
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