Chapter 188 A Man's Duel
Silence fell between Winona Sullivan and Matthew Watson as he awaited her response.
He was rarely this stubborn. He had planned to bide his time, waiting until she got involved with the Cross-Town project before making his move. But his instincts lately had been gnawing at him, suggesting that if he let things slide, he'd repeat the same mistake from three years ago and miss his chance with her again.
Winona stood her ground: [Still, no thanks.]
After putting her phone down, she spaced out for a moment, staring blankly ahead before going back to packing her things.
Austin drove straight back to Crest Manor after leaving View Studio.
The caller was Chloe, who mentioned that Mrs. Robinson had heard some rumors—apparently, she found out about Austin’s affection for a married woman and was now raising hell at home.
Austin said, “Just zip it, Chloe. Don’t talk nonsense in front of Mom. We’ll discuss it when I get back.”
The elder Robinsons lived in a large estate, and as soon as Austin pushed open the door, he heard Chloe incessantly trying to soothe Mrs. Robinson, “Mom, don’t listen to the gossip. You know what kind of taste my brother has. Even if he did go for someone who’s been married before, she’d have to be drop-dead gorgeous, highly capable, virtuous, and so wonderful that for every one person who meets her, two would sing her praises.”
She wanted to firmly deny that her brother would get involved with a divorced woman, but he had indeed fallen for someone who was married. Now, all she could do was offer an exaggerated compliment.
Austin strode into the room, “Chloe, if you can’t give a compliment properly, just don’t. What’s this about one person meeting her and two people praising her? Who are the extra people? Ghosts?”
Chloe puffed her cheeks, “Well, some have families, don’t they? Surely not all ten thousand are orphans.”
Mrs. Robinson, glaring at the person who had just walked in, was furious, “You two stop your nonsense. Austin, I don’t care how far things have gone with her, call her right now and end it. If you won’t call, I’ll do it myself.”
Austin was dressed in a sharp blazer, paired with cargo pants and short boots, topped off with a crisp, short haircut. He looked every bit the unyielding sword unsheathed.
Standing in front of Mrs. Robinson, his stern expression suddenly broke into a nonchalant smirk, “Mom, what are you doing? The one chasing after someone is your son. Don’t bother calling—just hit me instead.”
After declaring that, he called out, “Mrs. Miranda, bring down my dad’s cane, and invite Lukas in.”
Lukas was his father’s guard.
After giving his instructions, Austin quickly peeled off his blazer, exposing his lean, taut upper body riddled with scars of various shapes and sizes, most of them remnants of his years on duty.
The air conditioning wasn't on in the house, but his skin tightened even further in response to the sudden chill, his pectoral and abdominal muscles standing out sharply.
Mrs. Robinson trembled with rage, as she hadn't been this angry since Austin had enlisted, “Fine, let’s see just how stubborn you can be for some woman.”
“Smack!”
The supple cane whipped across Austin's bare back, instantly raising a bright red welt. Although Lukas had held back, he was a man trained by years of discipline, so even his first strike drew blood.
Austin clenched his jaw, swallowing back the groan that threatened to escape, "Mom, it's me who's been pursuing the girl. She hasn't agreed to be with me, and besides, she's already divorced. It wasn't her fault; her ex is a scumbag. Be mad at me if you're angry. I'll accept my fate even if this kills me today. But if I survive, I ask that you treat her like your own daughter."
Chloe's mouth hung open wide enough to swallow an egg, her brother was such a hopeless romantic.
Mrs. Robinson's head pounded with fury. She hadn't intended to inflict family discipline, but Austin had it all laid out for himself upon arrival, "If you can't keep your mouth shut when you're getting a beating. Lukas put some muscle into it. Don't make it seem like you've skipped a meal."
Smack... Smack... Smack...
The crisp sound of the cane echoed through the living room as Austin gasped in pain, his voice coming out in starts and stops, "Mom, which blind fool has been wagging his tongue in front of you?"
He had planned to find the right moment to tell Mrs. Robinson, but now the secret was out before he got the chance.
Although it was something that needed to be said, it mattered a lot whether he was in control of the conversation. Who knew what nonsense that person had spread?
"So, you were planning on keeping it a secret from me? Were you going to wait until the child was old enough to handle soy sauce before you brought her home, forcing me and your father to agree?" she spat bitterly.
"I wouldn’t let her face such disgrace,” Austin quipped with a roguish smile, wincing as the cane landed on the same spot as the last blow, twisting his face in agony. “Was it Zachary Bailey’s doing? I had a run-in with him this morning, and by afternoon that bastard was snitching on me. You tell me if he’s not a scumbag.”
A simple check by his mother would reveal his affection for Winona Sullivan. There was no point in hiding it, and he hadn’t intended to.
Mrs. Robinson, trembling with rage, pointed at Lukas, “Beat him. Shut that dog up.”
Chloe, standing by, heaped praises on Winona Sullivan, as if she were the best thing on Earth, fearing her mother’s temper would cause her lovesick brother to be beaten to death.
After all, how could she really kill her own flesh and blood? When Austin ran out of energy to talk back, she signaled for Lukas to stop and move aside, "Do you realize what you've done..."
Austin, who just moments earlier had looked like a dead dog, suddenly sprang to life, picking his clothes off the floor. "Mom, remember our agreement. If I'm still alive, you'll treat her like your daughter."
Before Mrs. Robinson could respond, Austin had already bolted out of the room like a whirlwind.
He went through a contact to get Zachary Bailey’s private number and called up, “Zachary Bailey, are you even a man? Can’t woo a woman for shit, but you’re tough pulling off dirty moves, fuck you, man!”
There was a moment of silence on the other end before an infuriating reply came back, “My uncle isn’t into dudes, but if that’s your thing, I can set you up with someone.”
“%&*#$... Set up your uncle!” Austin nearly punched the airbag out of the steering wheel, “If you’re a real man, let’s settle this in a manly way. Tonight, eight o’clock, Night Club. Whoever doesn’t show is a chicken, loser polishes the winner’s shoes, and stays a hundred meters away from Winona.”
He didn’t believe that someone raised on vodka since adulthood would lose to a loser like Zachary Bailey in a drinking contest.
If it weren’t for that beating he took earlier, screwing with his fighting edge, he’d have Zachary Bailey spitting teeth.
Zachary Bailey simply replied, “Fine.”
The word barely dropped before Austin hung up, disgusted. Listening to another second felt like an assault on his ears!
...
EIGHT PM, NIGHT CLUB.
Winona Sullivan looked up at the dazzling sign with displeasure and pressed her lips into a thin line, “Is your boss insane, sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong?”
As if meddling wasn’t enough, they had to drag her into it.
The bodyguard behind her stood silent as a post.
Half an hour ago, Winona was at home doing a face mask, thinking it was Zachary Bailey at the door with more drama. Based on recent events, like that afternoon in the café where she left him hanging to go with Austin, it was likely he’d create a scene.
But peeking through the peephole, it was Samuel Anderson.
She barely opened the door when this bodyguard quietly hauled her off here.
On the way down, she heard from Samuel that Austin and Zachary were in the Night Club hitting the vodka hard, tossing back shots like water. The club’s manager, worried about trouble, called Samuel.
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