Chapter 91 James's Way
"Stanley, I, I was wrong!" Curtis endured the intense pain and squeezed out a flattering smile, admitting defeat this time, with a remorseful expression.
After the cigarette butt was extinguished a bit, the pain lessened. Stanley lit it again, took another puff, and pressed it on Curtis's chest, causing Curtis to scream in agony and roll on the ground.
The scene was too miserable. Jennifer covered her eyes, unable to watch anymore.
Joel and the others sensed that something was wrong and thought about leaving, but it was too late. They were surrounded by the people brought by Crocodile Brother and couldn't escape.
This situation made them tremble in fear even more.
Especially the female classmate who had mocked James earlier was now crying in fear, her makeup smudged.
The male classmates were equally scared, their faces pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, and they started to complain. They blamed Frederick for drinking and driving poorly, causing trouble with such a powerful mafia boss, and blaming Curtis for overestimating himself.
As Curtis could not handle this stuff and was pretending to be someone he was not, his actions escalated the situation and implicated everyone involved.
Jennifer was also very worried. Although she had witnessed James's abilities before, the current situation was completely different.
That night, she was only facing John Johnson and two others, who were drunk. But now, it was a different story. They were facing nearly twenty professional thugs! Each one was formidable, and even James might not be able to handle just one of them!
At that moment, she felt a warm hand enveloping her cold hand. "Don't worry, I'm here. Everything will be fine," James's voice reassured her. Her body trembled slightly as she looked into James's confident eyes, feeling a sense of security.
She had developed a sense of dependence on James, finding a sense of security in him. This was something new for her.
She nodded gently, letting James hold her hand, feeling warmth spreading through her.
Although James was a bit useless, he wouldn't abandon her at such a difficult moment. This was something many men couldn't do.
However, his words drew disdain from many, who thought he was just bluffing.
Stanley lifted Curtis with one hand, slapping Curtis's face. He reiterated, coldly and mockingly, "I offered you a way out with 300,000, but you didn't listen. You wanted to show off in front of your friends, right?"
Curtis stood there taking the hits, not showing any negative emotions. At this point, he didn't care about his pride anymore and quickly said, "I was wrong, I was wrong, Stanley, I really was blind! Please, Stanley, have mercy! I'll transfer the 300,000 to you right away and hope to be friends with you."
With that, he took out his phone, ready to transfer the money to Stanley.
But Stanley was not pleased at that moment. He snorted, "It was 300,000, but you rejected the offer. Now the price has changed."
Curtis's expression stiffened, but he quickly forced a smile, and offered, "I understand, sir! 300,000 was indeed too little. I'll transfer 400,000 to you, Stanley. Could you please provide me with your bank account?"
However, Stanley remained silent, looking at Curtis coldly. He coldly remarked, "It seems you lack sincerity."
Curtis was on the verge of tears. He desperately asked, "Stanley, how much do you want then?"
Stanley raised two fingers and gestured.
"Two, two million?!" he asked in shock. Curtis's eyes widened, trembling with fear, almost collapsing.
"It seems you're not entirely stupid after all. Yes, two million, not a penny less. Otherwise, be prepared for my retaliation. I know your identity now, the CEO of DD Company, sounds quite wealthy, huh," Stanley said as he patted Curtis's shoulder, a wicked grin on his face.
Crocodile Brother and his men also grinned wickedly. They were about to make two million, enough to live carefree for a while.
But Curtis was in a miserable situation. Although he was the CEO of a company, it was a small one, with most of the funds tied up. He could only access a few hundred thousand, far from two million.
In an instant, he regretted even more and wanted to give himself a big slap for showing off. He had revealed his identity, and even if he called the police now, he wouldn't have escaped the retaliation from Stanley and his gang!
With this realization, he felt truly hopeless, his heart as cold as ashes.
"Stanley, I, I can't come up with that much money all at once. Can you be more lenient, let's say 600,000?" Curtis begged and was on the verge of tears.
Stanley's expression turned cold. He said, sarcastically, "What do you think?"
At that moment, Crocodile Brother stepped forward and slapped Curtis, scolding, "Are you an idiot? If you can't come up with that much money, can't you ask your friends? Don't you have dozens of classmates, damn it."
Oh, right!
A flash of inspiration struck Curtis. This wasn't just his problem; why should he bear it all by himself? That was truly foolish.
He quickly shouted at Frederick and the others, "Listen up, each of you pitch in 50,000 to make up the two million for Stanley!"
"What? This has nothing to do with us! Why should we pay? It's your own fault for showing off and causing trouble, what does it have to do with us?!" one of the alumni claimed.
"Why should we pay? I don't have money, so I won't contribute," other alumni added.
"Yeah, we can just call the police!" they retorted.
Fifty thousand was not a small amount for many people, and this matter had nothing to do with them in the first place. Why would they be willing to pay this unjustified sum?
Curtis became anxious, trying to persuade them, but no one was willing to help him, except for Frederick.
Curtis was infuriated.
Stanley grew impatient and issued a final ultimatum, "You have one minute. If you can't come up with the two million, you will feel so sorry."
His expression was cold, full of killing intent, and extremely intimidating.
'Jesus, what am I going to do?' Curtis thought desperately and felt like he was facing certain death.
Some worried individuals started to relent, preparing to contribute the 50,000.
"James, why don't you try calling Michael again to see if you can reach him?" Jennifer said with concern.
James made the call, but there was still no answer. He shook his head and said, "Still can't get through."
Jennifer looked disappointed. "Is there really no other way?" she asked, worriedly.
James smiled, and answered, "There's always a way."
"What way?!" she asked excitedly. Jennifer's hope rose as she stared at James eagerly.
James gave her a mysterious smile, then walked out of the crowd lazily and said, "Stanley, didn't you demand too much?"
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