The two thugs were not afraid of this man. He was quite dashing, and as tall as he was, everything was probably all just for show. Besides, there were two of them.
Dealing with him would be a piece of cake.
They didn't care about anything else. They were focused on that alluring shade of red on Nidia's dress, and their words became more vulgar by the second.
"Silly, silly Miss South. You could've used your body to convince us, you know?
You're a virgin, after all. If you satisfied us, we might've let you go and lied to our boss that you left."
Nidia frowned upon hearing such disgusting words. They even said this in front of her grandmother. She felt as if her self esteem was being crushed into a million pieces...
Grandma, on the other hand, was baffled. She then turned to check where Nidia was bleeding.
"It's alright. I'm just on my period, stained my dress by accident." Nidia comforted Grandma under her breath.
Grandma let out a sigh of relief. Her granddaughter had already given birth, after all.
It was clear as day that she was no virgin. Besides, virgins aren't the only ones who bleed out from down there. These two thugs were just uneducated, simply dumb!
The two brothers looked at each other and went out of the room.
They knew that the old woman wouldn't be much help, and Nidia was as stubborn as an ox. Trying to convince them would be a waste of time.
They understood that murder was illegal, and they could even be sentenced if they were to wound anyone. The knife was just for show. They only wanted to give Nidia and her grandmother a little scare.
Even idiots knew they would need to pay a price if they did anything of that sort.
Besides, they weren't in a position that would allow them to get away with crime.
They were just working for Barend for money, and they knew better than to risk their lives for mere money.
If they were to try and drag Nidia and her grandmother down the stairs, it would certainly catch the attention of the neighbours. Most likely, the neighbours would end up calling the cops. By then, it would be quite hard for them to accomplish their mission.
After the two walked out, Nidia immediately pulled out her phone and dialed 110.
"Were those screams? Quick, go check up on him!" Grandma panicked. "Something might've happened to Jackson. He's alone and the two of them have weapons!"
Nidia nodded, her heart racing. Jackson was just a businessman, after all. He had the brains, but there was no way he would have the brawns to deal with these thugs.
With that thought in mind, Nidia picked up a pair of scissors and hid it behind her back as she hurried out of the apartment.
These old stairs were made of concrete, and each flight of stairs was connected to a platform. As soon as Nidia reached the platform below her floor, she turned the corner and saw one of the thugs slammed into the wall. It was the thug who was holding the knife.
His body fell to the ground with a loud thud. Dust particles scattered around him.
"Pfft!" The knife fell out of his grip, and he vomited blood.
Jackson was standing on the platform, looking down at the thugs from the top. He was about to go downstairs as well.
'Was that man kicked down by Jackson?' 'The other thug is missing too. Was he kicked down as well?' Nidia did not expect Jackson to have such strength...
The 5'8 thug curled up in a ball in front of the door of one of the tenants on the fifth floor, blood still flowing out from the corner of his mouth. He seemed to be in extreme pain.
Jackson's dress shirt was now slightly unbuttoned, his maturity now paired with a hint of roughness. In his mouth was a lit cigarette, and his eyebrows were furrowed.
Murderous intent filled his gaze. His voice was even colder than before. "You were still playing with dirt when I played with knives. Know your place."
He tightened the watch on his wrist. It had been loosened when he fought the two thugs. Despite his elegant demeanor, the things he said and did were cruel and cold-blooded, and he seemed extremely hostile.
Nidia was shocked to see this side of Jackson.
She had never seen anyone vomit blood after fighting. Despite her shock, she snapped back to reality. She was more worried that Jackson would end up murdering the two. She threw the scissors away and blocked Jackson, who wore a terrifying expression on his face.
She didn't dare to let him take another step. She was scared that he would kill them with just another kick in the guts.
"What are you doing? I know they did me and Grandma wrong, but you don't have to do this!" Nidia was very frightened, and she wrapped her arms around his rock hard waist. She was hyperventilating. Her heart had endured quite the shock.
She embraced him even tighter, her face now planted against his back. "Go back upstairs, or go attend your meeting. I'll handle this from here!"
...
At Nidia's words, Jackson froze in place.
He had been fighting since a very young age, and had hurt countless people in the past. However, this was the first time anyone had hugged him from behind and offered to handle the mess that he made after a fight.
The tenants from the fifth floor heard the ruckus and went to their door. From the inside, they yelled, "Who's out there?"
Nidia walked down the stairs and nudged Jackson to go back upstairs. After that, just as the tenants opened their door, she pointed at the thugs who were still trembling on the ground. "T- thieves, they tried robbing us..."
"What? A robbery?" The family of three came out of their apartment.
"My boyfriend chased them out of the house. They were in such a rush, they fell down the stairs. I already called the cops on them." Nidia managed to come up with a believable explanation.
Seeing that the thieves were already bleeding from the fall, the three captured them, preventing them from fleeing the scene. One of the stronger men brought out a bundle of thick strings and tied them up as well.
"Robbing? Good for you, huh? You're a full grown man, you have so many other ways to survive!"
"Tsk, the youth are more educated nowadays. They have brains and they can tell what's right and what's wrong! They find a job to feed themselves when they are of age. You guys are no brainers, huh? You probably have an extremely large tumor under your skull!"
"Shame on you two!"
Lots of tenants appeared to check out the commotion as well. They started shaming the two men, who were now tied up together.
Just then, police sirens could be heard downstairs.
Back in Nidia's apartment, Nidia had taught her grandmother what to say to the cops.
Grandma nodded, "So their punishment would be worse if I said that?"
"Grandma, I already checked. If this was an armed robbery, they could be sentenced up to three years of jail." Nidia said, showing Grandma her phone screen.
If these two ended up in jail, Barend wouldn't have anyone else to carry out his dirty work.
If Barend was sane, he would know better than to expose his secrets to more people.
To have married back in the countryside was a history he wished that he could erase.
These two brothers had come to Baile City by following Barend's tracks. They had wanted to work for Barend, after all.
Back when Hannah and Barend were still married, Nidia had seen these two brothers.
She was still in her teens, and they were just slightly older than her. They started helping Barend do his dirty work since they came of age.
Grandma patted her own chest, still visibly afraid. "I'm just worried that South would try to bail them out of jail..." Nidia then comforted her. "Grandma, Barend South is no fool..." However, Grandma was still not satisfied. It didn't sit right with her that the mastermind of this incident was not punished along with his underlings.
Just then, the cops came up to her apartment to get more details. They even took pictures of Nidia's apartment for evidence. After confirming that Nidia and her grandmother hadn't lost anything, the cops left with the thugs.
The thug who had vomited blood tried explaining, "Please, mister. This wasn't an armed robbery! I was just ordered by her father to bring her back to her hometown!"
Much to his dismay, the cop refused to listen and said with a smile, "You come up with pretty good excuses. Do you really think three years of jail will magically disappear just because you've said that? If this really was a family matter, then we have to let you go after 24 hours of arrest. Do you really think I'd believe you?"
At that moment, Grandma understood her granddaughter's intentions.
After dealing with Barend's minions and locking them up in jail, Barend would have to personally deal with the problem himself.
In order to keep this from the public and to secure his place as a successful entrepreneur, he would only be all talk.
"Grandma's old, I'm not as smart as you." Grandma said, smiling. This was the first time she had smiled so brightly today.
After arresting the criminals, their neighbours returned to their designated apartments.
Grandma was now cleaning up with her granddaughter. She also took a few glances toward the young man who was now helping them detach the cabinet door.
That was an alcohol cabinet, fairly tall and large. However, the glassdoor was shattered when the thugs threw a chair at its direction. Glass shards were all over the place. If one were to be careless, they'd easily hurt themselves while handling the shards.
Grandma had thought that Jackson was a gentleman, a responsible father, her granddaughter's generous ex-boyfriend, and a good husband to his wife.
Now, Grandma had a change of heart.
his man, Jackson Cunningham, may dress like a gentleman, but that sinister look as only that of a mafia's.
...
What kind of white collar worker would have such a sinister look?
Throughout the old lady's life, she had met countless cruel people. However, Jackson broke her record. He was the cruelest out of them all.
Grandma was now relieved her granddaughter had not married him. Suddenly, a thought flashed through the old lady's mind. Could it be that her granddaughter was lying to her?
Could it be that this man had forced himself on her and ordered her to give birth to his child? Did he tell her to stay silent about this?
Grandma scanned Jackson up and down again.
Jackson, on the other hand, had not realized that he was now a mafia and a bastard who forced young women to give birth to his children.
Suddenly, his phone started ringing. He picked up the call.
"Jackson, dear, are you busy? Do you think you can come back to the mansion for a bit? The baby won't stop crying..." The one who called was his mother, Angelica.
Hearing that his son was crying, Jackson's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?
Why won't he stop crying? Where are the doctors?"
Nidia was placing a pile of shorts back into her closet. Upon hearing Jackson's words, her chest tightened.
After hanging up, Jackson immediately took his car keys from the coffee table and got up to leave.
"What happened to my baby? I'd like to go too!" Nidia exclaimed, a worried look on her face. All she could think of now was her child. She begged Jackson desperately, staring at his stern face with big doe eyes.
At the Cunninghams' mansion.
A black Cayenne could be seen driving into the entrance. After cancelling the afternoon meeting, Jackson immediately rushed to his mother's garden and held his child, who was still crying, in his arms.
It was summer, so the weather wasn't too cold for the child.
Angelica followed him from behind, and asked in panic, "Jackson, where are you taking him?"
Jackson stared at the child in his arms. The little thing was tired from crying, and was in a semi conscious state. He adjusted his arms to a more comfortable position. After a brief moment of silence, the little thing started crying again.
His cries echoed to the skies. For some reason, he wouldn't stop.
"Don't cry, my little baby, oh, please don't cry. Do you have a stomach ache?"
Angelica said, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't even shed a tear back when Jackson cried due to infantile colic.
However, watching her dear grandson cry, her heart broke.
Jackson had learned from Patricia on how to hold a child with infantile colic. He tried to hold his son in the same position, hoping to relieve the pain.
After hours of comforting the child, it was already three in the noon. The little thing finally slept due to exhaustion.
Angelica, who had just calmed down, asked Betty out of curiosity, "Jackson said that the child's mother had come with him. You've met her, right? What is she like?"
Betty then put down a bowl of cold lychee and thought for a brief moment. She then said, "She seems quite young, has fair skin, and is quite the looker. She has a pure and fresh beauty. Most importantly, I'd say she's a very polite and humble young girl."
Angelica went into deep thought and sighed. "I'm not sure if Sophia would accept this child."
"Well, Miss Roberts loves the master a lot. Why wouldn't she accept the child? Did you forget, madame? Last Christmas, when Miss Roberts was drunk, she even mentioned she wouldn't mind the master sleeping with multiple women after their marriage. She just wanted him to come back safely."
Betty then added, "The master is a good man. Miss Roberts really is an overthinker, huh?"
Angelica didn't have the appetite for lychee. She placed it back down and said, "Although Bubsy was an accident, it's true he slept with another woman in order for Bubsy to be born. I don't think any fiancee would be able to turn a blind eye to that..."