The next morning, they met at Java Joys. When Dustin
entered the cafe, he noticed a burly man standing beside Natasha. His
bulky muscles rippled under his clothes, and his knuckles were covered
with calluses. This man was obviously an experienced fighter. "Mr. Rhys,
sorry to bother you. I owe you one." Natasha walked up to Dustin. "It's
all right, I don't mind helping out a friend in need. Besides, they had
even specified my name in the note. I have no other choice." Dustin
smiled wryly. Edwin's men had left a ransom note which had his name on
it. He was to go with Natasha to save Ruth. "Mr. Rhys, let me introduce
you to Stephan Chapman, one of the best fighters from the Harmon family."
Natasha pointed toward the man standing in silence. "Mr. Chapman, a
pleasure to meet you." Dustin nodded in acknowledgement. "You're Dustin?"
Stephan sized him up. "Was it you who took Liam and Noah Asher down?" "In
a way, yes." Dustin nodded again. "What do you mean, in a way? Don't give
such a vague answer. Did you use some shady tricks to win against them?"
Stephan stared at him suspiciously. "Well, as long as it gets the job
done." Dustin said nonchalantly. "As martial artists, we should win fair
and square. What's the use of winning when you have to resort to
despicable tricks?" Stephan scoffed. He deemed people like Dustin, who
don't belong to any martial arts group, as inferior to him. "That makes
sense." Dustin had no interest in arguing further. "To be honest, I have
defeated Liam and Noah in a match before this!" Stephan boasted. "Don't
be too proud of yourself even if you win against them! They are weaklings
compared to me. Once we have a match, you will know that many martial
artists are stronger than you!" Hearing Stephan's speech, Dustin was lost
for words. They were practically strangers. Why was he lecturing him like
a child? Who was the one looking down on the other anyway? "Alright, now
that you have made each other's acquaintance, we will be working together
after this. Once we arrive at Hummer Villa, we may need each other's
help," Natasha cut in. 1 "I'm sure we won't need to. With me around, it
would be easy to take Edwin down," Stephan said confidently. "Mr.
Chapman, it's good to be optimistic, but it's better not to underestimate
the enemy. When will Tilda arrive?" Natasha changed the topic. Tilda
Snider was one of her aunts and was famous for her deadly strikes. She
was currently the head of security for the Harmon family. Compared to
Stephan, she was on a different level. In this fight against Edwin, she
was the key to victory. "Tilda is on her way.
She will be arriving shortly," Stephan answered. "Great. Since she is on
her way, let's make a move as well" On her command, Natasha's car led the
way as the group drove in a file toward Hummer Villa. Hummer Villa was
situated at the top of a hill which was part of the Hummers" private
land. As the cars drove up the hill, Edwin's men kept surveillance on
them in the hidden shadows of the surrounding trees. When they arrived at
the villa, everyone got down and entered the back garden. With a pair of
scissors in hand, Edwin was busy arranging a vase of flowers in a gazebo.
Behind him, Fletcher Lawson and a group of muscular men were standing
guard, staring daggers at them. "Ms. Harmon, you've finally arrived? Have
a seat," Edwin said with a smile, pointing to a chair. He acted as if
"they were here for a chat. "Sir Hummer, I've heard that you are holding
my sister hostage. Is that true?" Natasha sat down and asked with a poker
face. "To be honest, I only knew about your sister this morning. My men
did it at their discretion, so I have reprimanded them," Edwin continued
with a charming smile. "Is that so? Well, why don't you let my sister
go?" Natasha pressed further. "Let her go? That would be impossible."
Edwin shook his head. "Ms. Harmon, your sister made a mess at my party,
destroyed my antiques, and beat up some of my underlings. If I let her go
without repercussions, my reputation in Swinton would be ruined!" "Then
what do you want in return?" Natasha's eyes narrowed. "It's very simple.
Repay me double for my loss." Edwin's smile was plastered on his face.
"I've calculated the damage your sister caused and everything amounts to
ten billion dollars. As compensation, I want you to hand over half of
your business in Swinton." "Half of the business? Are you joking?"
Natasha raised her voice. "Ms. Harmon, you are only giving up a small
part of your assets. Moreover, your business activities are mainly in
Milling. You won't be affected much by what I'm asking for," Edwin
advised. "What if I refuse?" Natasha retorted. "It's only right to pay
back what you owe. If you refuse, I can't guarantee that your sister will
be safe from harm." Edwin gave her a chilling smile. "Are you threatening
me?" Natasha returned his gaze stonily. "I'm just giving you a warning.
Of course, we can resolve this dispute with a death match. However, the
entirety of our assets must be at stake," Edwin said with a smirk. "A
death match?" Natasha mulled over his offer. It was an unsaid rule in the
business world. A death match was used to settle unresolved conflict
between warring families in order to prevent unwanted death and
bloodshed. There would be three rounds of battle 23 Chapter
73 royale in which the opposing families would send out their
representatives to fight on behalf of them. There were no rules and
everything was fair game. "Challenge accepted!" Before Natasha could
answer, Stephan spoke up. "Isn't it just a fight? We will take you on!
Show me some real competition!" Edwin snickered maliciously at Stephan's
words. This was what he had hoped would happen!