Chapter 15

An old man dressed in a neat outfit strode over with an air of calmness and authority. Andrew scrutinized the old man closely, recognizing him as the individual he had encountered during his morning workouts over the past two days. Upon the old man's arrival, Mike stopped his henchmen, wary that he might be someone important. However, Darlene didn't care about any of that. Her sole purpose was to make Andrew pay, and she wouldn't let anyone obstruct her. "Where did this old fart come from? Take my advice and mind your own business. Otherwise, I'll beat you up as well." Raymond was an upright person. When he heard what Darlene had said, his expression darkened further. He shouted in a deep voice, "The audacity! This is not a place for you to do whatever you want. If you don't leave this instance, don't blame me for not giving you a chance to save yourself from humiliation." To Darlene, his warning seemed like a joke. Favian, on the other hand, began cursing his head off. "Let's not waste time on an old coot like him. If he thinks his time is up, let's oblige and dispose of him too." "Mike, just go ahead with it." Bernard, too, did not take Raymond seriously. They had more than ten people on their side. If anything happened, they would still win. However, Mike seemed hesitant. Conversely, driven by the desire to appease Darlene and swiftly marry Bernice, Bernard stood resolute in his decision. "Have Andrew captured first. As for that old fart, teach him a lesson if he dares to stop us. I'll take responsibility if anything happens." As long as nobody was killed, Bernard could sweep the matter under the rug. Since Bernard had already given them his word, Mike had no reason to hesitate. With a wave of his hand, several of his henchmen began marching forward again. Raymond's anger flared as he watched them disregard his warnings. It had been years since anyone dared to stir up trouble in Starlight Grove. Taking a bold step forward, he positioned himself in front of Andrew, intent on personally teaching these hooligans a lesson. "Sir, I think it's better for you not to interfere. I can deal with them on my own," Andrew said to Raymond, uneasy about letting a man he barely knew stand up for him. Raymond snorted and replied, "This matter is not yours alone to deal with. Besides, with that weak body of yours, you will only end up getting hurt." Andrew felt a pang of embarrassment at Raymond's barbed remarks. He was not that weak. However, he understood the implied meaning of Raymond's words. If they were to let these hooligans carry out their reckless acts, the entire neighborhood's tranquility would be affected. The two men, repeatedly blocked by Raymond, grew increasingly furious. They exchanged glances and agreed to subdue Raymond first. Raymond moved with astonishing speed as they closed in, seizing one of the men's arms and effortlessly hurling him over his shoulder. His swift, practiced motion belied his age, emanating an intimidating dominance—he did not look like an old man past the age of 60. The corner of Mike's eye twitched. When he saw his other henchman about to attack, he shouted, "Stop!" With an ambivalent expression, he addressed Raymond with deference, "Sir, we'll leave this instance. Please don't take this matter to heart. I'll be sure to come back with an official apology someday." This old man in front of him was no ordinary person. Judging from the unique characteristics of Starlight Grove, it was highly likely that the old man had been on the frontlines before. Mike would never dig his own grave over some petty fortune. That was why he did not even hesitate to apologize. Raymond snorted coldly as a warning, acceding to Mike's decision. Without so much as a farewell to Bernard, Mike hastily departed with his henchmen, eager to avoid further trouble. "Where did you hire those losers from? They can't even defeat a weak old man," Darlene grumbled. She couldn't be bothered to think about who Raymond might be. In her eyes, Mike ran away because he couldn't defeat Raymond. Sensing something amiss, Bernard proposed to Darlene, "Mrs. Collins, why don't we head back home today? Unless Andrew hides himself and never comes out, we'll have a million chances to get back at him." Naturally, Darlene disagreed. Meanwhile, oblivious to the impending danger, Favian questioned, "How strong could an old man be?" While Favian wasn't particularly strong, he was confident that his physique made it easy for him to go after the vulnerable, such as the elderly or disabled. With a curse escaping his lips, he swiftly rolled up his sleeves and hurled a punch at Raymond, showing no regard for the consequences. However, before Raymond could retaliate, Favian groaned in pain and doubled over from Andrew's unexpected kick to his abdomen. Favian had been focusing all his attention on Raymond and neglected to guard himself against Andrew, allowing the latter to have an opening to kick him. "You fucker! How dare you touch my son? I'll kill you!" Darlene's anger surged when she saw Favian get beaten up. Like a furious beast, she pounced on Andrew with all her might. In response, Andrew swiftly struck Darlene with the back of his hand, sending her spinning through the air, her cheek swelling anew from the impact. "If you remain adamant about being foul-mouthed, I'll make sure you won't be able to speak again for the rest of your life!" Andrew had also become angry. "I've planned to let you off the hook out of respect, but this is no reason for you to disrespect the elderly." Turning to Bernard, Andrew declared, "As for you, Bernice and I are divorced. Continue meddling in my affairs; the Clarke family won't protect you." Bernard was flustered, but he didn't buy Andrew's claims. Although he felt humiliated by Andrew's insults, he refrained from responding, fearing further retaliation. Still writhing on the ground, Favian cursed through gritted teeth, "Just you wait, Andrew! Sooner or later, I'll kill your whole family! Go to hell!" As Favian finished his threat, Andrew's demeanor suddenly turned icy, and he swiftly delivered a kick that sent Favian reeling in agony. Favian's cries echoed as blood spilled from his mouth and nose, and some of his teeth were dislodged by the force of the blow. Caught off guard, Andrew watched as Raymond swiftly followed up with his own kick, rendering Favian unconscious and silencing his screams. "How can someone so young be so cruel? And you." Raymond directed his stern gaze at Darlene. "As a mother, not only did you fail to intervene, but you encouraged it. Take your son and get the hell out of here. Don't let me see you or your son again in this neighborhood." Darlene's eyes blazed with fury as she surveyed Favian's battered form, her anger seemingly piercing through Andrew and Raymond. Bernard realized that the situation was no longer favorable to him. He quickly held Darlene back from lashing out and dragged the unconscious Favian back to his car. After everyone had left, Andrew turned to Raymond and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, sir." Raymond's expression became gentler, and he waved his hand dismissively, saying, "No matter who it was today, I would've helped. But since you live in this neighborhood, you'd better not bring trouble here." Without too much preaching, Raymond left after giving Andrew a brief heads-up. … At the Thenswy Hospital, Darlene placed an ice pack on her face as she watched over Favian. Favian lay unconscious on the bed, his head grotesquely swollen. Darlene could not find it in her to let this grudge go. She pulled out her phone and called Bernice. "Bernice, you need to come to the hospital right away. Something's happened to Favian. It's Andrew, that bastard. He's gone mad!"