Chapter 10

Frank chuckled. "Why would they be jealous? I'm not a fellow suitor." "That's true." Yara conceded and sighed. "But Vicky has a fiance too. Are you sure he won't get the wrong idea? Moreover, he's the heir to the Lionhearts, an important family in Morhen—that man is known to be ruthless, made evident with certain suitors for Vicky disappearing under mysterious circumstances." Being Vicky's bodyguard, Yara was naturally privy to certain secrets. She would rather not see an amazing martial artist like Frank get himself killed. That was why she was being nice and warned him—there were others in Riverton who could destroy Frank aside from the Lionhearts. "Hmph." Frank snorted with a look of disdain. "I'm fine as long as they don't provoke me. If they do, they'll find themselves less lions than lambs." Yara gulped. That was certainly a bold claim, though she wondered if Frank could remain so when the Lionhearts really came for him. Either way, she had nothing to add after saying that much. - Early next morning, Helen had just woken up when she got a call from Sean. "Good news! Mr. Turnbull's daughter fully recovered yesterday!" he exclaimed. "She did?!" Helen was immediately excited. "Yeah, I didn't expect the panacea cap to be so effective." Sean laughed. "You are now the savior of the Turnbulls' heiress, Helen!" Helen was certainly thrilled—Lane Holdings had nothing to worry about now that the Turnbulls owed them a favor! Breathing out lengthily to quickly calm herself, she said, "Thank you so much for this, Mr. Wesley." "Oh, you're exaggerating," Sean replied with feigned modesty. "It's what I ought to do—by the way, remember to properly prepare for the banquet tonight at Verdant Hotel, and the project will definitely be yours." "Yes. I'm counting on you, Mr. Wesley," Helen said, and hung up. She could hardly hide her excitement and almost started skipping around on her bed. She knew it. The time for Lane Holdings to prosper had arrived! - Meanwhile, at the penthouse suite of Verdant Hotel, Frank had woken up early to meditate when someone knocked on his door. He answered it to find that it was Vicky, dressed in a leather jacket and a pair of jeans, giving her a sharp appearance thanks to her slender figure. Taking off her shades, she smiled. "You're quite the early bird, Mr. Lawrence!" "I could say the same about you. What's the matter?" "My family is having a banquet here tonight. I'll get you a tux—I mean, you're not attending it in your tracksuit, are you?" "I'll pass." Frank was about to close the door when Vicky caught it, "Please, Mr. Lawrence. It's my father's invitation, and you can at least show your face since you saved my life!" Frank frowned. Even if he was reluctant to attend a pointless social event, he could not say no since it was Mr. Turnbull's invitation. Nodding, he said, "In that case, let's go." They headed down to the parking lot, and Vicky opened the car door for him. Before he got in, however, he stopped as he noticed a trio of men hurrying toward him. "What's wrong?" Vicky asked in curiosity, noticing his pause. "Trouble." Vicky noticed the trio too and frowned. Though she thought it was a rival of her family, the burly bald man at the center strode up while glaring at Frank furiously. "Are you Frank Lawrence?" "Yes." Frank replied coolly. Vicky snapped, "Who are you people? Do you know where you are?" The bald man did a double take and started to regard Vicky lecherously. "Huh. I'm surprised you're that lucky with women! Anyway, your boy's going to be crippled soon enough. You should come hang with me instead—Barney Streisand will make it worth your while." Vicky laughed despite herself, turning to glance at Frank for a moment and then at the trio. "Wait, is this everyone you brought? You really think you stand a chance against Frank?" One of Barney's thugs snorted. "Hey, the chick's mocking us, Barney." Barney narrowed his eyes in turn. "Don't hurt her now. We'll show her how good we are later." "Haha!" The two thugs guffawed—they were certainly in luck! They would get a taste of the good stuff all thanks to Barney! Nonetheless, Frank asked quietly, "Who sent you? Tell me right now and I'll hold back." "Pfft. Keep talking—beat him up already, boys!" Barney barked, perfectly confident since it was three against one. As his lackeys leapt forward, Vicky tactfully took a step back and felt a sudden gust behind her right then! Frank had charged forward at the speed of light! Thud! Thud! With two dull thuds, both lackeys were sent flying. "What the—" Barney himself had barely walked two steps forward with his baseball club and was already left gaping. What the hell was he?! He did not even see Frank move—the man just suddenly turned into a blur, and Barney's lackeys were promptly sent flying! 'Run!' That was the only thought Barney had just then, and he cursed his rotten luck for taking up this job! However, Frank was already behind him when he turned and caught his throat with a vice-like grip! "Oof…" Barney's face quickly turned purple from lack of oxygen. Frank's expression was ice-cold. "I'm asking one last time. Who sent you?" The murder in his eyes left Barney sweating buckets and a chill jolting down his spine. This was no joke—he could feel that Frank would really kill him if he did not tell the truth! "P-Peter Lane! He was the one who sent me and told me to break your hand! It's the truth, man… I'm just a street thug trying to make a living! Please don't kill me!" Frank took a deep breath. He had no grudge against Peter, but Peter wanted to break his arm just because he kicked Peter? "You want to live? Fine—you have to break Peter's arm," Frank said. Seeing that he was given a way out, Barney promptly nodded. "Yes, yes, of course! I'll get it done, I promise!" Then, Frank leaned in and whispered into his ear, "If Peter's unscathed the next time I see him, I'll have your head." Barney shuddered. "Yes, yes, I'll do it." "Good. Now get out of here," Frank snapped, and kicked him away. Barney promptly scrambled out of the parking lot, fearful to linger for another second! Beside Frank, Vicky was narrowing her eyes at him. Frank might have exchanged blows with Yara yesterday, but it only amounted to sparring. Today, she truly saw the depth of Frank's power and understood that she would be dwarfed even in her prime! Who was he?