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Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Just Beat to Death Anyone with Ideas

Ian Sterling carried the flowers back to his office and placed them on his desk. He reached out to touch the teardrop still clinging to a petal. Lowering his gaze, he stared at the damp mark on his fingertip, lost in thought for a long moment.

His secretary hadn’t left yet and was right outside his office. Ian Sterling asked him for a vase, then carefully placed the flowers inside it, setting it where he could see it just by looking up.

He leaned against his desk, gazing blankly at the vase, his mind filled with the image of Lynn Winslow from moments ago.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, mussing it up, then turned and left decisively, his hair a mess.

After dinner, Lynn Winslow returned home. Mrs. Sterling had already gone to the park with Holly Joyce. Lynn took a shower and went back to her room, feeling that every day in Quartos was mind-numbingly boring.

Unable to sleep, she changed her clothes, took two bodyguards with her, and had her driver take her to Nyx bar. It wasn’t that she was hoping to run into Ian Sterling; she just wanted to unwind.

She danced on the floor for a long time, and when she got tired, she walked over to the booth she had reserved. She threw herself onto the sofa and squinted at the flashing lights.

The female manager of Nyx knew the moment Lynn walked in that she was no ordinary person. After all, what kind of ordinary person brings bodyguards to a bar? Although she hadn’t booked the most expensive private room, Nyx was one of Quartos’s most extravagant hotspots, and anyone who could reserve a booth was far from average. Who knew, maybe the young lady simply preferred a livelier atmosphere.

Seeing Lynn return to her booth, the manager walked over. The bodyguards, who had been standing to the side, stepped forward and blocked her path with their arms. The manager looked at Lynn in surprise. Lynn waved a hand, signaling for them to stand down. Only then did the manager approach, smiling. ”Miss, are you enjoying your evening? Would you like to order some more drinks?”

Lynn slowly sat up and beckoned for the manager to sit beside her.

”If you drink with me, I’ll order the most expensive thing in your bar,” Lynn said, her eyes curving into a smile.

The manager paused for a moment, then nodded.

She didn’t know why she had agreed. Perhaps it was because seeing such a beautiful young woman here alone, with only two bodyguards for company, made her feel a little sympathetic.

Lynn leaned over to pour her a drink, then picked up a glass and pressed it into the manager’s hand. Smiling, she clinked their glasses together and downed her own in one gulp.

She was downing one glass after another, drinking a little too fiercely. And though she was smiling, her round eyes were always glistening with moisture, making it seem as if she was sad.

For the first time, the manager felt that the commission just wasn’t worth it.

Lynn had no idea how much she’d had to drink. She shook her dizzy head and said to her bodyguards, ”I’m going to the restroom. Don’t follow me.”

The bodyguards stopped in their tracks and looked at the manager. One of them stepped forward and said to her, ”Please help look after our miss.”

The manager nodded and followed Lynn, supporting her as she was already staggering. Lynn gave her a sweet smile, and the manager’s heart couldn’t help but soften.

Just then, a man appeared up ahead, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he swaggered over.

”Well, well, isn’t it Manager Sawyer? Who’s this you’re helping? A new girl?” The man’s tone was flippant from the start. The manager suppressed her displeasure and forced a smile, explaining, ”This is a guest, not a staff member.”

The man paid her no mind, continuing to stare at Lynn with a slimy, lecherous gaze. Noticing this, the manager stepped in front of Lynn and said with a smile, ”I hope you enjoy your evening. We’ll be on our way.”

With that, she tried to lead Lynn away, but the man reached out and blocked their path. ”You want me to have fun? Fine,” he said. ”Leave her with me. Let her have some fun with me, and I’ll be plenty happy. I’ll order every expensive bottle in the bar. How about it?”

The manager’s expression turned completely cold. She threatened, ”Mr. Wyatt, this is Mr. Jennings’s territory. If you want company, I can arrange for someone to visit your private room. But don’t even think about touching a customer.”

”Ha! You think Mr. Jennings would fall out with the Wyatt family over a woman?” Mr. Wyatt lunged forward to grab Lynn’s arm. Lynn tried to dodge, but she was too drunk to react in time.

The manager said angrily, ”Mr. Wyatt! If you don’t let go, I’m calling for security. Don’t blame me for not showing you face then.”

”Go on, scream. Even Mr. Jennings has never dared to cross me. A lowly little manager like you sure has a lot of nerve.” Mr. Wyatt scoffed and began dragging Lynn toward a private room. Lynn struggled, trying to wrench her arm free, but Mr. Wyatt was a man, and she was drunk. There was no way she could break his grip.

”Let go of me!” Lynn shouted furiously.

”Hey beautiful, just come with me quietly. Afterward, whether you want a house, a car, or a handbag, I can buy it all for you.” As Mr. Wyatt spoke, he moved to embrace Lynn, but in the next second, a swift kick sent him sprawling to the ground.

Lynn was almost caught in the fray. Luckily, the manager reacted quickly and pulled her into an embrace. Looking up, they saw it was the two bodyguards. They had followed, and seeing the situation, had rushed straight in.

Mr. Wyatt clutched his aching stomach and cursed, ”You dare hit me? Do you have any idea who I am? With a single word, I can make sure you never work in this city again!”

These two bodyguards had been with Lynn for several years. They were already furious at seeing her nearly get assaulted, and now, hearing Mr. Wyatt’s words, they showed no mercy. They began kicking him repeatedly, making Mr. Wyatt howl in pain.

Lynn squinted at the scene and suddenly began to clap. ”Good job!” she yelled in a clear voice. ”Kick his legs! Get him in the stomach!”

The manager, however, frowned and wanted to step in and stop them. After all, the Wyatt family held a certain status in Quartos. If they provoked the Wyatts, the young woman beside her would surely face their retaliation.

”Stop, stop! Don’t hit him anymore,” the manager said urgently.

But why would the bodyguards listen to her? The only thing they could hear was Lynn cheering them on, so they started hitting him even harder.

Mr. Wyatt’s wails attracted onlookers from the other private rooms. People poked their heads out to watch the commotion. Seeing that the one getting beaten was Mr. Wyatt, many of them felt a sense of schadenfreude, though they also lamented inwardly that the ones doing the beating would surely be driven out of Quartos.

Just then, another manager from Nyx, a man, ran up. Seeing the scene, he quickly ordered the security guards following him to pull the bodyguards away.

Seeing they were outnumbered, the bodyguards didn’t stubbornly insist on continuing the fight. They smoothly fell back to stand in front of Lynn, blocking her from view. They stretched their muscles and fixed the male manager with a sharp, unified glare.

The male manager shouted angrily, ”You two have some nerve, starting a fight on Mr. Jennings’s territory! Do you know who you just hit? That’s the young master of the Wyatt Group!”

A bodyguard snorted. He didn’t care who the man was. If someone dared to make a move on their young miss, the rule was to beat them first and ask questions later. Before Lynn had even come to Veridia, Mr. Winslow had specially summoned their entire team of bodyguards. He had told them that if anyone brought harm to the young miss, they were to beat them to death on the spot. Mr. Winslow would handle the aftermath.

Mr. Wyatt, having recovered a little, lay on the floor, baring his teeth in a pained grimace. He snarled, ”I’ll make you pay for this. I’m telling you, it’s not just you two. The chick you’re protecting—I’ll make her pay too!”

Hearing this, one of the bodyguards immediately kicked Mr. Wyatt square in the mouth, making him let out another howl of pain.