Riker's expression darkened instantly. He stared at Eleanor and said: “Beauty, you're not giving me any respect. If you don’t give me respect, I’ll have to use force, but when you're forced, you’ll just have to enjoy it. Hahaha."Thud!One of Riker’s lackeys was knocked out by Alexander, landing right at Riker’s feet.Riker stopped in his tracks, looking at his fallen lackey lying motionless on the ground, his face instantly changing color."Fuck! You’re all useless, six against one and you still can’t win! Now kill
Alexander and Eleanor left the flower market, strolling around for a while before realizing it was almost time for the auction. They then headed back to the hotel.Rodger and Phineas’ wife sat in the hotel lobby, and upon seeing Alexander and Eleanor return, Valeria raised her hand to wave them over.Seeing Alexander unscathed, looking perfectly fine with no visible injuries, Phineas’ gaze turned suspicious.What was going on?Could it be that Riker Pugh didn’t handle Alexander?Or did Alexander somehow get the better of Riker…?Phineas shook his head. That idea was too far-fetched. If Alexander dared to harm Riker, it would be the height of recklessness. This was Riker's turf, after all, if Alexander had crossed him, he’d likely have been beaten down by Riker's men on the spot.Then, why was Alexander still unscathed?Phineas's mind was filled with question marks.Calling Riker now wouldn’t be the best choice, so Phineas decided he’d ask him at the auction.Valeria's face grew stern,
Phineas led Eleanor and Alexander toward the auction hall: “There’s really nothing interesting at the exhibition. If you want to see something, they have illustrated guides in the lobby. Just look at those.”“Eleanor, if you and your parents fancy anything, let me know. I’ll make sure you win the bid—don’t hold back with me.”Phineas cast a sneering glance at Alexander and added: “As for you, worthless trash, I don’t care. Whatever you want, earn the money yourself. Though, even if you worked your whole life, you couldn’t afford a single bid. Such a pathetic soul.”Eleanor held Alexander’s hand, gently rubbing his knuckles with her thumb, silently comforting him.Alexander smiled at her, ignoring Phineas’s taunts.Phineas, watching Alexander and Eleanor’s show of unity, felt a surge of jealousy, wishing he could take an ax and split their joined hands apart.As they entered the auction hall, they noticed a group of young men and women gathered, likely the rich kids of Stormwatch.Seei
Phineas didn’t need Riker’s introduction, he had long heard of Paddy Miller’s reputation. Paddy was a top figure in Stormwatch.“So you’re Mr. Paddy? I’ve heard stories of your exploits. I understand you made quite an impression in Golden Harbor back in the day.”“Haha, I used to work under Mr. Pittman in Golden Harbor. Later, he sent me to Stormwatch to expand our territory. He helped me a lot along the way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”Back then, Paddy had been one of Thorne’s subordinates. For various reasons, Thorne had sent him to Stormwatch to carve out new territory. Paddy proved his capability by uniting all the forces there and becoming the top man in town. Nevertheless, Paddy still held Thorne in high regard, always paying him the utmost respect.“I really appreciate all of you coming to help me. I’ll never forget this favor today and will definitely repay it.” Phineas said, trying to strengthen connections.Seeing that Phineas was still rambling on, Riker grew
"Haha." Robert chuckled: “It’s not unusual for someone not in Stormwatch not to fear Mr. Pittman."Rainer continued: “General Manager Perkins might not know, but this guy in Golden Harbor is just an unemployed live-in son-in-law who goes around boasting like this. We were all mocking him.""Oh? That’s interesting."Robert grinned as he looked at Thorne.Thorne squinted at Paddy’s group, saying coolly: “How did you mock him? And what do you plan to do after that?"Riker sensed Thorne’s displeasure and immediately thought of how he could ingratiate himself with Thorne, hoping to expand his career to Golden Harbor through these connections."Mocking him was just the beginning. After mocking him, we plan to teach him a proper lesson, make him kneel and beg Mr. Pittman’s forgiveness, and then we’ll take him outside and play with him."Thorne nodded slightly, then turned to Paddy: “And what about you? What do you intend to do?"Paddy felt uneasy, sensing something was off in Thorne’s attitu
Riker wavering, wondered if it might be better to back down for now, then settle things during the stone auction later. Once they competed there, even Thorne and Robert couldn’t object.But if he continued to push, having both powerful figures from Stormwatch and Golden Harbor against Paddy would be too much to handle.Riker nudged Paddy slightly, giving him a subtle nod.Paddy gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger."Mr. Pittman, if you insist, I’ll apologize to him out of respect for our past. But let me be clear—after today, whatever ties we had are over. From now on, we go our separate ways.”Robert snorted, shaking his head in contempt. Paddy’s words were foolish; the situation couldn’t be more obvious, yet he was blind to it."Fine, after this, we’re strangers. Now, apologize to Young Master Reynolds. And you must kneel.”“Kneel? Are you out of your mind? Why should we kneel?” Pete shouted in outrage.Paddy and Riker looked horrified, their faces twisting.Kneel, or not?It wa
Watching Riker’s group leave, Robert spoke anxiously: “Young Master Reynolds, you were too rash. The number nine rough stone is the highest quality among these stones. The experts in the field have examined it and confirmed that it can yield Jadeite Jade, far superior to the rest.”Eleanor immediately looked worried, grabbing Alexander's arm: “Alexander, this time you… you really acted recklessly."Alexander flipped through the auction catalog, stopping at the page listing the jade stones up for bid, and laughed: “Don’t worry, they can’t win.”Robert covered his face with both hands, unsure where Alexander’s confidence came from. After all, Robert himself had handled these stones and knew their quality inside out.“Young Master Reynolds, these stones all passed through my hands, so I know them well. Even though no one can entirely predict jade quality, certain clues from years of experience can help us judge.” Robert said, his tone anxious.Alexander nodded calmly: “I understand. Than
Phineas shot Alexander a vicious glare, then said to Eleanor: “Eleanor, if you like anything during the auction, just let me know.”“I don’t like anything.”Eleanor replied coldly.Valeria, dissatisfied, nudged Eleanor, whispering: “Why are you being so silly? If Phineas wants to give you something, just accept it.”“I don’t need anything. Why should I accept it?”Eleanor replied indifferently.Valeria sighed, knowing she couldn’t convince Eleanor. Any further words would just waste her breath.The auction began, drawing everyone’s attention as they turned to watch the stage.Riker led Pete’s group to the front row, observing the auction proceedings, muttering to one another, and frequently raising their paddles. They quickly won several jade items.After auctioning a few jade pieces, Riker murmured something to Rainer. Rainer stood up, looked toward Alexander, and gave him a middle finger, taunting: “Hey, pauper, if you’ve got guts, try raising your paddle!”Immediately, all eyes tur