The Charismatic Adam Reed

Chapter 7

Adam's blood boiled as he watched Mark's eyes wander to Rachel's body. It made her look uncomfortable, and Adam couldn't stand one more second of it.

Without hesitation, he lunged forward and smashed his fist into Mark’s face, pushing him back with such force that he collapsed to the ground. Gill saw the assault and ran at Adam, but Adam was quicker. He dodged Gill’s swing and countered with a brutal hook to his jaw, knocking him out cold.

"You're dead, punk," Mark stood up, holding his bleeding nose. "I'm gonna sue you and send you to jail for this. And when I do, trust me, you don’t want to know what I’ll do to your mother and your sister."

Adam was so furious that his eyes turned red. "You lay a finger on them, I’ll make you wish you were never born.”

Mark just smirked, unfazed by Adam's intimidation. "We'll see about that. For now, I'm gonna make sure you pay for what you did to me today."

With that, Mark spun around and yelled at the workers, "Get him! I’ll pay you five thousand each if you bring him down!"

The workers looked at each other, tempted by the amount of money promised. Without thinking twice, they threw down their hammers and charged towards Adam all at once.

Adam didn't flinch. He had powerful fighting techniques and wasn't afraid to use them.

But just as the clash was about to happen, someone from a distance screamed, "Stop, all of you!"

Everyone immediately turned their attention to the source of the voice, and they saw a young man in a sharp suit stepping out of his luxurious car. Nobody knew who he was, except for Adam.

"Henry?" Adam said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Henry walked towards the group, unfazed by the hostile atmosphere. "Just passing by and saw the commotion over here. What's going on?"

Adam didn't believe it at all, but whatever the reason, he immediately pointed at Mark and exclaimed, "This guy wants to tear down this house. I only asked for an hour to pack up my stuff, but he not only refused but also threatened my family."

Henry raised his eyebrows and looked at Mark. "Oh, really? And who do you think you are to dare threaten our benefactor?"

Although Henry looked wealthy and exuded a certain level of authority, Mark couldn't believe that Adam had a rich friend. This was mainly because Mark knew all the wealthy people in Lein City and had never met Henry before.

In the end, Mark reached a conclusion, and he snapped, "Mind your own damn business, you lowly driver. Go back to your boss's car and leave before you get hurt."

Henry's face hardened, visibly annoyed by Mark's arrogant tone. "I suggest you watch your mouth if you don't want to regret it."

Mark barked out a laugh. "What are you gonna do? Call daddy to save you?"

Henry's expression turned cold. "I don't need anyone to save me."

With that, he pulled out his gun from his pocket and pointed it at Mark. The crowd gasped in shock, and Mark couldn't believe his eyes. He had never seen a gun before, let alone aimed at him.

"Are you going to shoot me? Do you have the nerve?" Mark challenged, trying to mask his fear.

Henry took a step closer to Mark. "Try me."

Mark’s hands started to tremble as he saw the cold, ruthless look in Henry’s eyes. He backed away, trying to create some space between them. "Hey, man, I was just joking, okay? Put that thing away. This isn't a movie."

Henry smirked. "I know it's not a movie. That's why I keep it loaded."

Mark's nerves were getting the better of him, and he stuttered, "Alright, alright. I get it. I'll give him time to pack his stuff, okay? Just put the gun down."

Henry lowered his gun slightly, but the hard look in his eyes didn't soften.

Mark spun around and shouted at Adam, "6 hours, that’s all you have. But after that, I'm tearing down this whole place."

Adam nodded but said nothing. 6 hours was more than he needed.

Mark glanced at Henry, then ran off, leaving his bodyguard who was still unconscious. The workers also dispersed, feeling cheated and angry. They had been so close to getting $5,000, but Henry had ruined their plan, or so they thought.

As Henry walked over to where Adam and Rachel were standing, Rachel quickly hid behind her brother and whispered, "Who's this guy?"

Adam smiled. "Relax, Rachel. Henry's a friend."

Henry noticed Rachel’s fear and quickly holstered his weapon. "Sorry for the misunderstanding, Mr. Adam. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I work in the military, so carrying guns is just second nature to me."

Adam nodded. "It's all good. Thanks for helping us."

Henry gave a friendly smile, and no one spoke for a while.

Adam finally asked, "Hey, Henry. Did your father send you here? Was he feeling guilty about the money?"

"Huh?" Henry jolted at Adam's question before quickly trying to come up with an excuse. "No, Mr. Adam, of course not. My dad was actually looking forward to seeing you. That's why he sent me to ask you."

Adam raised an eyebrow, sensing that Henry was hiding something. "Okay. How about tomorrow?"

Henry agreed before excusing himself, and Adam immediately helped his mother pack their belongings. As for Rachel, she told Sarah everything that happened outside, from how Adam was awesome when he hit Mark, to how Henry seemed to be very rich.

Rachel suddenly asked, "So, where are we going?"

Adam stopped and looked at her. "We’ll stay at a hotel for tonight. I’ll look for a new place tomorrow."

Rachel was confused. "Why a hotel? I thought we were going to Aunt Joyce’s or Uncle Harold’s."

Adam shook his head. "They never cared about us. Don’t worry about the money. I’ll handle everything."

Rachel had a hunch. "Did Henry give you money?"

Adam nodded, and Rachel asked again, "So which hotel are we going to?"

Adam thought for a moment, then said, "You can pick. Any hotel in this city is fine."

Rachel's face lit up. "Imperial Hotel! Can we go there?"

Sarah, who had been eavesdropping, sighed. "Rachel, the Imperial Hotel is too pricey. Don't make things harder for your brother, alright?"

Rachel pouted but nodded. "Okay, sorry."

On the other hand, Adam wasn't enthusiastic about staying at the Imperial hotel as Lily, his ex-girlfriend, worked there, but he didn't want to disappoint Rachel. So he said, "It's alright, Mom. We can go there."

Sarah hesitated but ultimately agreed. "Alright, but only for tonight."

"Sure," Adam replied, before adding, "Mom, I need to go out for a bit."

Sarah looked at him with concern, and nodded. "Alright, but be careful. And don't take too long."

With that, Adam made his way to a pastry shop with a sly smile on his face. He was about to execute his sudden plan.

Two hours later, at the Hilton family's residence, Mark was speaking with his father, Wayne. Mark was feeling proud as Wayne praised him for his recent accomplishments.

Wayne asked, "So, what about the other properties? Have you closed the deals yet?"

Mark flashed a confident smile. "Don't worry, Father. I'm working on it. I'll keep negotiating until they agree to sell."

Wayne nodded in approval. "That’s my boy, you have a gift for negotiation. Keep up the good work, but don’t let your guard down. This industry is ruthless, and you need to be smart.”

Mark nodded, knowing that his father was right. The real estate business was unforgiving, and he needed to be careful.

After some more discussion, Mark's phone rang. He picked up and listened for a moment before his expression changed dramatically.

"What?" he shouted into the phone. "How did that happen? Who did it?"

Mark ended the call after a few more words, looking furious and incredulous.

Wayne asked, "What's wrong?"

Mark's face turned pale. "I don't know how to say this. Adam... he... he just bought Pastry Paradise and now he's negotiating with the store next to it."

"What?" Wayne stood up, stunned. "Who's this Adam?"

Mark got up as well. "I’ll explain on the way. He must be still there."