Chapter 16 A Fool's Ignorance

• Cole did not take his leg off. Instead, he pressed down harder on Silas' calf. "Grovel and apologize or say goodbye to your leg."
• Silas gritted his teeth and hissed, "My family's coming after you, b*stard. Firby won't let you off either."
• "Firby?" Cole smiled. "Well, this is interesting."
• Silas shot Cole a haughty look. "They own this place. It's Ferb's turf. You're going to pay. All of you."
• Another group of lackeys showed up. This time, it was a dozen bodyguards and a man with his hair split in the middle. He was none other than Ferb, the manager of this place.
• The first thing Ferb saw was Silas lying on the ground, and his face fell. "What happened, Silas? Who did this?" He roared at everyone, "Who did this? Come out here right now!"
• Cole looked at him. "Are you working for Eddie?"
• "You did this?" Ferb shot a look at him.
• "That's right."
• "You idiot. This is a no-fighting zone. You're dead meat, you know that?" Ferb shouted.
• "Come and get me, then." Cole sneered and plopped down on the couch with his legs crossed.
• You arrogant b*stard. "You f*cking poser."
• I can't believe he's this stupid. It's my first time seeing someone so dumb. "Men, take your weapons."
• Ferb swung his arms, and the security guards stepped forward, surrounding Cole.
• Just then, Cole blurted, "It's been a few unlucky days for Eddie, hasn't it?"
• Silas shouted, "What did you say? Ferb, kill that *sshole!"
• "Shut the f*ck up!" Ferb roared, then stared at Cole dumbly. "How did you know that?" That's top secret even in the company. Barely anyone knows it. Wait a minute… H-He can't be that doctor, can he?
• Cole said, "Call him. Tell him it's from Cole. Tell him… I can save him."
• Silas shouted, "Ferb, that guy's lying! He's just a loser who leeches off his wife!"
• "Shut. The. F*ck. Up. Otherwise, I will kill you!" Ferb snarled.
• This wasn't a minor issue, so he quickly called Eddie's secretary.
• Ten minutes later, another group of burly bodyguards showed up. This time, standing in the center was their boss, Eddie. The man's head was covered in layers of bandages. The crowd parted away like the Red Sea did for Moses, and silence fell over them. Before Cole could even say a word, Eddie quickly pounced on him. "I've finally found you! You've got to save me!"
• Things had been bad for him since he left the restaurant. First, he was hit by a falling vase, then he got into a car crash, and more problems happened while he was on the way to the hospital. He managed to survive, though only barely. It was all thanks to Tyler's men coming with a talisman.
• After things had calmed down, he recalled his previous conversation with Cole and realized something. How did he even know I was wearing a jade talisman? It was hidden. Damn, he's a pro. I can't believe I told him off!
• He had been trying to find Cole since then, but for some reason, Cole seemed to have disappeared until now. "You have to save me, dude. Please." His voice was almost breaking.
• Meanwhile, everyone was in disbelief. They couldn't understand why someone like Eddie was pleading with a small fry like Cole. Does he know Eddie? When did that happen? Anna thought. Silas looked horrified as well, for he couldn't believe what was happening.
• Cole smiled. "I can't even leave this place, let alone save you."
• "Huh? What do you mean?"
• "See that guy over there? He's Silas. He attempted to take my wife away and even tried to hit me. Silas said that you were his friend, and he'd call you if I tried to do anything… stupid."
• At that moment, Silas felt fear overwhelming him. Oh, sh*t. Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t. He told him everything.
• "Sorry? He said what now?" Eddie shot Silas an icy look and roared, "Who the f*ck are you? I don't even know who you are! F*ck off my business!"
• Silas wiped his sweat off and quickly said, "Sir, I'm Silas. I'm from the Yates Family—"
• Eddie bellowed, "F*ck you and your family! I don't even know who you are! Buzz off."
• "Sir, this is a misunderstanding!" Silas wiped his sweat nervously. Oh no, no, no. This is bad. It's really bad.
• At that, Eddie slapped Silas squarely in the face. "A misunderstanding? You tried to harass my friend's wife! Everyone saw it, yet you think you can get away just like that?"
• Silas held his cheek. "Sir, Cosmo is my father. The least you could do is give him a little res—"
• He did not manage to finish his sentence.
• "What do I care about your father?" Eddie slapped Silas again. "Try threatening me again, and I'll kill you and your father. Also, that old git wouldn't disrespect me like you just did."
• Silas finally realized something. I can't get out of this unscathed, can I?
• He had his answer right away.
• Eddie added, "My friend is a kind soul. He doesn't like violence, but me? Oh, I get back at anyone and everyone who crosses me. Everyone who laughed at Cole, step forward and cut your hand off. Don't think you can run away. Lie, and I'm cutting off both your hands."
• Eddie's loud announcement traveled across the air, and solemnity fell upon everyone. His bodyguards quickly surrounded the area and doled out punishment at the crowd. Soon, only howls of pain were heard.
• Anna looked at her husband. "Cole," she whispered.
• "It's necessary. It's a lesson." Cole smiled at her. "It has to be a painful one, or else they'll come back. I won't let them hurt you anymore."
• She said nothing else. All of a sudden, she felt safe in her husband's presence. A surge of warmth coursed through her veins.
• "You should go to the hospital now, Anna. I have… something else to do."
• Yeah, I know. It's obvious. Eddie isn't helping you for nothing. "Sure. Be careful."
• With that, she left.
• Once Eddie was done dealing with Silas, he led Cole to the VIP room. He rubbed his hands and asked ingratiatingly, "So, about my problem…"
• "Yeah, I get it. Let me see the talisman."