Chapter 12 Manipulated

• Smack!
• Sullivan gripped Edgar by the collar with one hand, while his blind cane fell to the ground. He slapped Edgar's face hard, causing stars to explode in Edgar's vision.
• Whack, whack, whack!
• He continued to deliver a series of slaps until Edgar's face was swollen and unrecognisable, with blood running down from the corner of his mouth.
• "Please stop! I was wrong, okay? I was wrong!"
• Edgar was genuinely scared now. This kid wasn't just blind. He was a demon!
• "Wrong? Now you realise you were wrong? It's a bit too late for that, don't you think?"
• Sullivan finally felt the thrill brought by power!
• He could punish these bad guys without any hesitation!
• And he could protect the people he wanted to protect!
• "Lavinia, I really screwed up. Please help me. I didn't want this to happen, but I had no choice. I owe Damon a ton of money, and if I can't pay it back, they'll cut off my hand.
• "My parents only have me. You don't want me to end up crippled, right?"
• Edgar cried with snot and tears streaming down his face.
• "Damon? Which one?"
• Sullivan suddenly remembered that the guy leading the debt collectors who came to their house that day mentioned this name.
• "Damon from the Southville sent me. He said your house is about to be demolished, and if I can get you to leave, I'll get the demolition money."
• Edgar, being spineless, quickly ratted out Damon.
• Damon from Southville!
• "Sulli, let Edgar go," Lavinia said, unable to stand it.
• "Hmph!"
• Sullivan snorted and let go of Edgar, then asked, "How much do you owe?"
• "S-Seven ... "
• Edgar stammered, unable to complete a sentence, trembling and not daring to look Sullivan in the eye.
• "Seven thousand or seventy thousand?"
• Edgar swallowed hard and said, "Seven hundred fifty thousand."
• Boom!
• Lavinia's mind was about to explode.
• "How did you owe that much money? Even if the house is demolished, it's only worth 450,000 ... "
• Edgar knew, but ...
• "I know, but Damon's people said that Sulli has money and his house is also getting torn down. If I make things hard for you, he'll definitely find a way to help. Then I can get 300,000 from him."
• Lavinia's jaw dropped in shock. Asking Sulli for money?
• "Hehe."
• Sullivan quickly realised what was going on. Edgar had been manipulated!
• Their real target wasn't Lavinia—it was him. Damon was really ruthless.
• He was right. If it came down to it, he'd definitely help Lavinia. He'd come up with not just 300,000, but even 600,000 if needed, just for her.
• "So, what do you want to do?" Sullivan asked, crouching down.
• "No, I don't want anything. I don't want anything at all."
• What a joke. This guy was ruthless. Edgar wouldn't even dare to ask, even if he wanted to.
• "Good choice. I don't care how you racked up your debts. It's got nothing to do with Lavinia. I don't want to see you again, and I definitely don't want you bothering her. Just leave it at that!
• "If I see you on this street again, I'll make sure to beat you. Get your people and get lost!"
• Edgar scrambled up from the ground and, with his men, hurried out of the yard, scared out of his wits.
• "Sulli, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to drag you into this."
• Lavinia naively thought she was the one causing trouble for Sullivan, not realising that Sullivan was actually the target from the beginning, and she was just caught in the middle.
• "Lavinia, this isn't your fault, but it's not safe for you to be living alone."
• Sullivan wanted to suggest that she move in with him but hesitated. He thought it might be a bad idea—there was often a lot of gossip when a widow lived alone, and even if there was nothing going on between them, people might misunderstand. If they lived together, Lavinia would likely face even more rumours, and it would be awkward for him too.
• Right now, he was broke and survival came first. He didn't have time to get revenge on Benedict and Viola, but sooner or later, he'd make them pay for what they'd done.
• He just can't stop worrying about Lavinia.
• "It's okay. I've always been safe over the years. You don't need to worry so much. You really scared me earlier!
• "You have no idea how worried I was. But you've really been a big help. Without you, I would have been in trouble today."
• Lavinia stood across from Sullivan, pressing her hand to her chest. Her white dress made her skin look even more radiant, and the V-neckline offered a hint of what lay beneath.
• Sullivan, looking through his sunglasses, saw it all clearly.
• Gulp ...
• Sullivan swallowed hard and quickly looked away. No wonder Edgar had such crude thoughts. If he didn't know Lavinia's character, her sexy figure and alluring looks could easily provoke such thoughts.