Chapter 3 Teaching Derek A Lesson

• Fifty thousand?
• Evangeline rubbed her stinging cheek as she tried to imagine what that amount of money looked like. She was so scared that she burst out crying on the spot.
• Our family is poor, to begin with. Mommy is working hard every day just to make a living. Not only does she need to pay for Grandpa's treatment, but also the rent for our house! Just a few days ago, I remember seeing Mommy going around begging people to lend her some money! Grandpa will scold Mommy for sure if he finds out that we have to pay this man fifty thousand!
• Evangeline clutched the bag of bottles tightly as she knelt on the ground with reddened eyes.
• “My family is really poor, mister. We don't have much money left after paying for rent and my grandpa's medical bills. I'll pay you back once I get the money from selling these bottles, okay? Please, I don't want to burden my mommy any further!”
• “No way! How dare you hit my car when you can't afford to pay for the damages? You're not going anywhere unless you pay up!” the man yelled angrily at her.
• A crowd was slowly starting to gather around them.
• “Oh, my goodness! How did that little girl land herself in such a situation?”
• “Yeah! Derek is nothing but a scoundrel infamous for ripping people off! That poor girl is in for a rough time!”
• “There isn't even a scratch on his car, though! I can't believe he'd try to bully a little girl like that! What a scumbag!”
• “Hey, Derek! Have you no shame?”
• “F*ck off!” Derek yelled at them.
• They were all so scared of him that they went silent instantly.
• As much as they wanted to help defend Evangeline, they knew better than to offend Derek.
• Since Derek was the infamous neighborhood gangster, he would harass them non-stop if they got on his bad side.
• Derek kicked the bag of bottles aside and grabbed Evangeline by the throat as he yelled, “Call your parents right now, you little sh*t!”
• Evangeline coughed and gasped for air as her face turned red from the lack of oxygen.
• Her heart sank into despair when she saw no one coming to her aid.
• That was when she thought of her father.
• My classmates would always have their fathers to protect them whenever they got bullied in school. I, on the other hand, have never once met my daddy...
• In her most helpless moment, Evangeline called out for the first time ever, “Daddy...”
• “That's enough, Derek! There isn't even a scratch on your car, so why are you bullying her like this?” shouted a lady with a basket of groceries in her hand.
• Derek shot her a glare and tossed Evangeline to the ground.
• “Don't try to claim the moral high ground if you're not going to pay me!”
• Since the lady couldn't afford such a huge amount, she fell silent and glanced helplessly at Evangeline.
• “Okay, I'll pay you.”
• A Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly came to a halt in front of everyone.
• Emmanuel stepped out of the car wearing a black trench coat and combat boots, exuding a domineering aura that was further enhanced by his masculine facial features.
• The atmosphere seemed to change the moment he showed up at the scene.
• It was as if the entire world would have to bow down before this tall, handsome man.
• Even Derek found himself so intimidated that he didn't dare say a word.
• All eyes were on Emmanuel and the Rolls-Royce parked behind him.
• As if the powerful aura he exuded wasn't enough to reflect his extraordinary status, the Rolls-Royce he arrived in helped to emphasize that.
• After all, it wasn't really common for cars to have license plates with the number “B055.”
• With everyone watching, Emmanuel slowly walked up to Evangeline and scooped her into his arms. “Don't be afraid, Eva. I'll take care of this for you.”
• “Thanks, mister!”
• Evangeline burst out crying in his embrace when she recognized him as the man she had seen at the market the day before.
• Emmanuel gently patted her on the head in response. He felt extremely conflicted when he saw how much she took after him.
• She only weighed a little over forty pounds, but he felt like he was carrying a huge boulder in his arms.
• His eyes reddened from the heartache when he saw his daughter crying like that.
• So, this is my daughter...
• The look on Emmanuel's face turned extremely gloomy a second later. “Freddie, get the money.”
• Freddie nodded and retrieved a few stacks of cash from the car.
• “There, we've paid you fifty thousand for whatever damages this girl has done to your car. If I remember correctly, you slapped her across the cheek earlier. How do you plan on compensating for that?” he asked with an icy-cold expression while tossing the money at Derek's feet.
• Derek panicked when he sensed an equally intimidating aura from Freddie. “I... I was just...”
• Freddie grabbed Derek's left hand and asked, “Was it this hand that you slapped Eva with?”
• “N-No...”
• “Since you won't tell me the truth, I'll break both of your hands!”
• Crack! Crack!
• The next thing they knew, Freddie had effortlessly broken both of Derek's hands on the spot. The loud sound caused all the onlookers to shudder in fear.
• Their eyes were filled with fear when they saw Derek rolling on the ground in pain, but they felt relieved that he finally got what he deserved.
• “Break his legs too, Freddie. He kicked these bottles that my daughter had spent a lot of time collecting,” Emmanuel ordered while making his way over to the Rolls-Royce with Evangeline in his arms.
• As the car door closed behind them, Freddie stomped hard on Derek's knees, breaking them both without any hesitation whatsoever.
• Crack! Crack!
• “Argh!” With veins bulging on his neck, Derek let out an ear-piercing scream before passing out from the pain.
• Rosalind, who was looking for Evangeline, felt shocked when she saw a Rolls-Royce speeding off into the distance.
• What? The b*stard who got jailed for eight years after defiling my daughter is now so wealthy that he owns a Rolls-Royce?
• Feeling conflicted after seeing how Emmanuel protected Evangeline earlier, Rosalind pulled out her phone and gave Eleanor a call.
• “Eleanor, I've found Eva! Emmanuel has just taken her away!”
• Meanwhile, in the Kirsch family clinic, Emmanuel was sitting on the couch and staring silently at Evangeline while she tidied up the bottles in a corner.
• As Emmanuel wasn't conscious when he forcibly violated Eleanor due to his Intermittent explosive disorder, he wasn't too sure about his feelings toward her.
• He knew for a fact that he didn't like her romantically, let alone love her. If anything, guilt was all that he felt toward her.
• When Emmanuel first arrived, he swore to make it up to Eleanor by giving her anything she wanted, even if it would cost him his life.
• However, he felt lost when he saw how hard life had been for Evangeline and Eleanor throughout those years.
• Eleanor, who used to be a highly regarded dancer, ended up being called a loony by those around her.
• Her family had also been kicked out of the clan as a result. Being the one responsible for causing all of that, Emmanuel was plagued with guilt and couldn't bring himself to face Eleanor.
• He feared her so much that he would rather take on thousands of mercenaries than face her alone.
• Freddie knelt down beside Evangeline and helped her sort out the bottles.
• The sight of her reddened cheek hurt him and pained him deeply.
• Despite having her cheek all red and swollen from the slap, Evangeline hadn't complained about the pain ever since she got into the car.
• Instead, she kept claiming it was her fault for bumping into someone's car while walking.
• Her fault? She's the freaking daughter of Emmanuel Kirsch, otherwise known as Devil Kirsch—God of War of the Northern Border! She could burn the whole car down, and that punk wouldn't be able to do anything about it! No one would dare stop her even if she decides to turn Summerbank upside down, all because her father is literally the protector of Chanaea. The citizens are able to live peaceful lives because Emmanuel fought valiantly at the Northern Border. Eva, from now on, you shall no longer cry nor submit to anyone! Your father has already conquered the world for both you and your mother. All you two have to do is ask, and the world is as good as yours.
• “Boss.” Freddie got up and made his way over to Emmanuel.
• “Hmm? What is it?” Emmanuel asked coldly as he shifted his gaze from Evangeline toward Freddie.
• “Earlier in the afternoon, Eleanor borrowed some money from Sparkee to pay for her father's medical bills. Sparkee handed her a check worth two hundred thousand. In return, she has to accompany him on a one-week vacation in Salinsburgh. I'm sure you know what his intentions are. However, Eleanor turned his request down, so he fired her on the spot. She is currently jobless and hasn't received her salary for this month. As she didn't sign the employment contract due to her mental state, there's nothing she can do about that.”
• Emmanuel looked livid when he heard that.
• Sparkee, huh? Does this guy have a death wish or something?