Chapter 488
“Ow! Seriously, it hurts!” The guy on the ground, Wayne, was whining, his hand still trapped under Wayne’s foot. Totally calm, Wayne pressed down harder, his gaze fixed on me. “You okay?”
I shrugged, glancing at the shattered remains of my phone. “I’m fine. But my phone? Total goner.”
Wayne glanced down at the mess.
“Mr. Johnston… Mr. Johnston…” Sandor, who’d been lurking nearby, practically tripped over himself running over. He half-reached toward Wayne but stopped, clearly not daring to actually touch him.
“Dad, help me!” The guy on the floor groaned, grabbing at Sandor with his free hand.
One word—“Dad”—explained everything. No wonder this jerk acted untouchable; his dad clearly had his back.
“Mr. Johnston, please, could you just go easy on my son?” Sandor begged, practically wringing his hands.
Wayne didn’t even look at him. The guy on the floor let out another yell, and Sandor was practically spinning in panic. “Mr. Johnston! Please!”
Wayne, unfazed, just turned to his assistant, Demi. “Get a phone sent over.”
Demi nodded and looked at me. “I’ll get the newest model—”
I cut in. “Wayne, no need. My phone got busted by their employee, so they can pay for it.”
Sandor nodded so fast he looked like a bobblehead. “Yes, I’ll pay for it, of course.”
He shot a look at one of his guys, and a brand-new phone was brought over in seconds. But I didn’t take it. No way was I trusting a phone from these people—who knew what kind of spyware they’d sneak in?
I waved over my injured subordinate. “So, how are we handling his injuries?”
Sandor was back to nodding like his life depended on it. “I’m so sorry, truly. We’ll cover it, whatever the cost.”
I turned to my subordinate. “What kind of compensation do you want?”
But he just looked too rattled to speak. So I answered for him, crossing my arms. “You’ll compensate him, no question. But that’s not enough. The one who hit him? He should get the same treatment.”
Sandor’s eyes went wide. “Wait, Ms. Kay—”
“Oh, what? You hurt someone, you make it right. Like how you pay for taking a life. Assault’s the same thing, don’t you think, Mr. Laird?” I gave him a cold look.
“Ms. Kay…” Sandor’s voice was hesitant, clearly not thrilled.
Wayne jumped in. “If you’re so reluctant, Mr. Laird, why not handle it yourself? After all, it’s your son. Parents should teach their kids to own up.” His words hit exactly where they needed to.
Sandor went pale. He knew who he was dealing with—he wouldn’t be trembling otherwise. And with Wayne still pressing his foot on his son’s hand, he realized he had no choice. Any longer and his kid’s fingers might be toast.
Resigned, Sandor grabbed his son by the collar and yanked him up. Only then did Wayne lift his foot.
What came next was a harsh series of slaps, fists, and kicks. By the end, his son lay bruised and silent on the floor.
Sandor straightened up, looking between us, his face tense. “Mr. Johnston, Ms. Kay… does this settle things?”
Wayne spoke up first. “Since you’re willing to put principles above family, I’ll let this slide. We’ll continue the partnership, but this is your one and only chance.”
Classic Wayne—delivering a punch but tossing a bone right after.
“And I’ll make sure your superiors know this deal’s moving forward because of you,” he added, throwing in another bone.
Sandor’s face lit up, a wide smile stretching across his face. “Thank you, Mr. Johnston! You’re a true king!” One knew how to play hardball, the other knew how to suck up.
For me, there was no point in sticking around. Sure, Wayne had backed up my employee, but Sandor and his son wouldn’t dare cross him again. Didn’t mean they wouldn’t find a way to mess with any of my people later.
And honestly, anyone with that kind of character? Not someone I wanted to keep doing business with.
As I turned to leave, Sandor scrambled after me, shouting, “Ms. Kay! We can keep working together! I’ll even knock an extra three percent off the deal!”