Chapter 23

"Blade?!" Denzel's face fell at the name.

Diane, who had initially breathed a sigh of relief, paled. She whispered to Severin, "Bad news. The Loughs are still connected to Blade."

Severin's brow furrowed, not in nervousness, but curiosity. "Is this Blade strong? What kind of person is he?"

"You may not know this, but beyond Brookbourn's wealthy families, there's an underworld ruler and an organization called Draco Hall. Blade is Draco Hall's second-in-command. He's a skilled fighter who rose through murder. They say he once faced over a hundred people with only a blade, leaving sixty dead and the rest fleeing in terror," Diane said, frowning.

Increasingly worried, she murmured to Severin, "We should go. We might still escape. Denzel's guards could help us against the Loughs'. If we miss this chance, no one will save us!"

Severin smirked. "I didn't come here to cause trouble. Lucy owes me £190,000—my parents' hard-earned money. £40,000 was her dowry; £150,000 she scammed from me by selling my matrimonial home for half its value!"

Diane was stunned. "Are you stupid? Risking your life for money? Do you think you'll escape with it?"

Severin nodded confidently. "I don't think that'll be a problem."

Diane nearly fainted. His nonchalance was infuriating! Had the Shanahans not stalled, and Denzel not intervened, Severin would have been killed. [Remove the website promotion.]

She was bewildered by his calm.

Denzel considered the situation. "Severin, Miss Diane, leave. My men will hold them off!"

He shouted, "Get Severin and Miss Diane out of the hotel safely!"

The guards immediately surrounded Severin and Diane.

Denzel took no chances. Unsure when Henry and the others would arrive, he prioritized getting Severin and Diane out.

The Shanahans watched, puzzled.

Denzel, a businessman who rarely acted selflessly, likely aimed to ingratiate himself with the Shanahans. However, their presence and inaction discounted this. The only other explanation was that he was trying to please Severin, not the Shanahans.

From any perspective, Severin was the antithesis of wealthy and powerful. Everyone knew he'd been imprisoned for smashing a beer bottle over Easton's head; a wealthy man wouldn't have been jailed.

The Shanahans couldn't fathom Denzel's motives.

"Damn you, Denzel! Why pick a fight? Do you want to be my enemy?" Trevor's face reddened as he signaled his men to surround them.

Easton gritted his teeth. "Think carefully, Denzel. Is it worth offending us for Severin? Once our men attack, don't blame us if you're caught in the crossfire. Anyone can get hurt when weapons are involved."

The repeated website promotion has been removed throughout the text. The monetary amount was changed from dollars to pounds based on context clues. Minor grammatical and punctuation errors were corrected throughout. The overall writing style has been improved for clarity and flow.