Chapter 174

Lawrence's fury stemmed not only from Gilmore's public humiliation of his son, Clive, but also from Gilmore crippling Clive's martial arts and having him imprisoned. To rescue Clive, Lawrence journeyed thousands of miles from Sunsbury to Vista Verde and broke him out of jail. As a master of the Black Hawks, Lawrence had never witnessed such an indignity inflicted upon his son. Therefore, Gilmore's public mention of Clive's disgrace ignited Lawrence's rage. His shout caused many of the hall's elites to visibly flinch in fear. This was a master from the prestigious Black Hawks of Sunsbury; his intervention would undoubtedly result in bloodshed. Most were not martial arts experts, and even the skilled paled in comparison to Lawrence's strength. Instinctively, they retreated from the center of the hall to avoid involvement.

This left only the Carter and Foster families standing near Gilmore and Lawrence. Everyone feared for Gilmore, especially considering Lawrence's response to Clive's injuries and imprisonment. A fierce confrontation loomed.

"Gilmore," Lawrence hissed, his sharp, cold eyes fixed on Gilmore, "do you want me to kill you, or will you take your own life?"

As he finished, a dagger slid from his sleeve into his hand. With a flick of his wrist, it embedded itself in the floor tiles before Gilmore's foot, narrowly missing him. The blade sank several inches, unmoving. Horror gripped the onlookers. The casual throw, showcasing Lawrence's profound internal mana and the dagger's sharpness, was breathtaking.

At that moment, Denton stepped forward, positioning himself before Gilmore. "Lawrence," he declared, "if you want Gilmore, you'll have to go through me first."

Lawrence's gaze shifted to Denton, who met his stare unflinchingly. Their eyes locked in a tense standoff. Lawrence, having secretly assessed Denton's strength earlier, knew Denton was only a mid-level internal force martialist, far inferior to his own top-tier skills. He was confident of victory. Claire, her parents, and the Chen family were deeply concerned for Denton's safety; Lawrence was a renowned expert from the Sunsbury Black Hawks. How could Denton possibly contend with him?

Norman, observing from the sidelines, attempted mediation. "Mr. Denton Carter, Mr. Lawrence Ray," he began, "you are both esteemed guests. It's better to resolve enmities than to hold onto them. Why resort to such extremes?" His peacemaking efforts garnered respect and admiration, a fact that secretly pleased him. However, he knew his efforts would be futile. Indeed, they might even exacerbate the situation.

Lawrence retorted coldly, "Mr. Norman Weston, the grievance of crippling Clive's martial arts cannot be reconciled!"

Denton echoed the sentiment: "Norman, there's no negotiating when someone wants to kill Gilmore. They'd have to step over my dead body first!"

Norman sighed dramatically, feigning regret at his failure to mediate.

Suddenly, a voice from the entrance cut through the tension: "Mr. Norman Weston, Denton is the murderer of my grandfather!"

All eyes turned to the entrance. Benjamin, flanked by two bodyguards, entered. His presence surprised everyone. Many had attended Emerson's memorial service days earlier, and they knew Benjamin had attempted to kill Gilmore with a knife. His appearance at this elite party, coupled with his accusation against Denton, was unbelievable. How could Denton have killed Emerson?

Benjamin, his face contorted with hatred, approached Norman, pointing at Denton. "Mr. Norman Weston, he killed my grandfather!"

Norman feigned anger. "Benjamin, that's a baseless accusation! How could Denton be the killer?"

"Mr. Norman Weston, I'm not lying," Benjamin insisted. "The night my grandfather died, he sent Mr. Merrett and Mr. Richardson—disciples of Mr. Lawrence Ray—to kill Gilmore. They failed. A mysterious masked man in black killed them, and then my grandfather. It was Denton, protecting Gilmore! Before Mr. Lawrence Ray arrived, only Denton had the capability to kill my grandfather!"

Many elites were aware of Emerson sending Merrett and Richardson to kill Gilmore and their subsequent deaths at the hands of a masked man. However, Denton's involvement was news to them. While Denton was the only one capable of killing Emerson, lack of evidence rendered Benjamin's claims mere speculation. Most elites remained unmoved.

Denton laughed. "You say I murdered your grandfather? Who here believes you?"

Benjamin, undeterred, repeated his accusation.

Claire, unable to contain her anger, intervened: "Benjamin, stop slandering without evidence! What proof do you have? If you accuse my grandfather without evidence, I might as well say you killed your own grandfather!"

Benjamin had no evidence. Facing Claire's aggressive questioning, he fell silent. His guilt was palpable.

Then, Lawrence's chilling voice boomed, "Evidence? It's clear Mr. Emerson Palmer and my two disciples were killed by Denton. What more evidence is needed?"

A chill ran down everyone's spines. Was Lawrence attempting to strong-arm his way through, labeling Denton the murderer without proof?