Chapter 13: A Penny

Yolanda was caught off guard; she had no idea how much Jared could afford. She asked, “Jared, Rhino wants to know how much you’re willing to pay him. Let me remind you, if it weren’t for me, Rhino would have crippled you, regardless of your wealth.”

Yolanda tried to intimidate Jared, hoping he would pay more to avoid physical harm.

Rhino smiled when he heard Yolanda’s praise.

“Is this enough?” Jared held up a finger.

“Ten thousand? Do you think that will satisfy me?” Rhino sneered.

“Jared, what are you thinking? Rhino isn’t a beggar! How can you offer only ten thousand?” Yolanda scolded Jared, frantically signaling him with her eyes.

“I didn’t say ten thousand,” Jared shook his head.

“Even a hundred thousand is too little,” Rhino retorted.

Yolanda was in a dilemma. A hundred thousand was a huge sum, and considering Jared’s recent release from prison, he couldn’t possibly have that much money.

“Rhino, look at him. Ten thousand is probably all he has. He just got out of jail; he barely has any money,” Yolanda pleaded.

“Just out of prison?” Rhino was surprised. “No wonder he’s so ruthless. I don’t care if he has the money or not. A hundred thousand isn't enough for hitting me.”

Rhino’s refusal prompted Yolanda to turn to Jared again. “You need to increase your offer. If you don’t have enough, I can lend you what I have. But you must pay me back. I’m only lending you the money for Hilda’s sake.”

“I wasn’t talking about a hundred thousand either,” Jared shook his head.

Yolanda was stunned. Rhino, in contrast, was ecstatic, though he hid his emotions, responding coldly, “A million, then? If you can pay a million, I’ll let this slide. I’ll even let you work for me, seeing as you’re an ex-convict.”

“I was talking about a penny.”

Jared produced a penny from his pocket and flicked it.

Rhino was enraged. “Damn it! How dare you insult me? I’ll kill you!”

Even Yolanda lost her temper. “Jared, what’s the meaning of this? Why are you only offering a penny? After all I’ve done for you, why aren’t you cooperating? Damn you! I’m done with you!” If not for Hilda, she wouldn’t have cared about Jared at all.

Ignoring Yolanda, Rhino grabbed a chair and swung it at Jared. He’d brought more than ten men and felt confident in attacking ruthlessly.

Just before Rhino could strike, Jared flicked the coin. It shot out like a bullet, striking Rhino’s wrist.

Rhino cried out in pain, dropping the chair and checking his profusely bleeding wrist.

“Kill him! Kill him!” Rhino roared.

His men, brandishing weapons, charged at Jared.

“Jared!” Hilda cried out, but Yolanda forcibly held her back. Joining the fight would have been suicidal for Hilda.

The extraneous website promotion has been removed. The grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure have been improved for clarity and flow.