When Josh saw Zayne's reaction, he sniggered and slapped Zayne hard. "Why aren't you as brazen now as you were before? How dare you hit my man and abuse Mr. Lewis's name? You're asking for it." The slap jolted Zayne back to reality. He immediately pleaded, "Mr. Queen, I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I swear."

Zayne's pleas shocked Maria and his subordinates. They realized his boasting had been a lie; he didn't know Tommy at all. Fear gripped them; they had no one to rely on.

"Sorry?" Mr. Queen chuckled cruelly. "It's too late. Prepare for your doom!" Overwhelmed, Zayne dropped to his knees. "Mr. Hoffman, I won't make false claims in Mr. Lewis's name again. Please, have mercy." He wept uncontrollably.

The others were even more terrified. Maria stared, speechless. Charlie looked at the kneeling Zayne, then at the group. "Mr. Queen, what should we do?"

Charlie deferred to Josh, a key client. "They're just hot-headed kids. No point crippling them. Let them go," Josh said, waving his hand. Zayne prostrated himself in gratitude.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Josh turned to Hilda, Maria, and Lydia. "The men can go, but the women stay and accompany me."

The women were stunned. Zayne was especially shocked; Maria was his girlfriend, and her father had just accepted him. He could ignore Lydia and Hilda, but not Maria. He pointed at Maria, offering a sycophantic smile. "Mr. Queen, this is my girlfriend. Can I take her? The others can stay. We've lived together for a year; I don't think you'll be interested in her." He had never slept with Maria; he only wanted to save her. Maria remained silent, prioritizing her own safety.

Josh scorned Zayne. He waved a hand. "You can go, but the other two stay." Zayne thanked him profusely and prepared to leave. Lydia panicked, grabbing his arm. "Mr. Carlson, don't leave me!" Hilda looked helplessly at Jared, her only hope. No one else knew her well enough to help.

Zayne pushed Lydia toward Josh. "Lydia, just have a few drinks with Mr. Queen. You'll be fine. I'll be back." Lydia was filled with despair. Hilda clung to Jared's sleeve, tears in her eyes. She didn't want to stay, but didn't want Jared to leave either, caught in a terrible dilemma.

(The promotional message "Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality" has been removed as it is irrelevant to the text itself.)