Chapter 494

494
“ There’s trouble. Stay in the car. I’ll handle this.”
James had already unbuckled his seatbelt and was ready to get out, his first instinct always being Caitlin’s safety.
Caitlin could feel the tension tightening around them. “Harrison, be careful. At least find out who they are before acting”
“ I will.”
He wasn’t going to start a fight blindly. Given the number of people surrounding them, charging in recklessly wouldn’t end well.
A crowd of thugs was moving in fast, armed with clubs and pipes. The man at the front was a hulking figure with an eye patch. He took one look at their license plate and bellowed, “That’s the car! Get them, boys! Trash everything!”
James stepped out of the car and stood tall, his frame shielding the vehicle. He stared down the incoming gang, “Who the hell are you? What do you
want?”
“Look at this pretty boy,” the fat one sneered, running his one good eye over James. “Kid, you know where you’re standing? This is Talon Quarters territory. You pissed us off, and now you’re gonna pay.”
Inside the car, Caitlin’s expression darkened. Talon Quarters? She’d heard of them. Ruthless, territorial , and with fingers in every shady deal in the city . But she had no business with them–so why were they after her?
“When exactly did we piss off Talon Quarters?” James said, trying to buy time. “And seriously, this many guys just to jump one man and one car? You’re not embarrassed?”
“You and your slut disrespected the Nguyen princess!” the one –eyed man shouted, waving a machete. “Now we’re here to teach you a lesson.”
Caitlin’s eyes narrowed. The Nguyen princess? That had to mean Reese . Suddenly, it all clicked. Reese’s background wasn’t just government and society connections–her cousin Virgil was a prosecutor, but more importantly, the infamous Thomas Quick, leader of Talon Quarters , shared her surname.
Damn. Why hadn’t she made that connection sooner?
Reese must’ve called in a favor. But even if Thomas and Reese were blood relatives, she couldn’t afford to be passive now.
She rolled down the window and called out, “Harrison, tell them we know Mr. Quick personally.”
James glanced back at her, then turned to the crowd. “We’re friends with Mr. Quick. You might want to think twice.”
The one–eyed thug laughed. “Yeah right. Our boss doesn’t know you.”
That wasn’t going to cut it.
Caitlin was already pulling out her phone, dialing Thomas directly.
Thomas was en route to the Manhattan Regal Hotel when he answered. “Hello?”
“Mr. Quick. It’s been a while,” Caitlin said coolly,
His voice instantly changed. “Cait? Wow, yeah–it has been a while. Where are you?”
“I’m currently on your turf. Somewhere around Xiuhu Road. But we’ve run into a little… problem. Your guys are surrounding my car. I think they’re about
to trash it.”
“What? Are you serious? Those little bastards-”
The chaos on her end was loud and unmistakable.
20:12 Tue , 19 Aug
494
“ Gotta go, Mr. Quick…” Caitlin said, hanging up just as the situation exploded.
James had engaged.
He fought back fiercely, knocking down thug after thug, trying to keep them away from the car. Still, more kept coming. Metal and glass clashed headlights shattered, windows cracked, and the car was getting wrecked.
But Caitlin sat calmly inside. She knew Thomas would show up. And when he did, this entire gang would be paying for it.
Sure enough, Thomas‘ car screamed onto the scene moments later. The moment he saw the chaos in his own territory, he nearly lost it.
“Idiots ! ”
He jumped out, fire in his eyes, and barked, “Tell them to stop! Now!”
His assistant grabbed a megaphone and shouted, “Stop! Everyone stand down! Mr. Quick is here! Back off!”
It worked.
The violence tapered. Crowds cleared a path. And just like that, the riot died.
“Mr. Quick! Mr. Quick!”
Chants echoed as Thomas stormed through the crowd, every inch of him radiating fury. When he reached the middle, he saw what was left of the car– a shattered wreck surrounded by bloodied men. And in front of it, James still stood, unmoving, bruised but unyielding.
The one–eyed thug rushed over, thinking he was about to be praised. “Mr. Quick! You’re just in time! This guy–he’s tough, but we can take him down-*
“Take who down?” Thomas barked. “You started this?”
“Uh… yeah…”
“And why exactly did you attack a civilian car?”
“They messed with the princess. We were just backing her up-”
“Idiot!”
Thomas’s slap hit so hard the thug’s face snapped sideways, a few teeth flying out with the blood.
“But Mr. Quick,” the man stammered, “you said to protect the princess…”
“And you think that means assaulting people blindly?”
“We thought it was just some pretty boy and his side piece-”
“You moron. You just laid hands on *Cait*-my brother!”
Thomas’s fury exploded as he kicked the thug to the ground.
The surrounding thugs froze in disbelief. *Cait?* The one they’d just ambushed?
Thomas approached the car, took a breath, and bowed his head. “I’m so sorry. This was a huge misunderstanding. I sincerelygize . ”
He turned toward the window. “Cait, are you alright?”
“Thanks for showing up when you did, Mr. Quick,” Caitlin said calmly.
James opened the door, and Caitlin stepped out.
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When Thomas saw her, his entire body stiffened. She looked like a goddess–flawless in her white gown, not a hair out of place. Even with broken glass and chaos around her, she was poised and dazzling, like she’d stepped out of a dream.
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
Every pair of eyes was locked on Caitlin.
Thomas stood there, mouth half open, unable to look away. He’d seen blood, war, betrayal but nothing prepared him for this.
“Thank you again, Mr. Quick,” Caitlin said politely, stepping forward and offering a slight nod.
Thomas blinked, still staring at her.
Then, like a man hit by lightning, he blurted out-
“Cait… you… you’re not a man?”
AD