Jason listened quietly to the heavyset woman's words, nodded, and said nothing more.He didn't have to. Lewis and the others had already understood, each of them pulling out their phones to make calls.
Seeing this, Bobby and Zach panicked and quickly pleaded for mercy:
"Mr. Jason, don't listen to this woman's nonsense. She doesn't speak for us. Please… let us off this time."
But the heavyset woman sneered and shouted at them,"Bobby, do you have no backbone? What, just because he has money, we have to bow to him?"
Smack!
Bobby's palm cracked across her cheek, silencing her. His face twisted with rage."Shut up! You think rich people are just rich? You don't understand what kind of man we're dealing with!"
The woman froze, stunned he dared hit her, then screamed back,"Bobby, you bastard, how dare you lay hands on me!"
Before the quarrel could continue, one of the muscle-bound men's phones buzzed. He answered—only to hear a short, cold sentence:
"You're fired."
Click. The line went dead.
When he tried to call back, no one picked up.
Almost immediately, Zach and the others received calls of their own. Each conversation ended the same way—termination, effective immediately.
They barely had time to process when Bobby's phone rang again.
He picked up. His father's furious roar nearly burst the speaker:
"Bobby! What the hell did you do? Every single cement order just got canceled! I called around—they all said the same thing: they won't touch us anymore, not after you pissed off the wrong guy!"
Bobby's face turned pale. He didn't even get the chance to explain before another call came through—from his lawyer.
He quickly hung up on his father and answered.
"Bobby, what the hell did you do this time? Did you mess with Ms. Arace again?"
"I didn't! Why are you asking me that?" Bobby's gut clenched with dread.
"She's coming after you again. The settlement's off."
Bobby's voice cracked, half-panicked, half-enraged:"What do you mean off? She agreed to take the hundred grand! That's binding, isn't it? She can't just change her mind!"
The lawyer sighed heavily."She wired the money back. Untouched. She's determined to drag you into court. I'm warning you—keep your head down. If you cause more trouble, I won't be able to protect you."
Bobby glanced toward Jason. His face was ashen."…What if I already got into a fight with someone important?"
The other end went silent for a long moment. Then:"Goddammit, Bobby. Why can't you just control yourself? If money can't fix it this time, then you're in deep trouble."
Bobby's eyes flicked to the Richard Mille on Jason's wrist—a timepiece worth more than most people's homes."…No. Money won't cut it."
"Then you're screwed," the lawyer snapped. "You're already staring at one suspension. With two pending cases? You're going to prison."
Next was Zach.
"She's insane! What good does exposing everything do her? Doesn't she care her old man will cut her off?"
The person on the other end replied helplessly:"Clearly someone gave her enough incentive. She's got nothing to lose, Bobby. A full legal team backing her. She's going all in."
"And your wife—she knows. She's already retained another legal team. With what's coming out, you don't stand a chance."
The heavyset woman's bravado cracked for the first time. Her phone rang, and she answered in a rush.
"Mom! What's happening?"
Her father's frantic voice shot through the line:"Didn't you say this was just legal tax avoidance? Why the hell are federal agents at our factory saying it's tax evasion?!"
Their family ran a modest leather goods shop—bags, accessories—small in size, but profitable.
The woman stammered,"I—I asked a Attorney! He said it was legal!"
"We tried calling him—his phone's dead! You better find out what's going on. They're saying if this sticks, we could lose everything!"
She frantically dialed her lawyer, but all she got was a voicemail. Another attempt—this time, a cold automated message: This number has been disconnected.
Her face went completely white.
The heavyset woman, panicked now, hurriedly dialed her uncle. He was a man with some influence—at least, that's what she always believed.
Not long after, her uncle managed to get through to a member of the Auto Club who was standing quietly among the crowd.
"Brother, that's my niece you've got there. Maybe she said something stupid, but for my sake, can you let her go? Tomorrow I'll take you down to the coast, we'll hit Magnolia Springs. My treat."
A tall, stocky middle-aged man standing near the edge of the group shook his head and sighed."She didn't offend me. She offended someone way above me. Honestly, I'd advise you not to get involved."
Her uncle hesitated, then asked carefully:"Can I take the liberty of asking… who exactly?"
He looked around meaningfully. Lewis and the others were all standing with their heads lowered, showing nothing but respect."As for me? I'm just a nobody in this crowd. That's the kind of level we're talking about."
"…Alright. Thanks for the warning, Brother. Another time, Magnolia Springs is on me."
But when the heavyset woman tried calling her uncle back, she discovered he wasn't answering anymore.
That was when the weight of it hit her, and she slumped to the floor in despair.
Meanwhile, the others—Bobby, Zach, and the rest—kept receiving call after call, each bringing worse news.
Suppressions. Investigations. Partnerships collapsing. Lawsuits. Their jobs, businesses, connections, reputations, even their families—all shredded in an instant, torn apart as easily as paper.
By the end, Bobby and Zach were practically paralyzed, their faces drained of all blood. The group sat in silence like men walking into their own funerals.
Aly, Holly and the others looked on, their hearts frozen.
They'd always known Jason was wealthy. That's why they had called him in the first place, believing money and influence could fix the situation. But none of them had expected this.
Jason hadn't lifted a finger. He hadn't even said a word. Just the quiet phone calls from the people around him were enough to bring down a storm of ruin on this group—as easily as crushing a few ants.
They'd heard about the power of money before, but this was the first time they truly saw it, felt it—so real, so merciless.
Resting in Jason's arms, Holly Larson had actually calmed down some time ago. But his embrace was too warm, too steady, too safe. She didn't want to move, not yet.
Still, she straightened eventually, and patted Jason's damp shoulder reluctantly.
Then she turned her gaze on Bobby, the heavyset woman, and the others. Watching their collapse filled her with relief—and her admiration for Jason surged to new heights.
Maybe it was because she had always been drawn to risky games and dangerous thrills. Maybe that was why she found herself drawn to powerful men.
Compared to them, the so-called "nice guys" like Nick or Dylan—ordinary backgrounds, timid temperaments, unable to afford any real risks—felt pathetic. They couldn't give her security, couldn't shield her if things went wrong.
But now, she understood something deeper:
A truly strong man wasn't just exciting. He represented conquest. And most of all—he represented safety.
[Holly Larson: Sensitivity +15]
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