Chapter 21 Intermittent Explosive Disorder

• “Let's see who dares lay a finger on her.” The simple sentence crashed down on the people like a mountain. The pressure was so overwhelming that those who heard it immediately felt suffocated.
• Even though those on Douglas' team boiled with anger, they did not have the guts to touch Tiffany in front of Emmanuel.
• They did not even dare breathe too loudly.
• Emmanuel remained in his seat as he turned to Tiffany. “There's one more slap. Do it.”
• “How dare you!” roared Douglas, jumping to his feet.
• Not only did the smacking hurt Sophie's face, but it also trampled on Douglas' dignity.
• The man was convinced that he would become a laughing stock at Bellridge Group if he stood by idly.
• “Why not?” inquired Emmanuel rhetorically while rising with his hands behind his back. “Let me tell you something. No matter how incapable my team is or how terrible their performance is, anybody in the Bellridge Group who dares to touch them will have to go through me! I don't care what you guys have to say about me. As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone bully my team.”
• Every word of Emmanuel's was so powerful that it resounded throughout the conference room.
• The man was like a volcano when he single-handedly subdued more than sixty people in the room. Instinctively, all of them lowered their heads in the presence of Emmanuel's intense aura.
• Nobody would dare lay a finger on Tiffany with Emmanuel around.
• In fact, no one had the guts to defy the man crowned as the God of War.
• The rookies immediately got teary-eyed when they heard Emmanuel. Ever since they graduated and started their internship at Bellridge Group, nobody had ever stood up for them. They got bullied every day, and only Emmanuel showered them with kindness.
• The man's powerful words were like a protective umbrella shielding the interns who left their homes to work in Summerbank. What Emmanuel did for them was not something they would soon forget.
• Moved by the man's actions, the interns were motivated to stay at Bellridge Group and thrive to reach greater heights.
• Slap!
• Suddenly, Tiffany smacked Sophie on the face so hard that the latter stumbled two steps backward. “I'm just returning the favor. That'll teach you to slap me, b*tch!”
• “Ah!” cried Sophie before bursting into tears.
• She had never been hit like that before. The fact that an intern did it only made her feel more humiliated.
• Still, nobody dared do anything to help Sophie.
• Even Douglas and Shane could feel the enormous pressure emanating from Emmanuel.
• Meeting Emmanuel's gaze made the two feel as though they were staring at death itself.
• Although Douglas was a powerful man, he had not the guts to stand up against Emmanuel.
• “Let's go,” Emmanuel smirked as he turned around to lead the group away.
• “Do you really believe that no one can bully your team?” questioned Douglas after finally mustering enough courage. His breathing was rapid as he spoke.
• Emmanuel instantly stopped in his tracks when he heard Douglas.
• With his back facing the other man, Emmanuel replied, “No, but there's only one person who can bully them, and that's me! Of course, you can try to bully them when I'm not around. However, you better be sure that you can withstand my wrath.”
• After Emmanuel and the others left, Sophie finally broke down. The woman bawled like a baby with her head buried in her arms.
• At that moment, the conference room was filled with nothing but Sophie's wailing and a sense of dread in the atmosphere. Everyone's faces were as grim as death after Emmanuel's show of power.
• With rage burning in his eyes, Shane breathed heavily as he approached Douglas. “Mr. Swanson, I won't stand for that. I've worked for you for so many years. Could you please avenge my niece? Who does that man think he is anyway? He just got here.”
• “Don't worry. I won't stand for it either.” With that, Douglas turned around and left the conference room.
• The man then sat in his office and thought for three minutes before eventually picking up his phone to make a call. “Kidnap Emmanuel's daughter to lure him out and kill him tonight.”
• “K-Kill him?” The voice on the other end of the line trembled.
• “I want him to know the price of crossing me.”
• There was murderous intent in Douglas' eyes.
• “Okay. I'll make the arrangements.” With that, the other person hung up.
• The weather that evening was unpleasant. The sky was so cloudy that one could be forgiven for feeling depressed at the sight of it.
• However, a private room in The Little Riviera was brimming with joy.
• Emmanuel's team of more than twenty people celebrated the closing of a twenty-million business deal.
• What excited them the most was that Emmanuel joined in on the celebration and drank with them.
• Eleanor did not want to attend the party since she suffered from years of depression and would rather be alone.
• However, Emmanuel commanded her to stay for the celebration as her leader.
• On top of that, her colleagues also insisted that she stayed. In the end, Eleanor had no choice but to accept the invitation, so she called Juliet and asked her friend to pick up Evangeline from school.
• The woman did not enjoy being in the lively room, though. On the contrary, she felt quite uncomfortable sitting there since she did not appreciate the occasion.
• When Eleanor received a call from Juliet, she was greeted by her friend's broken voice. It sounded like Juliet was on the verge of tears.
• “Evangeline has been kidnapped, Eleanor. I couldn't stop the kidnapper. What should we do?”
• Smash!
• Eleanor's cup slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground, shattering into a million pieces.
• Suddenly, the entire room became dead silent as everyone shifted their attention to Eleanor.
• “What's wrong, Ms. Cabot?” inquired Tiffany concernedly.
• Panicking, Eleanor immediately grabbed her phone and rushed out without explaining herself.
• Everybody in the room began discussing among themselves, “What happened?”
• Emmanuel knew something was wrong because only matters regarding Evangeline could get Eleanor that flustered.
• After appeasing the crowd, the man went after Eleanor.
• “What's wrong, Eleanor?” asked Emmanuel while staring at the woman's tear-stained face.
• “Emmanuel, Evangeline's been kidnapped,” answered Eleanor, her eyes filled with pain and a sense of loss.
• Having lost what mattered most to her, she seemed so pitiful that it was heart-wrenching.
• Freddie was waiting in the car, but when he saw what happened, he rushed over to Emmanuel and questioned, “What's going on, Boss?”
• “Evangeline's been kidnapped,” replied Emmanuel coldly with his fists clenched.
• Suddenly, Eleanor received a message on her phone. Her hands shook as she opened the message containing a photo and an address: Factory Number Three, Summerbank. Emmanuel has to come alone in half an hour, or we'll kill the girl!
• In the picture was Evangeline bruised and lying motionlessly on the floor. However, she was holding a photo in her hand.
• The same one Emmanuel, Eleanor, and Evangeline took at school.
• “Evangeline!” cried out Eleanor hysterically.
• The mother's desperate wailing was heart-rending, and it quickly caught the attention of countless passersby.
• Emmanuel was stunned for three full seconds after seeing the photo. Even though the man did not get too emotional, his eyes turned blood-red while his body trembled.
• A vein popped out on his forehead as he became as terrifying as an infuriated wild beast.
• Freddie shivered violently when he noticed what was happening to Emmanuel. Intermittent explosive disorder... Boss is having another episode.
• Emmanuel was expelled from his family in his youth because he suffered from the intermittent explosive disorder. He would have an episode whenever he was enraged.
• Back when Emmanuel's brother-in-arms died in battle and got their bodies carried away, he went berserk and slaughtered thousands of his enemies alone, armed with only a steel spear.
• Covered in blood, Emmanuel finally retrieved his comrade's body after leaving a trail of dead enemies in his wake.
• The man was titled Chanaea's God of War afterward and continued to grow so strong that no one in the world could infuriate him.
• However, Emmanuel exploded in anger after learning that Evangeline had been kidnapped.
• Seeing the girl in the photo pushed the man off the edge and drove him into a frenzy of rage.
• If Emmanuel were to go on a rampage, nobody would be able to stop him from destroying the entire city of Summerbank.
• Then, the man walked toward the Rolls-Royce parked by the roadside and kicked a hole in the door on the passenger side before pulling out an intimidating steel spear.
• “I'm going to save you, Evangeline.”
• Emmanuel dragged the weapon across the stony surface while making his way toward the suburbs, accompanied by flying sparks and a loud screeching noise.
• Boom!
• Lightning flashed before the rain poured down heavily from the sky.
• Eleanor widened her eyes as she watched Emmanuel leave. Quickly, she turned to Freddie. “What... What is he doing?”
• “H-He's going to destroy the world for Evangeline. Whenever the God of War picks up his weapon, lives will be lost!” Gulping, Freddie had nothing but fear in his eyes. It's over. It's all over. Emmanuel's going to paint Summerbank red with blood this evening...