Chapter 3 Rough Play

• In no time, the convoy led by Iane came to a halt about five meters away from Huxley and the others.
• Sensing the gathering storm, passersby scurried away like frightened rabbits, their hurried retreat punctuated by the clatter of retreating footsteps. Instead, they chose to become wary spectators, huddled together at a safe distance.
• Twenty hulking guards, clad in the unmistakable colors of the Maclean family, erupted from the vehicles, forming a formidable ring around the scene. The door of a sleek, black Mercedes-Benz, nestled in the center of the convoy, purred open with an air of effortless luxury.
• Iane emerged, his tall figure and elegant bearing reminiscent of a bygone era. Yet, upon catching sight of Huxley, his handsome features twisted into a mask of disgust. "Freed from your prison cell so soon? What a fool!"
• The Fairchild family had put in a lot of effort to set up a marriage between Ian and Rexanne. Many people envied Ian because he was about to become the husband of Rivervale's most beautiful woman.
• But just two months before their wedding day, he found out she was cheating on him—with a hotel waiter!
• Ian's dream of marrying Rexanne was crushed in an instant, and he became the butt of everyone's jokes, known as the "cuckold king."
• For five years, he did everything he could to destroy Huxley and his family, but the anger inside him never faded.
• And today was the day he had been waiting for—Huxley's release from prison!
• Huxley smirked coldly, "Miss me, cuckold? Can't say I blame you. You never even laid a finger on your supposed beautiful fiancée before I took her virginity. I can understand why you're mad, but this. You've gone too far!"
• Huxley could comprehend Ian's resentment towards him, but his despicable actions had hurt his innocent family. Huxley couldn't forgive him!
• Seeing Huxley's deliberate action to provoke Ian, Candace wished she could shut Huxley's mouth immediately! This guy was trying to get himself killed, apparently!
• She took a deep breath, feeling powerless as she spoke, "Calm down! Please, just consider..."
• "F*ck off!" Ian shot Candace a cold look, "Or I'll deal with you too!"
• Candace flinched at his threat. She was scared, but she stood firm in front of Huxley. "No way!" she shouted. "You'll have to kill me first before you even touch him!"
• Huxley was surprised. He hadn't expected Candace to be so brave. He thought she was scared of the Maclean family based on what she'd told him earlier. But here she was, protecting him without fear. It was terrific how courageous she was!
• "You wanna meet your maker that badly? Fine!" Iane snarled. "Night Claw, Varg, go nuts! Don't hold back! I'll take the heat for it!"
• Night Claw and Varg were on the move the second the words were out.
• Candace's complexion blanched as primal instinct took over. Her eyelids slammed shut, and her hands flew up to shield her face, bracing for the violence about to unfold.
• Just then, a jarring double-thump and a symphony of screams shattered the air.
• Night Claw and Varg flew, propelled by an unseen force, before slamming unceremoniously into a nearby Audi.
• The luxury car crumpled with a sickening crunch, groaning under the weight of the two unconscious attackers sprawled across its hood.
• Fear, cold and sharp, snaked its way into Ian's gut. His body betrayed him, trembling uncontrollably.
• The remaining Maclean bodyguards were statues of shock, their faces mirroring the stunned disbelief of the distant onlookers.
• Gasps rippled through the crowd – what the hell just happened? The supposed threats were already floored before they could even wrap their heads around it!
• "Wait, ain't that Huxley Sioux? When did he get sprung from the slammer?"
• "Yeah, I've known that kid since forever. When did he suddenly turn into Mr. Tough Guy? Did he learn that in jail or what?"
• "Hey, isn't the big cheese over there, Ian Maclean?"
• "Sure looks like it! I mean, he got cuckolded, and that's a pill even the toughest guy would have trouble swallowing, let alone him."
• "Man, Huxley's in hot water. Even if he's got skills and can throw a punch, what's it worth against Ian Maclean? He's not someone us regular folks can mess with."
• Soon, folks started recognizing Huxley, and everyone was talking up a storm.
• Sensing something was off, Candace slowly dropped her hands from covering her face and carefully opened her eyes.
• Candace stared, jaw slack, at the two unconscious Night Claw and Varg slumped over the Audi. "Hold up... how the hell did that happen?"
• Huxley barely gave her a glance. "Move it, I got this. No need for someone like you to play hero."
• "You..." Candace shot Huxley an irritated look.
• What's with this guy? Such a jerk! Well, chalk up my goodwill to a waste of time!
• Regaining some semblance of control, Ian fixed Huxley with a venomous glare. "Okay, you got me. But don't think you can pull this stunt twice. You think you're some kind of one-man army against twenty of us? Get him, boys!"
• The remaining bodyguards charged forward, a wave of aggression rolling off them. Candace turned as white as a ghost, her body trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. "Oh no, oh no! There's no way he can fight them all!" she whimpered.
• But the next moment left her speechless. Huxley was a whirlwind of motion, a dark blur. Thuds echoed in the night as, one by one, the bodyguards went down in heaps, clutching their bellies and groaning in pain.
• "Is this dude some kind of freaking ninja?" Candace mumbled, still stunned.
• Ian stared, a look of pure terror creeping across his face. "No... this can't be real!" he whispered, his voice cracking.
• A murmur started to rise from the crowd. "Holy smokes, is this some kind of action flick? One guy against twenty? Total blowout!"
• "This Sioux dude's got some serious skills! He could be a movie star with moves like that!"
• The crowd in the distance went nuts, their jaws dropping in disbelief. Many rubbed their eyes, questioning what they were witnessing.
• Cool as a cucumber, Huxley turned to Ian and spoke slowly, deliberately. "Your goons are toast. Now it's your turn."
• Ian's face went pale, sweat dripping down his forehead like a faucet. "D-don't even think about it! I'm a Mclean! Mess with me, and you're screwed! And your whole family's gonna pay!" He kept backpedaling, throwing threats like empty bottles.
• Huxley didn't listen. He walked right up to Ian and smacked him across the face hard. Then, BAM! One punch sent Ian flat on his ass. Huxley rained down kicks like a hailstorm.
• "You ever stop to think about the day you had my legs busted? When you bribed your way to have me killed in prison? Did it ever cross your mind that you'd face this day yourself?" He gritted his teeth, his voice dripping with venom.
• "You stripped my parents of their jobs, crippled my dad, disfigured my sister, left them begging for scraps. Did you ever imagine it'd come back to haunt you? Karma's got a funny way of working, buddy. But you brought it all on yourself! Now it's time to pay the piper!" He continued to taunt.
• Witnessing Ian's beating, Candace felt a mix of satisfaction and concern. She was worried Huxley might go too far and kill Ian, so she quickly intervened, "That's enough! He's going to die if you keep this up!"
• "Relax. As long as I ain't aiming to send him six feet under, even if he's begging for it, he ain't kicking the bucket!" Huxley's expression twisted with malice as he intensified his assault.
• With a few sickening cracks, Huxley broke Ian's limbs. Why show mercy to an enemy? Being kind to enemies only harms oneself. Huxley was determined to make Ian pay!
• "You..." Candace wanted to say something but was silenced by Huxley's icy glare.
• "Don't forget, you're on my bad side too. I suggest you keep quiet!" The man's face was grim.
• There was no way Huxley was going to kill Ian in broad daylight, with everyone watching.
• He squeezed Ian, but seeing the poor guy was barely clinging on, Huxley's anger fizzled out.
• He let go, shot Candace a dirty look, and strutted off like a rooster.
• Candace watched him leave, gulped hard, and mumbled to herself, "D@mn, what kind of hell did he see in the prison all these years?"