Angela bowed her head in complete submission. “Yes… yes, I am in,” she replied slowly. Antonio grinned broadly. “Then it's a deal.” He stood up straight. “You slut… come over here!” the leader shouted after Angela. Anthonio glanced over at them and then back at Angela, who rose and saw them violently pulling the twins away from Jace. “Angela!” the twins cried out. “Get your hands off them!” she yelled in frustration and ran towards them to take the twins back, but the leader grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, his chest pressed against hers. “You are not ready to pay, then pay with something else?” Before Angela could tell him she would pay the money, a flying punch came, pow pow pow, hitting his face three times. For a moment, no sound was heard in their surroundings. Everyone went into shock and froze. Angela, Jace, and the twins watched the man struggle to breathe, his nose misshapen. “Boss!” his subordinates gasped in disbelief. “I told you to keep your low-life fingers off her. Remember, you asked for this.” Antonio's voice came, still calm and disinterested. Angela's mouth hung open, and the twins cried out in terror. That was when she pulled herself together and hid their faces from the scene. “You piece of shit, you’ve got a dead wish!” the large man yelled angrily and attacked him with a dagger. Anthonio dodged effortlessly, like a child playing with a toy. He grabbed the man's other hand and knocked the knife out with a kick. The man stood there in shock and panic. “What the…Fu” The rest of the words were cut off by a punch that shifted his jaw. Angela closed her eyes as her stomach rumbled at the sight of blood squirting from the man's mouth. He fell down like a mighty log. Jace was beyond impressed but also wondered if Anthonio's knuckles were made of steel. Every hit resulted in broken skin. “I don't want any trouble, Mr. Anthonio,” the last man said, pointing a broken glass at him, his hands shaking. He was the one who recognized him first. The other two were on the floor, the second man aware of his surroundings, groaning in pain, while the leader lay there still unconscious. Antonio wiped his face with his other hand. “I hate those local rats.” A groan came from the leader as he regained consciousness. Antonio's dark eyes stabbed him. He squatted, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him to meet his face. “You... tell me… how much does she owe you?” The leader could only groan in pain. “Do you need another hit for a brain reset?” Anthonio growled and clenched his fist, ready to strike. The leader's eyes opened wide. “Sorry sir, sorry… it's… 80,000 bucks, please don't hit me…” Antonio dropped him; the sound of his head hitting the ground was enough to knock him back into unconsciousness. “Boss!” one of his subordinates gasped. Anthonio took out his phone and stood up straight. “Details.” The large man quickly took out his phone and handed it to him, his hands trembling. Antonio copied the details. Angela and the twins were hugging themselves, hiding their faces from the brutal scene. Jace was the only one who watched the exchange until the end. The two men didn't wait for him to finish the transfer and tried to run away. “You jerks! You're gonna leave him behind?!” his voice thundered. They looked back at their leader and exchanged terrified glances. “Sorry sir… sorry sir!” They bowed and ran to help the leader. “100,000 sent, get medical treatment for your little man.” Antonio threw the phone onto their boss's body. “Tha… thank you for sparing us, sir.” The two men bowed and quickly carried their boss, limping in pain. “Also…” They froze at the sound of his voice, chills running down their spines. “If any of you lay a finger on her… or disturb her family, I will find you… and this time you won't need medical treatment, but embalming treatment for each of you.” Their faces mirrored those in a horror movie, but even more terrifying. “Yes sir!!” they replied simultaneously and rushed out of the place as fast as they could. They got to their car and drove off. “Yes! That’s what I’m talking about, pow pow pow!” Jace said excitedly. The twins were celebrating too, although they were terrified by the sight of blood on the floor. “I got my hand stained with the blood of a low life,” Antonio lamented, staring at his hand as if it was damaged. “Thank… thank you,” Angela's voice muttered in front of him. “It was a business transaction, Freckles. It’s your turn now.” He smirked. Jace rushed to him, almost knocking Angela aside in excitement. “You are super strong. You are my role model! Let me see your hand, brother-in-law. I have some first aid in the house.” “What difference is it going to make? You are both low lives, plagues,” Anthonio muttered. “Huh?” Jace replied, confused. Angela arched her brows. “If you are so worried about class, you shouldn't be here, breathing the same air with the same low lives.” “Don't act as if I wasn't forced to be here,” he replied dryly. Angela growled angrily. “You know what? I am sick of your almighty and 'higher than thou' behavior.” She stormed back into the house, the twins following her. Jace's smile faded slowly as he saw his sister in that state. He looked at Antonio, but he seemed very relaxed and not bothered at all. “Why are they like this? Aren't they supposed to be in love with each other?” he thought. He sighed, then went inside the house and brought out a basin of water and the first aid kit. “May I?” he said gently, pointing to his bleeding knuckles. Antonio glanced at him. “Your sister can do it.” “She won't, she is really angry,” Jace replied sharply. Antonio didn't say anything else, so Jace went ahead to treat his wound. “I am grateful for what you did for us. It wasn't easy growing up without an older brother. At times like this, I feel so useless that I won't be able to protect my family. I won't be able to provide for them or pay our rent. I know you might say you are still young and in high school, like Angela will always tell me, but I do go for part-time jobs and still was unable to make it work. Angela was the one doing the work of a big sister and a big brother… today she was trying her best but it wasn't enough. I am grateful that you helped her… you don't know this, but… she sincerely appreciates it.” Anthonio never had to listen to a conversation this long. “My ears are bleeding, what the hell is with this kid,” he pressed his eyes in frustration. Jace expected him to say a word, but he didn't. He was almost done dressing his wound. “Can I ask you a question?” Antonio hesitated. He really wanted this conversation to end but… well… that sister of his better compensate him with a good blowjob after this stress. “Go on,” he said dryly. “Do you really love my sister?” It was a question Antonio never imagined. “Huh?” Jace looked up at him, directly in the eyes this time. “Do you love Angela?”