Chapter 296 - 294: Is She Your Sister?

Just then, the other group seemed to notice them. Their constant, intermittent glances were bound to make anyone uncomfortable.

A short, dark-skinned young man walked over to Golden Blade and whispered a few words, his gaze fixed in Ethan Sterling’s direction the entire time.

A cigarette dangled from Golden Blade’s lips as he held a pool cue in one hand. Hearing this, he narrowed his eyes and looked over.

"Fuck, they’re looking over," Walt cursed under his breath. He tugged on Jameson Stone’s shirt and whispered a reminder, "Don’t start a fight. Just talk to them nicely."

Before Jameson Stone could respond, Golden Blade was already swaggering toward them.

Ethan Sterling tensed up instantly but still looked at Jameson Stone and insisted, "This is my problem, I’ll handle it. Don’t you say a word."

Jameson Stone’s brow furrowed. "Handle it my ass!"

A moment later, Golden Blade came to a stop in front of them, his eyes sweeping over them with disdain.

Golden Blade didn’t look very old. He had probably dropped out and started running with the wrong crowd early on, giving him a heavy air of a thug. He was clearly a street punk who did nothing but loaf around all day.

"What were you looking at?"

As Golden Blade spoke, his expression turned vicious.

"Nothing," Jameson Stone said calmly.

"Nothing?" Golden Blade jutted his chin out, a menacing glint in his eyes. "What do you mean, ’nothing’?"

"Your jacket," Ethan Sterling cut in, thinking on his feet. "I was telling him it’s a nice jacket and that I wanted to get one myself."

Golden Blade scoffed as if he’d just heard the world’s funniest joke. He looked at Ethan Sterling. "So you like my jacket?"

Ethan Sterling was incredibly nervous, but he forced himself to nod.

But in the next instant, Golden Blade’s smirk vanished. "You think we didn’t see you acting all sneaky with your phone just now?" he said viciously.

Ethan Sterling’s heart skipped a beat, but he was quick-witted enough to improvise. "I wasn’t being sneaky. I was just trying to search for the same jacket online to see how much it costs."

But Golden Blade just held his hand out to Ethan Sterling. "Give me the phone!"

Ethan Sterling’s palms were already slick with sweat, but he knew he had no choice. He couldn’t start a fight here. This was their turf; they wouldn’t stand a chance.

He took out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Golden Blade.

"Whoa, a new model. Must’ve cost you a pretty penny, huh?" Golden Blade said, weighing the phone in his hand and giving Ethan Sterling a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes.

The goons behind him were also sizing Ethan Sterling up. His down jacket alone cost a small fortune, but luckily for him, these thugs didn’t have an eye for luxury goods and didn’t recognize the brand.

Golden Blade scrolled through Ethan Sterling’s phone for a moment. Then, he raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.

He glanced up at Ethan Sterling and chuckled. "So this is what it’s about, huh?"

As he spoke, he turned the phone around. The screen was playing the surveillance video. Golden Blade lowered his voice. "Not bad, kid. To think you tracked me all the way here."

Hearing this, Ethan Sterling and Jameson Stone exchanged a subconscious glance.

’So it really is him!’

"Did you really kick my bike?"

Since the cat was out of the bag, Ethan Sterling decided to ask him directly.

"Yeah," Golden Blade nodded. He didn’t take Ethan Sterling seriously in the slightest and admitted it without hesitation. "It was me. The clothes are the same, you saw it yourself, didn’t you?"

The short, dark-skinned young man next to Golden Blade laughed along. "I was one of them. The other guy isn’t here today. What are you gonna do about it?"

"I’m not going to do anything. I just saw the clothes looked the same, but I wasn’t sure," Ethan Sterling said, choosing his words carefully to avoid provoking them. He knew he was at a disadvantage.

But his caution was lost on them.

Golden Blade pressed him aggressively, "So you’re sure now. What are you gonna do? Make me pay for it?"

Ethan Sterling shook his head. "No, the bike’s already fixed."

"If you didn’t want me to pay, why the hell did you go to the trouble of getting the surveillance video? You..."

Halfway through his sentence, Golden Blade suddenly realized something was off. His eyes went cold, and his expression hardened. He swore, "Fuck, you called the cops, didn’t you?"

Startled by the look in his eyes, Ethan Sterling froze for a second. Seeing this, Jameson Stone quickly jumped in. "We didn’t call the cops! Who would call the cops over a bike getting kicked a few times? They wouldn’t even bother with it!"

Golden Blade frowned, skeptical but not entirely disbelieving. Since he didn’t recognize the TREK brand, he thought the kid’s words might hold some truth.

He glanced from Jameson to Ethan Sterling, then spoke slowly, his tone dripping with provocation. "Even if you’re pissed, you’d better suck it up. And if you ever fucking stare at me again, don’t blame me for what happens next."

"And who exactly are you planning to be rough with?"

Just then, another voice rang out from behind the group. The moment he spoke, the expressions on Golden Blade and his lackeys instantly changed. They all turned around respectfully.

"Kai!"

Kai Sherman strode forward from the back of the crowd, which parted instinctively to let him through.

He looked to be about thirty, and his overall presence and aura were far more mature than that of young punks like Golden Blade.

He came to a stop, his gaze fixed on Golden Blade, his eyes clearly filled with anger. "Didn’t I tell you guys to stay out of trouble?"

Golden Blade flinched and quickly tried to explain, "Kai, I wasn’t causing trouble."

"If you weren’t causing trouble, then what’s all this?" Kai Sherman asked.

Golden Blade lacked Ethan Sterling’s quick wit. He was instantly at a loss for words, unable to even come up with an excuse.

Kai Sherman could clearly see his subordinate’s guilt, but since it looked like things hadn’t gotten too out of hand, he didn’t truly lose his temper.

Instead, he turned to Ethan Sterling’s group. "Were they bullying you? If they were, just tell me."

At his words, Ethan Sterling subconsciously glanced at Golden Blade, only to be met with a threatening glare.

’Besides, this Kai is their boss. Can I really expect him to stick up for me?’

’Obviously not. The only choice is to let it go and keep the peace.’

Seeing Ethan Sterling’s silence, Kai Sherman waved Golden Blade and his other goons away. "Go on, get back to what you were doing. And all of you, keep a low profile for a while."

As if granted a pardon, the thugs turned to leave. Seeing his chance slip away, Ethan Sterling quickly called out, "My phone..."

Only then did Golden Blade remember he was still holding the kid’s phone. He quickly held it out.

But in that instant, Kai Sherman caught sight of the lock screen wallpaper on Ethan Sterling’s phone.

His eyes widened. He snatched the phone before Ethan Sterling could take it back.

The wallpaper was a family photo: a mother, two older sisters, and Ethan Sterling.

Kai Sherman stared intently at the wallpaper for a few more seconds. Confirming that one of the women was undoubtedly Cecilia, his brow furrowed deeply. He looked up at Ethan Sterling and asked, "Is she your sister?"