Riley Dixon looked around. The room was a mess. His brows furrowed when he saw Helen.

Her makeup was smeared. Her cheeks were swollen. Her messy hair was stuck to her body. Her skirt was torn and revealing. The wine all over her body was still wet. Her hands were holding a broken wine bottle.

Very well. So, she was the heroine of this farce.

Riley went to Helen's side and asked in an emotionless voice, "New here?"

Riley took a cursory glance at her. Helen met his eyes and immediately felt a shiver down her spine.

Only long-time higher-ups had that kind of gaze. His eyes might look calm on the surface, but a storm was hidden within. The air about him was so awful that Helen's ruthlessness vanished in an instant. Only the fear was beside her.

She knew him. Everyone in Shadewharf knew him. He was famous for his sobriquet, "the Devil Incarnate". If the world were divided into black and white, he was a ghost wandering between them. It was no exaggeration to say that he single-handedly built the entertainment industry of Shadewharf and revitalized its dying economy. The booming showbiz gradually brought Shadewharf international fame till it was laurelled as the Sin City of the East.

Now, the legendary man was standing vividly right in front of her and looking condescendingly at everything. The plethora of rumors resurfaced in Helen's mind. As for Darrell, he was scared and quiet. A wry smile was on his face. Helen was glad to see that but panicked inside.

Darrell was savage, but in front of this man, he was nothing but a pussy cat. Even a tough character like Darrell was terrified. She caused trouble in his place and broke the rules made by him. How would he punish her? She tried to imagine the consequences but had no clue of her end once she was in Riley's hand.

Met with her silence, Riley reached out to grab the bottle in her hand. Helen instinctively tried to resist. When his cold fingertips touched her skin, however, she felt like being caught by a snake. Her grip suddenly loosened, and she uncontrollably took one step back.

Riley saw her reaction and snapped, "Who taught you such manners?"

Helen's face blenched. She clenched her fists with all her strength and tried hard to ignore her racing heartbeat. After taking a deep breath, she faced Riley and said, "It's not my fault. He started it."

There was a round of gasps.

People didn't know whether they should admire her for her courage or sympathize with her for her foolishness. Without saying a word, Riley lifted his hand and smacked her. Once again, Helen fell to the floor. The broken glasses went into her palms and drew blood.

Riley didn't even bother to look at her. Instead, he instructed those behind him, "Take her away. I'll punish her later."

Then he glanced at Malaya and the other barmaids, saying, "You should leave too."

When Malaya went past Riley, the latter noticed a bruise at the rim of her left eye. He didn't need to ask her to know who the attacker was. His eyes glared at Darrell, who cringed uneasily.

Riley leisurely walked to the sofa and sat down. As silent as the grave, he placed the broken wine bottle in front of his eyes and studied it as if it were an artifact.

Darrell had no idea what Riley was up to. The wound on his head hurt like hell. He felt a little dizzy, maybe because he had lost too much blood. If it went on like this, he would bleed out.

He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Sir…"

With a bang, the wine bottle in Riley's hand suddenly crashed by Darrell's side. The broken pieces splattered and cut Darrell, but he didn't dare to utter a sound.

Everyone, Darrell included, was shaken by Riley's sudden move.

Riley lifted his eyelids and asked, "No one can stop you, really?"

Darrell's heart sank. So, this man had heard his speech. He was so out of luck!

"Sir, I… I was drunk and impulsive. This won't happen again!"

Darrell disregarded his reputation, fell to his knees, and begged for mercy.

"A reminder is needed to ensure it. Pick a finger."

Darrell repeatedly apologized, "Sir, I was wrong! I won't be a fool and forget about the rules ever again. Sir, please give me a second chance!"

"Do you think that you can enter this place again?" Riley said, winking at his men. A knife was then delivered to Darrell.

While Darrell was kneeling on the floor, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. His trembling hand took the knife, but he couldn't do it.

Riley's patience ran thin. He stepped on the back of Darrell's other hand and barked, "Since you dare to cause trouble under my nose, you should take the consequences. Or do you need me to find you another place?"

Darrell understood his implication. He only had two options. Cutting off his finger or getting out of Shadewharf. Darrell had been accustomed to throwing his weight about. If he were kicked out, his enemies would come after him. He might be killed in the wild tonight.

Darrell glanced at Riley. The latter's icy gaze made his heart tremble. As if he had been dead, Riley showed no emotions. That was when Darrell knew that his begging was pointless. In the end, he held the knife, hesitated, closed his eyes, and bit the bullet. Amid a courageous roar, he hacked down. His blood then splattered.

Satisfied with the result, Riley got up and instructed the club manager, "Spread the word. Take him as an example."

"If anyone dares to stir up trouble in Prime Time and challenge me, a severed finger will not be enough."

Darrell almost fainted with the sharp pain. Upon hearing Riley's words, he summoned up his spirit and kowtowed to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Sir! Thank you for forgiving me for my fault! Thank you for your clemency!"

Without even a glance at Darrell, Riley strode out of the booth and disappeared.

Darrell picked up the finger. His eyes were full of resentment. With the help of his men, he then hastened away.

The room was left in a mess.