Chapter 139 - 139

"Mr. Juan?" One of the men dressed in a suit asked as he approached the family that was happily chatting amongst themselves.

Ian could tell that they were celebrating something, probably the fact that Mike and Armand had been apprehended. With the success of the mission it was clear that they would get what they wanted from the Reyes Group.

"Who is asking?" Manuel responded to the men as he glared at them.

"Where are the security staff?" His mother asked as she looked around and waved at a waiter.

"They let us in, madam, so will you let us know who Mr. Juan is?" The man asked again.

"Yes, ma'am?" The waiter that Mrs. Juan had called, asked..

"Please call for security, these men here are harassing my family." She complained as she pointed at the group of men in suits. 

"I will speak to my manager and see what we can do." The waiter said with a bow as he left towards the kitchen. 

The manager was there making sure that the CEO's meal would be perfect. 

Ian glanced at Marco, he knew that the Reyes Group would never allow for their customers to be humiliated or harassed on their watch. Something was suspicious about the events that were slowly unfolding.

"Do you have any idea about what is going on?" Ian asked Marco as he gave the older assistant a curious glance.

"Ian, Ian, Ian." Marco said as he shook his head and placed a hand on Ian's shoulder. "You should learn to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show." Marco said with a chuckle as he pointed towards the commotion at the center of the room.

"Marco, you gave them your word that the Reyeses wouldn't interfere with my grudge with them." Ian said with a sigh as he shook his head.

"We didn't interfere." Marco said with a sly grin.

"What do you mean?" Ian asked, "It's clear that these people are here with the approval of the Reyes Group. Add to that the fact that I have no power to go after the Juans. They are better connected and have more money."

"Ian, you really underestimate yourself." Marco said with a laugh. "As the CEOs assistant you have more connections than they will ever have. Your word is enough to move mountains. You both need to realize that."

"But I thought you weren't going to get involved?" Ian asked, he was still confused as to what exactly was going on.

"We didn't. That's why everyone you had contacted is still going to pull out from their partnerships with the Juan family." Marco said with a grin as the waiter returned in a rush.

"The manager said we were not to interfere." The waiter said as he bowed and left.

"Not to interfere?!" Mrs. Juan shouted. "What bullshit is this?!" She asked.

"Mom." Manuel's sister said as she began to blush. "Mom you need to calm down, we are in public, what if someone who knows us is here. Don't embarrass us."

"Don't you know who these men are?" Mrs. Manuel asked her children and her husband.

"Ma'am we assure you, we are nothing but honest businessmen that come to collect a debt that is owed." The man said in a professional tone.

"What debt?" Mauel's father asked. "We have no debt. Yes we have loans but those will all be paid off with the projects and partnerships we have lined up." 

"Sir, you have no projects or partnerships left." The man told the elder Juan.

"What?!" Manuel's father asked as he sat up. "That's a lie, just this month we had at least fifty!" 

"All of them called to inform us that they have pulled out from their partnership with you because you are known for turning on your partners." The man informed Mr. Juan.

As if on cue, Ian heard a commotion at the entrance of the restaurant.

There was a man trying to push his way in as he began to argue with the waiters and security guards. It was clear that he would cause a scene, but the staff just let him.

"I need to get to my boss! He needs to know! I'll be quick, I promise." The man shouted as he tried to find a way through.

Ian saw as the waiter shook his head and said something. He simply assumed that he was still rejecting the man's request to enter the restaurant.

"What do you mean the safety of your patrons?!" The man asked angrily. "My boss is in there potentially harassed and humiliated, is this the way the Reyes Group treats it's customers?"

Ian noticed that a smile had formed on Marcos lips as he waved a waiter over and whispered to him. 

If this wasn't interfering then Ian didn't know what was.

The waiter walked over and whispered something to the guards. Upon hearing what Ian had asked him to say, the guards turned towards their table.

Marco simply nodded and the man was allowed through.

He quickly dashed towards the table at the center where the Juan family was seated.

"Garcia." Manuel said as he was surprised at the sudden appearance of one of their employees. "Did I not tell you not to disturb us tonight?" He said in an annoyed tone.

"I know, sir, but something terrible has happened." The man Manuel had called Garcia said as he panted. 

"Did you run here?" Manuel asked as he gave the man a disgusted look.

"There was no other option." Garcia told Manuel.

"Then what is it?" Manuel's father asked as he ignored the men in suits.

"Sir, all of our partners have pulled out, and for some reason all of our creditors have come knocking asking for us to pay them." Garcia said as he tried to get the whole sentence out.

"Impossible, we have years left on those debts!" Manuel said in shock.

"As I was saying, on top of all of your partners pulling out, a reliable source informed us that you would never recover from this slump." The man in the suit said. "Unfortunately for you, the people you owe money to, well they can't wait. So either you come with us or we drag you out." 

Manuel turned pale upon hearing the news, it was clear that he thought this was the worst that could happen. Unfortunately for him, their misfortunes were only just beginning.