Chapter 316 - Kneel Down

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

“Mr. Sullivan, we’re sorry for being late!” The three men walked up to Garrett Taylor but completely ignored him. The only one that mattered to them was Hunter Sullivan.

They gave a deep bow in unison, their expressions as humble as they could be.

Hunter Sullivan glanced at his watch. “You guys are ten minutes late.”

Fear was evident in the eyes of the three men being reprimanded. “Mr. Sullivan, we…”

They tried to explain themselves, but the other cut them off. “A slap for every minute.”

Hunter Sullivan’s words made him seem like a lunatic to the villagers. ‘Does he know who these people are? They’re the three most influential businessmen in Greenwich—William Duggars, Finley Kennedy, and Emery Kleine! He’s stupid enough to try to hold Elder Taylor hostage, but how could he not recognize these three men? In fact, he even asked them to slap themselves! Isn’t he just courting death?’

Everyone shared the same thoughts, yet the unexpected happened—the trio started slapping themselves!

Besides, they didn’t even seem like they were simply putting on an act. They weren’t sparing any effort in slapping themselves.

‘What is going on?’

Very quickly, the three had slapped themselves ten times. Stuttering, the men then asked hesitantly, “Will that do, Mr. Sullivan?”

Hunter Sullivan didn’t put them in the spot. After all, he would need them to resolve this matter later on. “I asked you over because I needed a favor from you.”

Although the three men were prominent figures in the city, they were at the bottom of the rank when compared to Hunter Sullivan.

Hearing the latter’s words, the three men felt their hearts leap out of their chests. “Mr. Sullivan, don’t say that. You can just give your instructions.”

Hunter Sullivan didn’t beat around the bush and pointed at Diane Taylor. “She’s my distant relative, and that’s her mom. A few outsiders started renting a place in the village. They helped her mother out only once, and rumors started circulating in the village. Can you deal with it?”

The men were no strangers to such a situation. They quickly nodded before turning to the villagers. “Who’s in charge here?”

Garrett Taylor was already trembling in fear. Nonetheless, he stepped forward. “Me—I’m the eldest here.”

Hunter Sullivan released his grip on the old man.

William Duggars glanced at the man before casually asking, “Have you heard of the rumors?”

“Mr. Duggars, you can’t say that. They’re not just rumors; many of the villagers here personally witnessed it.”

The other man chuckled; he was used to seeing others lie to him. “Who saw it? Tell me all about it.”

He then grabbed hold of a random person by his side. “Come on. Why don’t you tell me what you saw?”

The person in William Duggars’s grasp had indeed stood out earlier, saying that he had seen it happening. But now that he was facing William Duggars, he was so terrified that his legs gave way. “N-nothing. I didn’t see anything.”

William Duggars then turned to the rest. This time, he grabbed hold of Hilda Acre’s husband—Hudson Taylor.

The couple had made the biggest fuss just moments earlier, so everyone was waiting to see what he would say.

“I-I didn’t see anything either.” As expected, he crumbled in front of this influential figure.

“Who was the fiercest earlier?” William Duggars questioned the villagers. He was going to pick out the one who had blown this whole matter up.

Silence!

Nobody dared to say a word.

“Alright. Since nobody is saying anything, all of you are culprits.”

Eventually, the villagers caved under duress.

“She was the one; her name is Hilda Acre. She hates Gloria Kennedy, so she gave us money and made us collude to malign Gloria.” Someone pointed at Hilda Acre, spilling the beans.

The latter became the center of attention.

“So you’re the one?”

Hilda Acre was flustered now that she was being singled out by William Duggars.

“No, I’m not.” She subconsciously backed away as she said so.

“Hurry up and spill it. Did you accuse her of doing something she didn’t?” William Duggars pulled the woman over.

The latter recognized him. ‘There is only one way out if you go against William Duggars—death.’ 

She couldn’t help but panic.

“Don’t get angry over this, Mr. Duggars. This…” Garrett Taylor tried to sweep this matter under the rug.

“Old fart, I’m already giving you enough respect. Who do you think I am? If you dare to lie one more time, I’ll make sure you won’t leave this place alive today.”

The villagers knew that William Duggars meant what he said. ‘Even if she wants to die, we don’t want to die just yet.’

“Hilda, hurry up and spill the truth.”

“Yes, hurry up! We all know that you were lying. What’s the point of keeping up this act?” Everyone who had previously been on her side was now turning against her.

Eventually, Hilda Acre could no longer hold it in. “That’s right. I made it all up to accuse Gloria Kennedy.”

William Duggars let the woman go. He wasn’t one to attack women anyway.

Garrett Taylor was the one he was after. Without that old man’s support, the villagers never would’ve dared to do such a thing.

“Kneel down!” Garrett Taylor was already in his nineties, yet William Duggars was asking him to get down on his knees!

The old man felt as though his life was being threatened.

“Mr. Duggars, Elder Taylor is already 92 years old.”

“If you don’t get down on your knees, I’ll make sure everyone from your family dies. I always mean what I say. Do you want to make a bet on that?”

‘Betting with William Duggars? Of course, we wouldn’t dare to do that. Who knows how many people he has killed to get to where he is today? Do you think he’d care if he has to kill us too?’

“I…” Garrett Taylor felt that he would lose all dignity if he were to kneel down, yet none of the villagers wanted to be sent on their way with the old man.

As such, someone stepped forward to kick Garrett Taylor in the knees. At his age, the old man had probably been seriously injured.

Yet, he had brought this all upon himself. As the eldest in the village, he should’ve treated everyone fairly. Instead of doing so, he had indiscriminately maligned Gloria Kennedy. Since he had created this situation, it was only right for him to face the consequences of his decision.

“Why aren’t you guys kneeling too? Don’t tell me that you weren’t a part of this.”