Chapter 472: Chapter 473

Chapter 473 A Hundred Bottles of Wine To Empty The man’s inflection had the warmth of jade, yet it had the coolness of the thawing snow in spring.

Natalie’s taut heartstrings were given a reprieve. She glared at the man who had shielded her behind him, bewildered.

If not for his timely appearance, her right eye would have probably been laid to waste there and then.

When one of Gerik’s subordinates went down with a broken wrist, the fearfulness of the other was apparent when he regarded Bastien.

“What are you standing there for! Get him!” Gerik yelled. “Pull a knife on them and show them what’s what!”

The subordinate spat and brought out a switchblade which he unsheathed before he charged in Bastien’s direction.

“Die!”

With a kick, the blade was sent scuttling across the floor by Bastien’s deft foot before it even got anywhere close.

Though disarmed, the man sprawled on the floor remained obviously undeterred. He reached across for that switchblade in anticipation of using it against Bastien and Natalie afterward but Bastien was quicker and beat him to the punch.

He got to that blade first and then stabbed it cleanly into the back of that man’s hand.

“Argh—” Accompanying that man’s bloodcurdling scream was a blinding spurt of crimson that splashed across the floor.

Like a god amongst men, Bastien’s movements were swift and decisive, and he transited from one motion to another without pause.

This was sufficient to send Gerik staggering back in horror.

“It’s... This is all a big misunderstanding. We don’t have to get violent. Let’s talk this out, like proper gentlemen.”

“Okay.” Bastien nodded.

Thinking that the worst was over, the blandishing Gerik began to quietly rejoice in the belief that his counterpart had agreed to a truce and would not be pushing things any further.

That was, until Bastien’s men arrived.

Looking at the two writhing on the floor and the third stricken upon the couch, Joseph asked, “What shall we do with these lot, Mr. Nine?”

“Bring in a hundred bottles of wine.”

Bastien’s men were highly efficient and managed to lug in a hundred bottles of expensive wine which they laid neatly before Gerik.

“T-This is?”

“A gentleman would use his mouth before he lifts his hand. Here are a hundred bottles of wine. Finish them all without leaving a single bottle unemptied and without spilling a single drop, and you’ll be free to walk away.” There was not a single billow between his brows when he spoke. “My men will supervise this personally, and you shall be penalized, another bottle for every drop you fail to clean off!”

Gerik’s eyeballs almost popped.

This is wine, not water! Drinking a hundred bottles of water is already no joke, never mind a hundred bottles of wine. This is way crueler than getting stabbed in the gut!

“This... This is sheer torture! I was in the wrong and I see that now, so would you not show some mercy and let me off?” Gerik’s legs went limp beneath him and brought him onto his knees. “I’d never do anything like this again!”

Bastien showed no interest whatsoever in the man’s remonstrations.

“Put someone on him, Joseph.”

“Will do, Mr. Nine.”

Natalie was a little lost in thought as she regarded this man addressed as Mr. Nine.

She did not pay him too much attention before, but now that she had, she found that this man was quite on par with Samuel in the looks department.

Regal and elegant, and with an aura of airy sensualism about him, he was somewhat pretty in an inexplicable way.

As an expression of her gratitude for taking care of that dastardly trio, Natalie extended a bow toward Bastien.

“Thank you, Mr. Nine.”

“Do you know me?” Bastien asked, smilingly.

“I don’t.” She shook her head. “But since your subordinates address you that way, I suppose that it would be fine for me to do likewise.”

Then, Natalie was reminded of Wendy. She was about to drag her bum leg with her in search of the latter when she turned and saw Wendy with her face awash with tears.

“I was so scared for you, Boss!”

Traumatized by her ordeal, Wendy clung to Natalie while her tears flowed ceaselessly.

I suppose that she must have been terrified from her ordeal with these b*st*rds.

“Hush. Hush now!” Subtly smiling, Natalie returned Wendy’s embrace while she patted the latter lightly upon her back.

“Everything’s all right now. It’s already been taken care of. I won’t allow anyone to force you to do anything you don’t want to so long as I’m around.”