Chapter 112 Not Even The Wrights âMs. Lindsey, could you please give me a bit of personal space?â
Finnegan had just stepped out of the car in the Kathleen Mall parking lot when Lindsey pressed close to him.
She was dressed in a short strapless dress adorned with a floral pattern. Her makeup was light, lending her a more youthful and sexy appearance than her typical composed, capable demeanor.
She was catching the eyes of men all around. However, Finnegan felt somewhat overwhelmed.
Lindsey linked her arm with his as if they were a couple. âDonât you get that this is about keeping up appearances? Most people can only dream of having such a beautiful woman like me by their side. Iâm sure theyâre all jealous of you.â
âJealous? Iâm starting to feel like theyâre looking at me like they want to beat me up out of sheer envy.â
Lindsey rolled her eyes at Finnegan and let out an annoyed snort. âYouâre impossible!â
Linked arm in arm, they strolled into Kathleen Mall toward a restaurant Lindsey had reserved ahead of time.
âMr. Larkin!â
As they neared the entrance, a cheerful female voice rang out, sounding delighted.
Finnegan turned, his gaze immediately drawn to the source of the voice. âMs. Miles.â
Sasha, dressed in a couture dress that elegantly accentuated her figure, approached them.
The arrogance that had accompanied Sasha during her initial encounter with Finnegan had now dissipated. âMr. Larkin, are you here for some shopping? And who might this be?â
Her gaze, brimming with curiosity, shifted to Lindsey.
Is Mr. Larkin a scumbag? I thought he was in a relationship with Bernice. Yet here he is, with another woman Meanwhile, Lindsey went on her guard, her fingers instinctively tightening around Finneganâs arm.
Her protective stance left no doubt that she was safeguarding her territory.
Finnegan winced in silence as a sharp pain shot through his arm.
Hug my arm all you want, but could you kindly spare me from pain?
However, Finnegan found himself without much choice except to put on a tough front. âWeâve come for lunch. This here is Lindsey Jennings, a senior at my sisterâs school. Weâre just good friends. Ms.
Lindsey, Iâd like you to meet Sasha Miles.â
As for Sashaâs background as the daughter of Gilbert, the wealthiest man in town, Finnegan reckoned there was no need to bring it up.
Sasha shot him a knowing look while nodding. It was plain as day that she wasnât buying Finneganâs story about them being mere good friends.
Still, she stretched out her hand for a shake. âA real pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Jennings Lindsey released her grip on Finnegan and returned the shake. âLikewise, the pleasure is all mine.â
The handshake was brief.
âMr. Larkin, can I be forthright and ask if youâd mind if I joined you guys for lunch? Our paths crossing isnât a common occurrence, after all.â
Lindsey frowned.
Why bother asking when you know youâre being rude? And whatâs her deal with Finnegan? Sheâs pretty charming.
Finnegan felt relief wash over him at Sashaâs words, as he had been worried about how heâd have to be alone with Lindsey.
âGet out of here! How dare you cause a ruckus in Kathleen Mall?â
However, before Finnegan could respond to Sasha, a commotion erupted. Seven bodyguards forcefully ushered a young man toward the exit, or more accurately, kicked him out.
The young man grunted in pain as he hit the ground, rolling a good two or three meters.
When the young man looked up, revealing his swollen face, Finnegan rushed forward without hesitation. âCasper!â
The young man was none other than Casper. Finnegan and Casper were as tight as siblings as they had grown up together.
Casper was stunned when he saw Finnegan. He quickly wiped his blood from his nose.
âFinnegan, what brings you here? Do me a favor and pretend you didnât witness all this. And please, keep it from my mom and sister.â
Casperâs face was bruised all over, and he even had footprints on his back.
Finneganâs face clouded over as he turned to the bodyguards. âWhy did you hit him?â
Sashaâs face went pale.
The mall was Gilbertâs gift to Kathleen for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
A sense of impending doom crept over Sasha, given that Finneganâs friend had been beaten up by the mallâs security.
The head of security flashed a smile that dripped with condescension. âHeâs the one causing a scene here at the mall. Besides, so what if we beat him up because we didnât like how he looked? This place is registered under Mrs. Miles name. Got a problem with that?â
Finnegan helped Casper to his feet, his expression dark.
âIs that so? Well, how about I give you a taste of your own medicine since I donât like how you look either?â
âHahaha!â The bodyguards erupted into laughter as though theyâd just heard the worldâs funniest joke.
Finneganâs expression grew even darker as he headed toward the security personnel.
Casper shouted urgently, âFinnegan, donât!â
Sasha grew anxious as well. âMr. Larkin, I-â
Before Sasha could finish, Finnegan unleashed a roundhouse kick on the leader of the security guards.
Caught off guard by Finneganâs sudden attack, the security officer was sent flying before crashing through a glass door.
A hush fell over the mall as onlookers stared wide-eyed at the unfolding spectacle.
Is this guy out of his mind? The mall belongs to Mr. Miles! He has some guts to cause trouble here!
The head of security clutched his chest and bellowed, âQuick, this guyâs trouble too! Take him down!â
The remaining guards snapped back to their senses, brandishing stun batons as they charged at Finnegan.
1 Sashaâs expression shifted. âHold on. Everyone, stop!â
Nonetheless, Finnegan paid her no heed, and the guards were so consumed by their fury that they completely disregarded Sashaâs pleas.
The other reason was that the guards didnât recognize Sasha. Otherwise, they wouldnât have dared defy her wishes.
In one swift motion, Finnegan reached out, seized a stun baton from a guard, and delivered a blow to his head.
A resounding thud echoed as the guard collapsed to the floor with a scream of pain, blood oozing from his head.
The remaining guards stood stunned by Finneganâs unrelenting aggression.
However, Finnegan didnât allow them the chance to recover from their shock and rethink their actions.
He lunged into their midst, wielding the stun baton, and swiftly incapacitated them, one after another.
Broken arms and legs were the result of their confrontation with Finnegan; having a bleeding head was considered a minor injury.
Within a minute, all seven of the security personnel lay on the ground, wailing in agony.
âHow dare you create such chaos at Kathleen Mall?â
Just then, the manager of the security department arrived on the scene, flanked by a group of around a dozen security personnel.
Casper swiftly pulled Finnegan aside. âLetâs go. This place is owned by the Miles family. We canât afford to get on their bad side.â
Finnegan dropped the stun baton onto the ground. âThe Miles family? I couldnât care less if this mall was run by the Wright family!â
âSurround them,â the security manager ordered after grasping the situation.
Sasha rushed forward. âBrandon Nord, you need to stop!â
âD*mn it! Who the hell said my name?â Brandon seethed with anger as he loathed being addressed by his full name.
His bravado, however, crumbled instantly when he spotted Sasha storming toward him, her anger palpable. âM-Ms. Miles!â
Slap!
Sashaâs palm connected with his cheez about?â
in a resounding slap. âWho were you just b*tching Brandon quickly tried to explain. âMs. Miles, I didnât realize it was you. I never meant to say anything disrespectful, I swear.â
Slap!
Sasha, however, disregarded his explanation and delivered another tight slap. âYouâre fired, effective immediately!â
âMs. Miles, I know I was wrong. Please reconsider firing me!â
However, Sasha knew she had no choice but to do that if she wanted to appease Finnegan. She paid no heed to his pleas and pivoted to address the remaining guards. âClear the path, everyone, or youâll end up like Brandon!â
None of the security personnel dared to move a muscle at this point, having witnessed their managerâs dismissal.
Hence, they swiftly made way for Sasha.
Finnegan cast them a frosty look before shifting his attention to Casper. âWhy did they hit you?â