From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 487

“As for Lucas, he’s the one who did this to me. My hands are for doing experiments, now they’re messed up because of him. Asking him for a million dollars isn't unreasonable, right?”

Teddy took a calm sip of water, completely thrown by Leon’s bold demand. He was still debating if he should slap Leon awake, when the hospital room door suddenly swung open. Six burly men in black suits and sunglasses filed in, silent and imposing.

“What... what do you guys want?” Teddy stammered, startled. Just looking at these guys, there was no question—they were trouble.

None of them answered him. Instead, one looked straight at Leon, who was lying injured on the bed, then stepped forward. “You’re Leon, right?”

Leon froze in place, scared out of his mind. He didn’t know whether to admit it or deny it, so he just stared at the man, wide-eyed and silent.

The man in black had no patience for games. He grabbed Leon by the collar and yanked him right off the bed like he weighed nothing. Leon panicked, kicking and flailing as he desperately denied it.

“It’s not me, I swear! He... he’s Leon!” Leon stammered, pointing at Teddy.

Teddy couldn’t believe Leon would sell him out like that. He almost laughed out loud at how ridiculous this was. Shaking his head, Teddy dug Leon’s ID from his pocket and handed it to one of the men.

“Here. This is Leon’s ID. You can check.”

The man in black shot a glance at the ID, then at Leon sprawled in front of him. His face twisted in annoyance. Without warning, he slapped Leon hard across the face.

“Trying to mess with us? You picked the wrong people.”

The slap left Leon completely quiet. It was like all the fight had left him. He just lay there, stunned and motionless.

Now the man turned his icy glare to Teddy. His voice was low and cold. “You’re done here. Leave.”

Teddy pulled out Lucas’s bank card, handing it over with a dry laugh. “That guy’s seriously unbelievable...”

He filled Lucas in on what Leon had demanded, leaving out the part about the guys in black. He really didn’t know who those men were, and mentioning them would only complicate things.

After listening, Lucas felt even more certain he’d done the right thing. Suddenly, even his noodles seemed unappealing. “Let me guess, you haven’t eaten either?”

Teddy realized as the smell hit him that he was starving. He nodded. “No, I came straight here from the hospital. Anyway, I’m heading out. Need to grab something to eat, I’m about to pass out.”

“Hang on, don’t leave yet. Let me take you out for a real meal, my treat. It’s the least I can do after you handled all that for me.”

Lucas stopped him at the door, quickly changed his clothes, and the two of them left campus together, climbing into Teddy’s car.