The price of betrayal (Jack and Ashley) novel Chapter 541

Soon, the gates of the Washburn family's residence opened once again.

Duane stood at the center, his gaze sweeping across the dense crowd opposite him. With just one glance, he spotted Fang, standing under an umbrella held by one of his men.

"You must be Mr. Fang!"

Fang looked at Duane and said flatly, "No need for small talk. Hand Mr. Preston over, and I'll leave immediately."

Duane smiled and said, "I've long heard of your unparalleled strength, Mr. Fang. Not only did you defeat Mr. Lynch, but you also earned the loyalty of numerous powerful figures. Seeing you today, I realize your reputation is well-deserved.

"We Washburns, however, have not had the chance to congratulate you properly. That's a failing on our part, and as the head of the family, I must offer my personal apologies to you, Mr. Fang."

With that, Duane politely gave a slight nod toward Fang, showing him full respect.

However, Duane then continued calmly, "That said, if your intent is to come after members of my family—especially my son, the future head of my family—don't you think that's asking too much? So, how about this instead?

"It's raining heavily outside, and the weather is far from ideal, why don't we move inside to have a proper conversation? Rest assured, I promise to give you a satisfactory resolution. You won't leave empty-handed. What do you say?"

With those words, Duane waved his hand, and the security personnel behind him immediately cleared a path for Fang.

Fang slowly turned to the side, taking a machete handed to him by his subordinate. He pointed the blade directly at Duane.

"If you don't want to die, hand over your son immediately. Otherwise, I'll make sure your family's blood flows like a river today!"

Fang's threat had its effect. At that moment, Duane felt an intense and undeniable sense of danger pressing down on him.

Duane took a deep breath. He then looked at Fang and said in a low voice, "There's no need for us to resort to swords and bloodshed. Fang, you can see clearly yourself. Setting aside the future consequences, even right now, if my family were to resist with all our might, you'd hardly gain anything in return.

"So, why don't we talk instead? You already know we've formed an alliance with Mr. Norberg, so you must understand the strength of that alliance. We control vast resources, extensive connections, immense wealth, and now we even have the Spirit of Life Serum in our hands."