Chapter 1039 - 538: Blood Spilled on the Spot (Part 2)

The entire venue was suffocatingly silent due to the terrifying storm beneath Joshua Hughes’s eyes. Even speaking had become hushed, as no one wanted to offend this man. Especially when he heard Tate Hunter suggesting that Avery Jane go out for a drink and chat tonight, his face turned ashen. Clearly, his emotions had reached their limit.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the dealer’s hands, as she slowly spread the cards one by one. Tate Hunter’s mind was blown apart, like it had exploded. He had definitely seen the shuffling, and even if it was fast, he was certain he hadn’t seen incorrectly: the Ace of Hearts should be the tenth card from the bottom. But now, the tenth card was an Ace of Spades. His eyesight wasn’t failing him; he couldn’t possibly be mistaken, given the stark difference between red and black. This confidence was why he dared to provoke Joshua Hughes in front of so many people. If his woman was his for the night, Joshua would never dare show face in Las Vegas anymore, let alone help Edward Parker. But this turn of events was too unexpected, leaving Tate Hunter’s mind blank, like it was filled with glue. He snapped his head back to look at the expressionless dealer. All the dealers for the past three days had been brought over from the casinos in Las Vegas, but who could have guessed?

"Take action." Joshua Hughes suddenly had a razor-sharp knife in his hand, its thin blade shimmering with a cold light. He moved as swiftly as lightning, and a silver flash left the knife firmly embedded into the table in front of Tate Hunter.

The tension was wound tight at the point of greatest strain. Was blood about to be spilled on the spot?

Joshua Hughes stood tall and straight, like he’d been forged in the most mysterious of nights. His eyes carried a faint bloodthirsty aura, creating the strongest contrast with the serene and gentle woman beside him. Yet when the two stood together, they felt so right, contradictions merged within his overwhelming affection. He was as vast and boundless as the dark night, while she was the lone star in the night sky...

Tate Hunter shook his head in disbelief and took two steps back. "Impossible! I clearly saw she couldn’t possibly have the Ace of Hearts in her hand. I want to search her..." Apparently, even the dealer from their own casino had been bought off by Joshua Hughes. He was unwilling to accept this. If he lost today’s battle, he would lose even more face than Edward Parker. Not to mention losing three of his fingers. Without those fingers, he would never be able to gamble again, nor take over the family business.

"You really are a sore loser..." Joshua Hughes looked at him, his deep eyes erupting with a murder-like light, tearing the silent air apart. His handsome lips curled into a wicked cold smile as he moved forward. Suddenly, his strong and fierce iron fist slammed into Tate Hunter’s stomach. The force was brutal; Tate’s hand clutched the table to keep from falling, and yet he felt the terrible pain as if his ribs had been smashed apart.

"Joshua Hughes, you’re going too far," came an angry shout. Vincent Hunter stood up from the center position, boiling with rage and anxiety at his son being bullied like this. Today’s situation would be hard to resolve, but he hadn’t expected Joshua Hughes to dare hit someone in front of so many eyes. The bodyguards behind Vincent Hunter, their expressions tense, stepped forward as well, as if a bloody fight was about to break out. Everyone present was worried that if the fight truly began, it would be impossible to stop.

"If anyone else said that, I wouldn’t find it odd, but from your mouth, it sounds so strange? Just a small lesson for him, so he knows not to even look at my woman twice, nor think twice about her. This is my first and last warning to you: mind your words, or not even God can save you..." Joshua Hughes suddenly grabbed Tate Hunter’s right hand sharply, and Julian Carter moved like a flash, raising and dropping his knife. Dark red blood sprayed across the table, staining the playing cards.

The horrid, scream-like cries nearly pierced everyone’s eardrums. The severed hand with its three missing fingers looked gruesome and terrifying. The entire large venue was immediately filled with the heavy scent of blood...

Joshua Hughes was exactly as rumored, ruthless and mad. This was in Las Vegas, and it was merely a game; was it necessary for him to offend the toughest character in Las Vegas just to please a woman?

Avery Jane stared at the dark crimson blood gushing forth, watched Tate Hunter shaking and convulsing as he held his severed fingers, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat. Many years ago, her father was like this, wasn’t he? No, even worse, watching as the woman he loved most suffered the most horrific humiliation, and then having three fingers chopped off. She closed her eyes softly, wondering how her father’s heart felt when he used his blood-soaked severed fingers to hold her mother’s battered and abused body. Maybe she would never truly understand, but it must have been heart-wrenching pain.