Chapter 93: Watching the Bad Actor

Jude looked from the men around the cars back to Anna, then straightened up.

"Fine. I agree."

"Sir—" Anna started.

"It’s fine, Anna," Jude said, keeping his tone supportive. "Handle it your way."

Anna looked at him, then dropped her eyes.

"Decisive," Silas said, looking at her bloodstained sleeve. "Since she took a cut earlier, take 2 minutes to wrap the shoulder. Then we start."

Jude nodded, motioning for Anna to step back beside the Koenigsegg.

Near the rear fender, Anna lowered her voice. "Sir, we aren’t walking out of this cleanly."

Jude looked at her shoulder. "Move your hand. Let me see it."

Anna lifted her fingers, revealing a 3-inch blade cut across the muscle. She had taken a real cut to make the setup look legitimate.

Jude reached down, tore a strip of clean linen from the hem of his dress shirt, and wrapped it securely around her arm, pulling the knot tight.

Anna stood close as he worked. The entire confrontation was scripted to force Lawson into a loss, yet he was standing on the road bandaging her arm without hesitation...

She pushed the thought away.

"That should hold," Jude said, finishing the knot. "If their guy is too much, step back immediately. Don’t take extra damage over this."

By the SUV, Silas watched them with a faint smirk, amused by the scene.

"Time’s up," Silas called out, nodding to his lead enforcer. "Get it done."

The point man ignored Anna, stepped straight toward Jude, and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, lifting him onto his toes.

"Take your hands off him," Anna said, her tone flat.

The man looked over his shoulder. "What are you going to do with that arm?"

"I won’t say it again."

The man pushed Jude back against the car and turned toward Anna, rolling his shoulders.

"Hey," Jude called out from against the fender. "She’s already hurt. If you want a fight, step to me."

"She asked for it," the man said, while the other 7 men watched from the side.

"Anna, don’t force it," Jude added. "If you can’t match him, forfeit. Don’t worry about the terms."

Anna stood her ground, watching the man close the distance.

He stopped a step away, looking down at her. "Ready, girl?"

"Stop talking," Anna said. "Move or don’t."

The man laughed, glancing back at his crew. "She’s confident."

He turned back, his expression hardening as he lunged forward, reaching with his right hand to grab her throat.

His fingers never reached her collar.

Anna shifted her weight inside the movement, caught his wrist before the reach landed, and locked her grip into the radial nerve, twisting his forearm 90 degrees against the joint.

The man let out a sharp cry as the torque forced his shoulder down.

His knees gave out, hitting the asphalt with full force, his face going pale as he tried and failed to pull his trapped arm free.

By the SUV, the talking stopped immediately. 8 men stared in silence as their point man remained pinned to the ground by one hand.

______

Pinned to his knees in the headlights, the point man stared at the asphalt as the feeling left his right arm.

"You’re out of your depth," Anna said. She planted a heel against his chest and pushed him back.

The man landed flat on his back. Getting folded in 2 seconds by an injured woman in front of his crew had taken all the fight out of him. He scrambled to his feet without looking up and moved behind the armored SUV.

"Very clean," Silas said, looking at Anna with a nod. "Your security is capable, Mr. Lawson. Street muscle won’t do it tonight. Lucas... bring Master Liu out."

The doors of the trailing sedan opened.

Lucas stepped out first, adjusting his jacket with a smug look.

Behind him came Liu Guoping, a heavy-set man in his 50s wearing a dark silk jacket and cloth shoes. He kept his hands behind his back, chin lifted as he walked into the light.

Lucas looked at Jude and gave a sharp laugh. "Enjoying the drive, Lawson? What happened outside the school this morning gets settled right here."

Jude looked past Lucas, eyeing the robed figure before turning toward Silas. "Where did you find the theater act, Silas?"

Lucas bristled immediately. "Watch your mouth. Master Liu is an internal-striking specialist from Macau."

Jude turned his gaze to Lucas. "I was speaking to your father, Lucas. Sit down and let him handle it."

Lucas’s jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists.

Silas raised a hand to cut his son off, smiling faintly. "Lucas isn’t making it up, Mr. Lawson. His technique is unusual."

"Laugh while you can," Lucas added, spitting onto the gravel. "You won’t be standing in 5 minutes."

Jude leaned back against the Koenigsegg’s door. Every few years, another self-proclaimed grandmaster circulated through boardrooms, charging wealthy clients for private demonstrations until an amateur kickboxer took them down in 30 seconds.

"Anna, go ahead," Jude said quietly. "Keep your distance."

Whether the man was a fraud or had real experience made little difference, and letting Anna take the lead kept the scene moving.

Silas turned toward Liu with a slight nod. "Master Liu, keep it controlled. We’re setting boundaries tonight, not looking for a coroner."

Liu gave a dismissive nod. "Traditional martial arts were built for real combat, Chairman Vanguard, not gym sparring. Once full force is applied, stopping it is difficult, but I will keep them alive."

Silas looked back at Jude. "You heard him. Think about your options."

Jude laughed. "Do your people always give speeches before they move? Step into the lane and let’s see it!"

"Arrogant to the end," Lucas muttered. "Master Liu, put him down."

Liu looked at Anna, shaking his head. "I don’t make a habit of hitting women. Forfeit the match now and save yourself internal injuries."

"Save the talk," Anna said, stepping forward. "Set your feet."

Liu clicked his tongue. "You don’t understand the gap between street brawling and real discipline. Step forward," he called to the sedan.

A heavy-set assistant in loose trousers walked out, stopping 15 feet away from Liu in the middle of the road.

Liu took a slow breath, squared his stance, and moved his arms in a deliberate circle before thrusting both open palms forward toward the empty air.

A sharp gust of air cut across the gap.

Across the 15-foot space, the assistant buckled, took 4 stumbled steps backward, coughed a spatter of blood onto the road, and dropped onto his back.

Around the SUV, the guards watched in silence.

"Didn’t even touch him," one muttered.

Lucas grinned, stepping forward.

"Still think it’s a joke, Lawson? I brought him here specifically for you."

Liu kept his hands up for a couple of seconds, waiting for them to react, but neither Jude nor Anna moved.

Lowering his hands behind his back, Liu spoke evenly. "You’ve seen the technique. Step down while you can."

Anna spat onto the asphalt. "Done with the routine? Let’s go."