Chapter 173 Just Friends?

"Take her back? Hahaha, do you think my place is a vegetable market? Come and go as you please?"

Douglas laughed uproariously, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, rocking back and forth.

"Then what do you want?" Qin Feng narrowed his eyes, his tone turning gradually chilly.

"It's very simple. Kneel down, kowtow to me three loud times, and then crawl out of here. Then I'll let you both go. How about that?" Douglas flicked the ash off his cigar and ground it viciously into the floor with his heel.

"You—"

Hearing Douglas hurl such insults at Qin Feng, Avril was instantly consumed by anger. Just as she was about to retort, Qin Feng stopped her.

"Fine, I agree."

Qin Feng took a deep breath, suppressing the burning rage in his chest, and spoke slowly.

"Qin Feng, you—"

Avril stared at Qin Feng in sheer disbelief, completely failing to understand why he would agree to such an unreasonable demand.

Qin Feng gently patted the back of Avril's hand to reassure her, then turned around and walked toward Douglas.

At the sight of this, a triumphant smirk spread across Douglas's face.

It was as if he could already envision Qin Feng kneeling before him and begging for mercy.

Just as Qin Feng reached Douglas and made a motion to bend down, a cold flash cut through his eyes. With the speed of lightning, he shot out, clamped his hand around Douglas's throat, and hoisted him entirely off the ground.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. By the time everyone else reacted, Douglas had already been subdued by Qin Feng, his face turning red and his breathing labored.

"You... what do you think you're doing?"

Douglas squeezed the words out with extreme difficulty from his throat, his eyes filled with sheer terror.

"I told you long ago, you're not in my league when it comes to playing games."

Qin Feng gave a cold smile and applied a slight pressure with his hand. Douglas felt as though he were suffocating, his hands flailing wildly at Qin Feng's arm, but it was all to no avail.

Seeing this, the surrounding bodyguards raised their weapons and aimed them squarely at Qin Feng, yet they dared not make a rash move for fear of harming Douglas.

"All of you, stand down!"

Douglas managed to wheeze out, "Let... let me go... I'll... I'll let you take her..."

"Wouldn't it have been much easier to just say that earlier? Why bother wasting time?"

Instead of letting him go, Qin Feng used Douglas as a human shield just in case.

"Anyone who doesn't want to die, stand down!"

The bodyguards exchanged glances, none of them daring to act impulsively.

In their eyes, Douglas was a ruthless figure; who knew what the consequences would be if they truly angered him?

"Qin Feng, you'd better let me go! The Ross family is not someone you can afford to mess with!"

Douglas made a pathetic attempt at a fierce threat, trying to use his family's reputation to cow Qin Feng into backing down.

"The Ross family? Are they supposed to be impressive?"

Qin Feng sneered, tightening his grip even further.

"In my eyes, your so-called families are nothing more than a mob of scoundrels."

A suffocating wave of agony washed over Douglas, his vision turning dark at the edges. He finally realized that the young man before him was far from being as simple as he appeared on the surface.

"Okay... okay... I'll... I'll have them drop their weapons..."

Douglas spoke in broken, stuttering breaths, his voice turned raspy by the lack of oxygen.

"Now that's much more reasonable." Qin Feng smiled with satisfaction and released his grip.

Douglas clutched his neck, coughing violently, the look he cast toward Qin Feng brimming with virulent hatred.

Yet, he still obediently ordered his subordinates, "Drop... drop your weapons! Let... let them leave!"

Though resentful, the bodyguards did not dare to defy Douglas's command and lowered their guns one by one.

"Let's go." Qin Feng took hold of Avril's hand and walked out without looking back.

Avril trailed closely behind Qin Feng. It wasn't until they stepped out of the villa and breathed in the fresh air that she felt her heartbeat finally returning to normal.

"Qin Feng, thank you. If it weren't for you, today I would have..."

Avril looked at Qin Feng with deep gratitude, crystal tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Don't be afraid. With me here, no one can hurt you."

Qin Feng gently patted the back of Avril's hand to comfort her.

However, what Qin Feng did not know was that an even greater crisis was lying in wait for them.

"What? Douglas, that good-for-nothing, actually let someone slip right under his nose?"

"Preposterous! It's an absolute disgrace! Investigate! Spare no expense to drag them back!"

Francis, Avril's second eldest brother, was utterly incensed.

He had originally planned to wait until Douglas stripped Avril of her assets before making his move.

Never did he expect that Douglas would actually allow someone to escape right from under his own eyes!

Francis's furious roar echoed through the entire room, and with a kick, he sent the rosewood coffee table flying.

The priceless antique tea set shattered into countless pieces, yet this did nothing to quench the raging fire in his heart.

"Useless! A pack of worthless fools!"

"Calm your anger, sir! That fellow Douglas has always been unreliable. We'll dispatch men to search for them right away and make sure to bring that punk and Miss Avril back!"

A sycophantic voice chimed in—it was Francis's most trusted confidant.

"Search? How are we supposed to search? The entirety of Las Vegas belongs to us, can that punk possibly grow wings and fly away?!"

Francis roared furiously, "Let me tell you, Avril running off is one thing, but if she leaks the family's secrets, we're all going down!"

"Please calm down. I've already sent men to trace their movements, and I believe we'll have news shortly," the middle-aged man said cautiously. "Should we perhaps contact the main family first and ask them to dispatch some experts?"

Francis took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain some composure.

"You're right, we cannot let that brat escape! Contact the family immediately and have them send their top-tier experts here to drag them back without fail! Furthermore, lock down all information—under no circumstances is this matter to leak out!"

"Understood!"

The middle-aged man accepted the order and departed. Left alone in the room, Francis walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed out at the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.

"Avril, did you really think you could escape the palm of my hand? Once I catch you, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

...

Meanwhile, Qin Feng sped all the way with Avril, finally arriving at a secluded villa on the outskirts of town.

This villa was a safe house left behind previously by Yang Tianchen, making it extremely covert.

"Are we safe now?"

Avril's face was pale, clearly still shaken from her recent ordeal.

"Temporarily safe."

Qin Feng led her into the villa and poured her a cup of hot water, handing it over.

"Francis won't just let this go. This place is only a temporary haven."

Avril accepted the cup, holding it tightly with both hands.

"Thank you, Qin Feng. If it weren't for you today, I would have—"

"Stop talking nonsense. Aren't we friends?"

Qin Feng smiled, attempting to lighten the mood, but the worry in Avril's eyes refused to dissipate.

"But earlier, didn't you—" Avril bit her lip, trailing off mid-sentence.

"I said it before, we're friends."

Qin Feng cut her off, knowing full well what Avril was about to say.

"Just friends?"

Avril murmured softly, a trace of imperceptible loss coloring her tone.