Marcus'' devastatingly handsome face remained cold and unreadable,pletely unmoved by Maverick''s gut-wrenching screams.

    "Help! Somebody help! He''s killing me! Please! Anyone!"

    The louder Maverick screamed, the harder Marcus'' foot pressed down on him. Eventually, the pain became too much, and Maverick cked out.

    Marcus did not even spare Maverick another nce. His deep, cool voice cut through the air like steel as he said, "Get the doctor and tell him to wake Maverick up."

    "Yes, Marcus," Taylor answered immediately before turning and rushing to the next room to drag Den Woods over.

    Den had already heard the screams from where he was. Marcus'' presence was so cold and overwhelming that Den trembled with fear, not daring to get any closer.

    Taylor gave him a firm shove. "Go on, Den! That''s Marcus Holden, Natalie''s husband."

    Den worked for Goodwill Pharmacy. He could handle most injuries, but if it came to major surgery, they would have to send patients over to Dithoria State.

    Originally, Maverick only had a few broken ribs. A quick wrap-up here, followed by a surgery in town would have been enough. But based on those agonizing howls, Den suspected that the nearby town''s facilities would not be enough to save

    him now.

    "You''re the doctor here?" Marcus finally turned to face him, his stare sharp enough to cut.

    Den nodded frantically. "Yes, Marcus. Hello, Marcus!"

    "Then, get over here and do your job," Marcus said as he sat down at a nearby chair. "Wake him up."

    "Yes, Marcus." Den rushed over.

    After a quick examination, he gasped. Maverick''s thigh bone had been shattered. If he did not get hospital care soon, he would probably be limping for the rest of his life.

    Even so, Den did not dare say anything-not even a word. He quietly got to work and finally managed to wake Maverick up.

    "Dr. Woods, please get me into surgery! I''m not staying here!" Maverick panicked the moment he opened his eyes and saw Den.

    Den said awkwardly, "Maverick, if you want out, you''ll need permission. Natalie''s still here, and you just led an attack on her and her team. Do you really think she''s going to let you walk out for treatment?"

    Taylor stepped forward, adding to Den''s words, "Besides, Marcus is in charge now. Whatever you need, you''ll have to ask him."

    At that, Maverick instinctively turned toward Marcus, still sitting in the chair. However, the second heid eyes on him, he shrieked like a madman.

    "Shut up." Marcus'' voice sliced through the room like a de. He stood, then walked to the crushed bed and stared down at the miserable wreck that was Maverick.

    He added, "Ashford Vale is getting a new name."

    "A-A new name? W-What name?" Maverick stammered as if he stared at the devil in human skin.

    Marcus replied calmly, "From now on, it''s called Hell Vige. With a beast like you in it, this ce is hell. But today, this beast dies."

    With a flick of his wrist, a sleek, sharp de suddenly appeared between Marcus'' long, elegant fingers. He raised it high and pointed straight toward Maverick''s eye. Then, he let go.

    Maverick let out a blood-curdling scream and squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the pain. But after several seconds passed and nothing happened, he cracked one eye open in fear-only to see the knife back in Marcus'' hand.

    Marcus said coldly, "Maverick, you have two choices now. You either die or surrenderpletely to Natalie. From now on, she and her team are in charge of this ce. If you dare cause another incident, I won''t hesitate to kill you. Qut here, no one would even know if a man suddenly disappeared."

    His sculpted features were ice cold as he stared at Maverick. It carried the kind of

    lethal weight that made it feel like death could arrive at any second.

    Maverick was terrified. He had been beaten into submission by Natalie before. However, even her strength did not carry the same sheer horror this man radiated.

    When Marcus said he would kill him, Maverick believed it.

    "I''ll listen to Ms. Natalie! I''ll listen to Ms. Natalie!" Maverick cried, trembling all over. He was in agony, but fearpletely crushed his ability to argue.

    "Elijah."

    "Yes, sir." Elijah entered the room carrying a metal case.

    "Imnt the explosive chip into him," Marcus ordered as he stabbed the knife straight into Maverick''s right palm.

    Maverick screamed again, louder than before. He had already surrendered, so he could not understand why this man was still doing this to him.

    Marcus'' face was cold and unflinching. "Destroy his right hand. That''s the hand he raised against Nat."

    "Understood, sir." Without a word, Elijah walked over and crushed Maverick''s right hand without hesitation.

    Den and Taylor stood to the side, both of them shivering. They had heard rumors about Marcus, the sole heir to Holden Group. He was know for his ruthless decisions and cold blooded reputation. Crossing him was like picking a fight with the Grim Reaper.

    And now, seeing it firsthand, they knew every word of the rumors had been true.

    Elijah finished destroying Maverick''s hand, then imnted the explosive chip into

    his body. Once everything was done, Elijah turned to Den.

    He said, "You''re the doctor here,

    right? The rest is up to you. Don''t let him die, He''s still useful as an

    example. And I know you''ve got met

    surgical room in this ce. You only send people to Dithoria State when the case is extreme."

    Elijah grinned and added, "So, go ahead and prep him for surgery. I''ll be taking control of Ashford Vale soon, and I want every viger to learn what happens when they cross the line."

    Snapping back into action, Den nodded quickly. "Yes, I''ll get him into surgery immediately. But I''m short on staff, so go and get Zane."

    Zane was part of Goodwill Pharmacy and held every medical certification under the sun. For someone like Maverick, who was not worth saving in the first ce, Zane would be more than enough.