Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 2173

If Andrew were still just the chairman of the Gabo Creek Chamber of Commerce, that title alone might not have been enough to make Freddie so proactive and enthusiastic. Nonetheless, Andrew was now the king of both the underworld and legitimate business in Gabo Creek.

Perhaps that was the real reason behind Freddie's eager hospitality.

…

Terror Town had a famous landmark called the Knowles estate. In this prime real estate area where every inch was worth a fortune, an entire manor sprawled across the land. This was a direct display of the wealth and power of Elijah's family.

"King of Gabo Creek… Yes, it's definitely him, no doubt about it," Harold Knowles, the head of the Knowles family, nodded as he looked at the documents in his hand.

Beside him stood Elijah, his face full of indignation, along with several family enforcers who radiated powerful auras.

One of the bearded enforcers growled, "Mr. Knowles Senior, so what if he's the King of Gabo Creek? It doesn't matter how strong an outsider is; he can't just waltz into our city and disrespect Mr. Knowles. Isn't that going too far?"

Harold's distinguished face showed little emotion as he replied calmly, "Gabo Creek might not be some grand powerhouse, but if he can dominate both the underworld and the upper society there, we can't underestimate him. As for what happened with Elijah, well… call it bad luck."

Elijah finally snapped, his fists clenched tight. "Dad, the Knowles family doesn't do ‘bad luck'. If anyone's unlucky here, it should be him! Last night, I was just fighting him for that rooftop spot at Sky Garden; it was nothing serious.

"Even if Andrew runs things in Gabo Creek, this is Terror Town, not some backwater province. When that bastard slapped me, he wasn't just slapping me… He was slapping the entire Knowles family. He was slapping you."

Before Elijah could answer, Harold sneered. "It's because we know how to borrow power from every side and go with the flow. If you only know how to charge in with brute force, no matter how tough you think you are, you'll be the one who ends up dead.

"Andrew is so young, yet he's already the King of Gabo Creek. Do you really think he's that simple? I'm telling you, even if he slapped you once, or 18 times, or even killed you, you still wouldn't be able to fight him.

"But you're lucky. You carry the Knowles blood, and our family in Terror Town won't ever allow itself to be trampled. So what if he's the King of Gabo Creek? He's nothing but an insect on our turf, and he'll have to crawl."

By the end, Harold's expression had turned vicious.