My Second Chance
Copyright© 2026 by BillMax
Chapter 23: Animals Must Be Whipped
Laughing and talking, the two entered a boutique restaurant specializing in regional American cuisine and sat down in a private room.
Lighting a cigarette for Marcus, Serena Blake said apologetically, “This matter today, it’s all because I’ve been irresponsible before, only knowing how to eat, drink, and be merry, and still troubling you to make a special trip here for such a trivial amount of money. But, Marcus, believe me, every word you said to me that night, I’ve remembered in my heart. From now on, I will definitely work hard to sort myself out and make something of myself following your lead. If I mess around again, you won’t even need to kick me out—I’ll roll far away myself! So ... so...”
“So, if your brother has a bad attitude later on, I should be more tolerant, right?”
“No need to tolerate, no need to tolerate,” Serena Blake quickly gestured with his hands. “If Marcus could be ... slightly more patient, that would be enough.”
Seeing the awkward and embarrassed expression on this young master’s face, Marcus laughed.
“Actually, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying oneself. As long as it doesn’t impact what’s important and doesn’t hurt others, you should enjoy life as you wish. It’s your right and your freedom. Equating playfulness with unreliability is a traditional view of the older generation. I didn’t expect your brother to be so conservative. Don’t worry! Your brother’s weight is far from enough to make me angry.”
“That puts me at ease then.”
Serena Blake chuckled awkwardly, and it was unclear whether he was truly at ease or just forcibly calm.
Before long, the door of the private room was pushed open, and two men walked in.
The one in the lead was of medium height, with a seven-to-eight resemblance to Serena Blake, his hair meticulously combed and wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looking very bookish.
Just from appearance, the eldest son of the Blake family, Sienna Blake, indeed seemed much more reliable than the irresponsible Serena Blake.
“Big brother, you’ve arrived!” Serena Blake stood up.
“Let me introduce you. This is my big brother, Sienna Blake. Big brother, this is the God I told you about, Marcus Hale.”
Serena Blake quickly introduced both parties in a single breath, but Sienna Blake just brushed past him as if he didn’t exist.
“Hello, Mr. Blake, pleased to meet you.”
To save face for Serena Blake, Marcus reached out his hand to greet him first.
Sienna Blake didn’t even look at his hand and swept his gaze over him arrogantly before waving to someone behind him.
The secretary following him stepped forward and tossed a plastic bag onto the dining table.
The bag was not tied, exposing the bright red banknotes inside, totaling five stacks—fifty thousand dollars.
“Big brother, what ... what do you mean by this?” Serena Blake asked, bewildered.
Without looking at him, Sienna Blake said indifferently, “I have another meeting soon and don’t have time to dine with riffraff. This money is both for the drink fee and a warning. I hope Mr. Hale knows what’s good for him.”
After finishing his words, he turned and left. Serena Blake grabbed him, eyes glaring, and said, “Sienna Blake, you better clarify your words to me!”
“It’s clear. Mr. Blake sees me as a street swindler,” Marcus spoke up. “This fifty thousand dollars is a fee for buying your freedom—also known as a courtesy payment, or road money. By the rules, if I take the money, any scam I’ve set up on you must cease immediately. Unexpectedly, the distinguished eldest son of the Blake family is also so familiar with the ways of the underworld. Just on this point alone, Serena, you’re quite lacking!”
Sienna Blake turned back with a cold glance. “Since Mr. Hale understands, then he should also know that the only reason I’m giving you this money is because I find it bothersome and don’t want to waste the effort.”
Marcus nodded with a smile. “Indeed. For a nobleman like you who counts money by the minute, the time cost of dealing with a swindler is far greater than fifty thousand dollars. Mr. Blake knows how to do business well. In this sense, Serena seems to fall short.”
Sienna Blake snorted. “Good! Mr. Hale is a smart man, you...”
“Sienna Blake!”
Suddenly, Serena Blake raised his voice. “Marcus is my brother, and even if you are my real brother, you have no right and no qualification to humiliate him!”
Sienna Blake chuckled, looking at him as one would look at a yapping Chihuahua, filled with disdain.
“You’re wrong. Precisely because he’s your brother, I want to humiliate him. Because anyone you associate with, you included, are nothing but garbage that wastes food in my eyes!”
Serena Blake’s face turned red, his eyes full of humiliation and anger, his fists clenched tightly, as if he would pounce on Sienna Blake and fight him at any moment.
“Serena,” Marcus called out to him and asked, “how many shares do you own in Summit Holdings?”
Puzzled, Serena Blake answered, “Seven percent.”
Marcus did some mental calculations and then asked, “How much money are you planning to ask for this time?”
“Five million.”
“Do you trust me?”
“I trust!”
“Good!”
Marcus’s gaze turned back to Sienna Blake. “Mr. Blake, although you know a lot and can do business, you really fall short of Serena by more than just a tiny bit when it comes to being a person. Previously, I even boasted to Serena that someone of your level didn’t have the qualifications to anger me. Now, I must take back those words. Not because of your insults toward me, but because the things you said as a brother to your own little brother were way too beastly. And a beast needs to be whipped a few times to learn to behave.”
Sienna Blake was taken aback, then burst into laughter. “Now that would be something to see. I’m curious, Mr. Hale, what do you plan to use to whip me with?”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.