For someone like him, a celebrity entrepreneur, the truth was that most ordinary working-class people in New York hardly knew his name.
"Come on, everyone, look! This man wants us to pay him twenty thousand dollars just because my nephew accidentally spilled a little pepper powder on his pants. This is robbery, the cruelty of the rich!"
Wilson quickly uploaded the video to YouTube. But with only a dozen followers, mostly drinking buddies and a few coworkers, it failed to gain any traction for the time being.
Tom's family thought they had come out on top. Wilson spat viciously in the direction Aetheris walked away, though his gaze lingered on Hill's curvy figure far longer than it should have. Inwardly, he cursed that such good cabbage had been eaten by a dog.
The chubby boy bit triumphantly into his skewer of meat, then passed it to his mother. The white woman grinned happily, praising her son for being so sensible.
Only the white man looked uneasy. Though the stranger hadn't lost his temper earlier, the man could sense that beneath that calm expression was a volcano waiting to erupt. It didn't feel like the matter was over.
But what could he do? All he could hope was that this powerful figure wouldn't hold a grudge over such a small incident caused by his child. Surely, someone so important had no time to squabble with ordinary folk like them.
Ignoring the barking of a mad dog, Aetheris checked his watch. It was already past nine. He had no time to waste on these people at the bottom of society. He said,"Are you sure you won't apologize? Won't compensate me?"
The white man glanced at his stubborn wife, then at his careless son. With a sigh, he said,"Sir, I can have my son apologize, but could we let the twenty thousand dollars go?"
Only then did Aetheris notice him. Until now, the man had remained silent, and Aetheris hadn't paid him any attention. But when he saw the weathered face, etched with hardship, he felt a pang of softness. He replied,"Then I'll give you a chance. Forget the money. Just have this chubby boy come over and apologize to me and my companion. He must be sincere, and she must be satisfied."
"Tom, get over here and apologize to the lady!"
The man's tone was stern as he reached to pull his son forward. But the boy, unwilling to humiliate himself, darted behind his mother and stuck his tongue out at his father.
Seeing his father's glare, the boy pleaded, clinging to his mother,"Mom, I'm not apologizing! I won't! Stop Dad!"
He buried his face in her chest, rubbing against her as he whined. Clearly, he was spoiled rotten. The woman stroked his head affectionately and said,"Oh, he's just a child. He doesn't understand. If he doesn't want to apologize, then forget it. Why don't you do it instead?"
The man looked troubled. He stepped toward Aetheris and said,"Sir, I'm really sorry. I ..."
Before he could finish, Aetheris cut him off."So, what you mean is you won't have the boy apologize, and you won't pay either?"
Hill had stayed quiet the whole time. In her eyes, Aetheris had shown remarkable restraint. He hadn't struck anyone, hadn't cursed, and even when provoked by Wilson, he hadn't retaliated.
One had to remember this was a billionaire, a man strong enough to take on a Destroyer single-handedly.
Though puzzled at why Aetheris hadn't lost control, she kept her thoughts to herself.
But the white woman, seeing Aetheris press the issue, snapped. Her mind twisted, and she leapt up, shouting,"CNMD! Our man already apologized, and you refused the twenty dollars compensation. The kid is still so young. I'm warning you, if you keep yelling at us, you'll regret it!"
Her husband tried to restrain her, but she slapped him across the face."Useless! Afraid of him? You'd let your wife and child be bullied? So he's got a bit of money, what of it? I don't believe for a second he can touch me today!"
Emboldened by his mother, the fat boy joined in, making faces at Aetheris.
Aetheris was stunned by the woman's shamelessness. In his past life, timid as he had been, he had only seen such people on television or social media. Who would have thought that even after becoming Iron Man, he would still run into one?
He was so furious he laughed, stepped forward, and said,"The thing I hate most is anyone cursing my mother. I order you now to slap yourself across the face two hundred times!"
The woman, seeing him approach, steeled herself, lowered her head, and tried to ram him in the chest while screaming,"He's hitting me! He's killing me!"
Aetheris caught sight of her greasy, dandruff-ridden hair, as if it hadn't been washed in a month. Disgusted, he sidestepped and kicked her squarely on her flat backside. Pain shot through her as her body launched like a cannonball, crashing into the restaurant's barbecue pit.
Bang!
With a dull thud, her head slammed into the grill, knocking it over. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Burning coals spilled across the floor. Her hair ignited instantly, the searing pain jolting her awake with an ear-piercing scream.
She clawed at her head, rolling wildly on the ground like a hog in a muddy pit, howling in agony.
"Charlie! Charlie! Wilson! Help me!"
The glowing coals seared her skin, smoke rising, the stench of roasted flesh filling the air. Everyone in the restaurant gagged.
Moments ago, they had been enjoying barbecue. Now, watching a person grilled alive, their stomachs turned.
"Fuck!"
Her husband Charlie and her brother Wilson rushed forward. Charlie stomped frantically on her burning hair, while Wilson, desperate, grabbed a bottle of liquor from a nearby table and poured it over her.
Whoosh!
The fire flared even higher, flames leaping a meter tall. The alcohol fueled the blaze, engulfing her completely.
"Take off your clothes! Get them off now!"
The Native American restaurant owner, terrified of a fatal accident in his shop, shouted in panic.
The woman, hearing him, ignored the blisters forming on her hands as she clawed at her clothes. But it was winter, and she wore several thick layers. She struggled frantically, unable to strip fast enough.
(End of Chapter)
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