Hollywood Zenith

" Yeah, I thought it was an exaggerated rumor. Boy, you are good!"

Suddenly making a fuss, two big bald dudes garnered some attention from the young folks, but soon they went about their dance.

" I don't get it. I looked at your sign, 89, isn't that related to silver group gangsters?" Samuel asked.

He approached them because of it. For gangsters wearing their street sign was a show of telling others their affiliation. Some might find it absurd, but parading your connection would surely bring some heat from law enforcement. But it was not that black and white regarding crime syndicates.

" We are not associated with them, it is quite the opposite. The boss took them under their wings giving them right to wear our sign. They are basically disowned or should I said you wiped them out? Rothschild family really are ruthless!"

" Right, I thought they were respectable family but such power cannot be contained without some bloodshed. Am I right?"

" It had nothing to do with my family. They were acting on my orders, if you want to take revenge I am here for the taking. But be advised, hatred goes both ways."

" Look at this brat! Are you seriously threatening us?" the younger one seemed to mind Samuel's tone.

" Boy, Just a friendly advice. You shouldn't provoke someone in their territory, it can be a humbling experience but don't throw your life away so easily."

" I was never one to back down from a challenge. I might sound arrogant but believe me, I have dealt with worse." Samuel was not wrong; from the Medici family to the Kiyama yakuza, he had some wild experiences these past few years.

" We will see. Meet us at this place, the boss wants to see you. Also take care of the child, if you dared to hurt her I will go to end of the world to take revenge!"

" Child?"

" You- you really are naive kid. Didn't chiquillo told you anything about us?"

" That's odd. That girl is getting sloppy."

"..."

"I am Mateo, Liliana's third uncle."

" Daniel, the eldest."

" Liliana's family members? She told me few things but she never mentioned having uncles." Samuel didn't know what to say. Did he just threaten Liliana's uncles?

" It's just like her. We are not blood related but that doesn't mean we don't care about our chiquillo!" Mateo declared.

" You should pay more attention to her. I know she doesn't care if you mingle with other girls, but she is a sensitive kid." Daniel was milder. He knew little about how their relationship started, it was pretty unconventional, but as long as she was happy, he would not meddle in their affairs.

He had already tried that in the past, which didn't end well for their relationship. She used to be so close to them, but now she hardly mentions her family or background to others.

" It's not like that. I am not a womanizer! I would never hurt her."

" Che! Even I could tell those three girls got hots for you! I know you are handsome, but I was not bad in my days too!" Was Mateo boasting? How the hell should he respond to him? Samuel can only see a slightly rough bald man looking at him.

" Forget it. We are leaving. We will be waiting for you. The boss only said to deliver this message if any member catch you on the streets."

" Yeah, I will be there, and I am sorry for what I said before." Samuel promptly apologized. He didn't want to have a strained relationship with Liliana's family. After hearing what she told him, he tried to act as a bridge to mend her failing relationship with her family.

" No, I like your guts. Enjoy the rest of the evening."

They left after saying those words; it looked like a perfect opportunity had presented itself before Samuel.

...

...

...

" Sir? Do you want us to follow them?" While he was walking upstairs, one bodyguard came up to ask him. No one interfered because they knew their boss was someone who could handle himself.

They had seen him fight firsthand, and none could guarantee a win against him in close combat.

" It's alright. But call Steve over tomorrow, we have some work to do. You haven't gone rusty lately right?"

" No boss! We are ready for anything."

" Good. I will head up, keep up the good work." He patted him on the shoulder as he walked up to their deck.

When he arrived, the girls looked at him strangely.

" Who were they?" Maia asked. They were watching from the top as he interacted with Mateo and Daniel.

" It's nothing serious. I will tell you about it later. Let's get the party started!" Samuel refused to sour their moods with 'boring' talks.

" You know you can ask for help if you ran into any trouble." Paige said. She knew it was a foreign land for Samuel.

" They are right. I don't want you to get hurt again!" Iblis felt horrified when she remembered his gunshot incident.

" Relax, I am fine. It feels nice to know you all have my back." Samuel's charming smile was enough to convince them.

" What about Darren?" Iblis asked.

" I don't know. The last time I saw him, he chased a new chick." Samuel glanced down and saw him mingling with a group of blondes. He was laughing and drinking happily; he didn't expect much. Who was he to deny him?

They opened a few bottles of XO, and Paige seemed most accustomed to such occasions. After a few sips, she went to their private dance floor for a quick spin.

Iblis was not far behind; she was not very keen on dancing in public but seeing Paige gave her some strength.

Maia, however, just looked at them; it seemed like her first time here. She calmly enjoyed the side dishes without touching the alcohol.

" Not gonna try it? I thought you were a bad girl. It seems like I was expecting too much!" Samuel provoked her. He opened another bottle of Hennessy and poured himself a glass. It was not his first time trying it, but he always did it in moderation.

Well, it didn't feel as good as he expected. That's when Paige came over with a suggestion.

" Drink with the ice; it will be better." Following her suggestion, he poured himself a small glass of pure Hennessy and drowned it in one go.

She was right! It is definitely smoother than before. The bottles were already chilled, which helped with the taste.

" Go ahead try it. There is no pressure." Samuel gave a small glass to Maia. As soon as she took a sip, she frowned. It was completely different from her usual top-quality red wine. She really couldn't do it, drinking how the others were doing. At least she tasted it.

"Iblis, come and try too." Samuel poured out a small half cup and handed it to Iblis.

Iblis was the same; just a sip was enough to grimace. The strong alcohol flowed through her throat, immediately making her stop.

She quickly ate the snack to press down the taste. How did they look fine tasting this?

" Sami, ignore them. One is uptight while the other is too innocent! Come, let's drink." Paige called him over and gave herself and him a glass.

After drinking, she glanced toward Maia and Iblis. Her devilish smile said a thousand words; it was an obvious provocation! The war officially started again!

*See this! This is how you do it! Sit back and enjoy the view.* This was the message that they got.

Seeing Paige getting along with Samuel made them jealous. Maia and Iblis were forced to go through with it. Wasn't it just drinking some alcohol? Just watch!

" Here, give me some too."

" Me too!"

They asked Samuel to pour them a drink and drank it in one go. Samuel was surprised to see such a scene. Why did they have to compete in everything?

The results were imminent; their cheeks were already flushed as the high concentration of alcohol entered their bloodstreams. Their hazy gaze was starting to worry Samuel.

But he couldn't give up; seeing the girls do it so boldly, he refused to give up. They started drinking heavily with few talks in between. The topics began getting weirder and weirder as the alcohol decreased.

Soon, half a bottle of Hennessy was gone. For light drinkers, that was a considerable amount; they didn't even dilute it with ice, just went neat all the way.

The bodyguard watching from behind was genuinely worried; he knew it would not end well if they continued it all night. Such a way of drinking only meant one thing, a massive hangover after emptying your stomach.

He could only watch with a wry smile; he could go inside and warn them. He could only prepare by calling some female guards to carry the girls.