Chapter 113 Clean Hands


    Chapter 113 Clean Hands


    Noah''s cold stare persisted, his eyes filled with vignce and a dangerous intensity.


    "Liam." Jericho sneered, giving him a sly gaze. "The rent and decor of this ce must have cost you


    quite a bit. Where did you find all that money?"


    "That''s none of your business." Noah''s expression remained icy.


    "We''re buddies. I''ve had your back in prison before, remember?" Jericho arrogantly continued, "If


    you''re short on cash, just say the word. I''ll lend it to you. I don''t want you to struggle too much, you


    know."


    "Thanks, but I''m good."


    "So now you''ve got some principles, huh? Liam, are you depending on your wife, as the rumors


    suggest?"


    Jericho''s gaze shifted to Ste, who was standing behind Noah.


    Noah clenched his fist, the veins in his strong forearm tensing visibly.


    "Enough with your nonsense," a small yet resolute voice chimed in.


    Ste positioned herself in front of Noah, her beautiful,rge eyes disying unwavering determination.


    While she might appear delicate in some matters, she would not yield when it came to defending her


    husband.


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    "Mr. Hart, my husband gave me this store as a gift, and we are not short of money. He''s working hard


    and is dedicated to our family. He shares all his earnings with me. In my eyes, he''s the best husband in


    the world. So please, be mindful of your words in the future and refrain from making judgments based


    on such a limited perspective."


    Jericho''s eyes carefully studied the young woman standing before him.


    After a moment, he let out a soft snort and emphatically replied, "Lady, it''s not that my perspective is


    limited. It''s just that your husband is a truly disappointing individual. Do you know why he was


    imprisoned in the past?"


    "Jericho!" Mia suddenly stepped forward, her eyes fixed on him. "You are not wee here. Please


    leave!"


    Jericho''s heart tightened.


    He slowly turned around and removed his sunsses. Eight years had passed, and the woman he had


    once known felt distant and unfamiliar.


    Their dynamics and the way they looked at each other had transformed from what it used to be.


    Jericho forced a smile and asked, "Miss Thompson, have you been well?"


    Mia could not sense the effort he was making to keep his voice steady.


    "Jericho." She took a deep breath. "Today is a joyous asion for my friend''s grand opening, and we


    don''t want your presence to spoil the celebration. So please, be sensible and leave."


    "Who said I came to cause trouble?" He scoffed and pointed to the rows of flower baskets outside. "I''ve


    even brought congrattory gifts!"


    "Besides, you consider that man your friend?" Jericho''s gaze held a hint of disdain, and he sneered


    arrogantly.


    Mia frowned, her body trembling slightly. "Ste is my best friend! Since she married Liam, Liam has


    been my friend as well. I won''t allow anyone to disrupt things in my friend''s ce!"


    His fingers on the sunsses tightened again.


    He looked at her quietly, and a hint of warmth shed in his profound eyes.


    She''s still the same, standing up for her friends, loyal, and sentimental. But does she ever realize that


    the world is full of traps, and one could easily fall into an abyss without realizing it?


    Jericho remained silent for a while, then chuckled and signaled for his men to enter the cafe.


    Over a dozen ck-d men entered, instantly changing the atmosphere in the small cafe.


    "You''re joking, Miss Thompson." He grinned. "I''m not here to cause any trouble. I''m just a guest."


    He turned his gaze to the couple. "Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Anderson, could you kindly prepare some coffee


    for us? Lattes with no sugar!"


    As Ste had never been in such a situation before, her heart raced with anxiety, even if she appeared


    calm on the surface.


    She instinctively held Noah''s arm and shot him a quick, nervous nce.


    Her husband, however, remainedposed. He stepped forward and calmly addressed the situation.


    "I''m sorry, but we don''t have enough supplies today to serve so many people. Mr. Hart, you''re wee


    to return another time if you''d like a coffee."


    "No coffee? Well, how about some dessert then!" Jericho noticed some cookies on the table and


    casually reached for one.


    However, Noah swiftly cleared the tray and gave Jericho a sharp, warning look before thetter could


    grab a cookie.


    Jericho was caught off guard, and his expression turned hostile. He reached out to grab Noah''s hand.


    Noah had anticipated the move and swiftly sidestepped, seizing Jericho''s wrist. The two locked in a


    tense standoff, creating a palpable atmosphere of tension.


    The dozens of ck-d men around them also seemed ready to spring into action.


    Ste''s back was drenched in cold sweat.


    Jericho suddenly threw a fierce punch, but Noah swiftly seized it, his expression icy and domineering.


    The sheer force in the standoff made Jericho''s heart skip a beat.


    "Mr. Hart." Noah''s tone carried a sardonic smile as he emphasized each word. "If you wish to practice


    boxing, you are wee toe to my boxing gym, and I''ll dly spar with you. However, today is the


    grand opening of my wife''s cafe. It would be best if you refrained from causing trouble. Otherwise, you


    and your associates may find yourselves ill-matched against me!"


    Jericho''s brows furrowed deeply, and he suddenly focused his gaze on Noah''s hand.


    The Liam Anderson he had in mind had a burn mark on the back of his hand, but the man standing


    before him showed unblemished skin without any signs of injury.


    Jericho bit his lip and slowly straightened up in silence.


    "Hmph, you sure are blessed to have a caring wife." He sneered. "But, Mrs. Anderson, you''d be better


    off with anyone else besides this man here with your figure and looks. I have plenty of young talents


    under mymand. Shall I introduce one to you?"


    "Why you-"


    Ste was about to retort, but Mia rushed forward and delivered a heavy p across his face before


    Ste could speak.


    "Mia..."


    "Get lost." Mia sternly red at the man before her. "Leave!"


    The group of ck-d men began to stand up, but Jericho raised his hand to halt them. He touched


    the side of his face that had been pped, and the stinging pain seemed to prate deep into his


    heart.


    He chuckled softly, a faint sorrow crossing his eyes as he looked at her.


    "How did you be like this?" Her voice trembled. "Jericho, take your men and leave right now. Do


    not disturb my friends anymore."


    He nodded and swiftly reverted to his usual rogue-like demeanor.


    Jericho put his sunsses back on, and with a casual wave, his entourage followed him out of the


    courtyard. The several Porsche cars at the door roared to life and kicked up a cloud of dust.


    The cafe gradually settled back into a tense calm, yet everyone was still shaken by the encounter.


    Noah held Ste gently in his embrace while she worriedly nced at Mia.


    Mia did not appear well at all. Her face had turned pale, and she had to steady herself on the table. It


    was as if Jericho had taken her soul with him when he left the cafe.


    Aiden mustered the courage to hold her hand, but her icy touch surprised him.


    "Mia." Ste went over and embraced her, whispering, "Let me take you home first."


    Mia was silent for a long moment, her voice choked with emotion as she finally uttered, "I''m sorry."


    With a smile, Ste shook her head and gently tucked away some loose strands of hair near Mia''s ear.


    She then instructed Noah to attend to the remaining guests and guided Mia out of the courtyard.