Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1708

“Damn it! Even if he wants to do business, he should have given me a heads-up. I did all the work to get the kid here, and he just snatches him? He’s got no respect for me!” Dunn slammed the phone down and immediately called the head of the BB Compound, yelling into the receiver the moment he answered. “Lyons, what the hell was that? Crossing the line, aren't you? Raiding my haul right from under my nose! You think I'm a pushover?!” Lyons frowned. “What the hell are you yelling about? Who raided your haul?!” Dunn was furious. “So you did it but you won’t admit it?!” “I always own up to what I do!” Lyons retorted, annoyed. “Either show me some proof, or stop talking crap!” Dunn gritted his teeth. “Fine! I’m warning you, I didn't want to grab that kid myself. It was an order from our Thyanian contact! He just called me and told me to get rid of the kid tonight! He’s taking this very seriously. If you screw this up, you'll have to face the consequences yourself!” “I have no idea what crap you’re talking about!” Lyons snapped back before hanging up. Fuming, Dunn was about to call Pana to explain the situation when Pana’s call came in first. He demanded without preamble, “What happened? Didn’t you say you’d handle it discreetly? How did you get discovered?” Dunn was confused. “Huh? Discovered by who?” “Right now, people from the Zhinorian Martial Arts Association and the embassy are here with a video, demanding we hand the boy over!” Pana snarled. Dunn was stunned. “Wh-what video?” “A video of your people handing the kid over in the border district! Your men on one side, our Thyanian people on the other! Now we have a hundred people blocking our gates, accusing us of selling the kid to Mariana Land!” Dunn was dumbfounded. “…That’s impossible. I was very careful about this. I told them repeatedly to be cautious and not get caught!” “What’s the use of saying that now?” Pana roared in a hushed voice. “They already have the video! Stop wasting time and figure out how to get that kid back here, now!” “I’m not trying to scare you, but if this goes south, my father and I can’t protect you. Thyania will absolutely send in the military to flatten your compounds!” Dunn’s heart sank. “B-but… he’s just a kid, isn’t he? Is it really that serious?!” Pana gritted his teeth. “Why do you think I was in such a hurry to deal with him? These were orders from the top! He’s not just some ordinary kid! The Zhinorian Martial Arts Association is treating him like a golden boy, a precious treasure! If he just vanished, the Zhinorians couldn't do much. But now they have proof that Thyanian people took him to Mariana Land!” Evan had become famous overnight. He had not only alarmed the Thyanian Martial Arts Association but also the Zhinorian one. The ZMA had rushed a background check on Evan, but like the Thyanian side, they found nothing. They had tried to meet with Evan privately at noon, but he had declined. It wasn’t the right time to reveal himself. Even so, the ZMA was incredibly fond of Evan. After all, he was one of their own, representing the Zhinorian Empire abroad. A five-year-old who could take down a heavyweight Thyanian martial artist was a prodigy, a once-in-a-generation talent. And what happened? Before they could even cherish him, he was sold to Mariana Land by the Thyanians. Who would stand for that? The entire Zhinorian Martial Arts Association was in an uproar. Pana didn't have time to explain everything. His voice was frantic. “Stop asking so many questions and just figure out how to get that kid back!” “I can’t!” Dunn panicked. “He’s not in my hands anymore!” Pana’s eyes widened. “What did you say?!” Just as Dunn was about to explain, Pana cut him off. “I don’t care what your situation is. You brought him there, so you’re responsible for bringing him back! If you don’t have him back here tonight, we’re all going down together!” With that, Pana angrily hung up. Dunn was stunned for a long moment before he realized the gravity of the situation. He quickly called Lyons again. “You son of a bitch, get that kid back to me now! We’re in deep trouble!” Lyons was both furious and felt wronged. “Dunn, are you looking for a death wish? I’ll say it one more time, I did not take your kid!” Lyons hung up. When Dunn tried calling back, the line was dead. Gritting his teeth, Dunn yelled to his men, “Get your gear! We’re going to war with Lyons!”