Chapter 294: He provoked you on purpose.
Adelyn was just about to smack Karl on the head again.
Was this guy really still acting clueless?
She had already raised her hand halfway when an unfamiliar voice made her pause.
"What’s wrong, Young Master Karl?" A mocking sneer echoed across the arena. "Are you finally ready to crawl between my legs?"
The instant she heard the voice, Adelyn’s eyes turned sharp. Yet she didn’t turn around immediately.
Instead, her gaze remained fixed on Karl.
She quietly observed the subtle change in his expression.
The confusion disappeared. In its place came simmering fury.
"You ..." Karl sneered, glaring toward the source of the voice. "Watch both your words and your tone, Zeke Carte."
His lips curled coldly.
"Who’s going to crawl between your legs? The winner hasn’t been decided yet. Neither has the loser."
Only then did Adelyn slowly turn her gaze toward the newcomer.
Zeke looked exactly like the stereotypical spoiled second-generation heir one would imagine. He carried the same arrogant and reckless air as Karl.
The only difference ...
Karl possessed a kind of innocent handsomeness that naturally made people overlook many of his flaws.
Zeke, on the other hand, had none of that charm.
Hearing Karl’s response, he couldn’t suppress the smirk spreading across his face.
"Really?" His gaze drifted toward Steve before returning to Karl. "So you still believe you’ll win this bet?"
He chuckled.
"I thought after getting thrown out of the ring so miserably earlier, you’d finally recognize your actual capability."
He shrugged carelessly.
"But if you still haven’t ... you’re always welcome to test yourself again."
"It’s just..." He paused deliberately before adding,
"...I can’t guarantee what kind of physical injuries —or reputational damage —you’ll suffer the second time you step into that arena. Ha ha ..."
His mocking laughter echoed through the underground venue.
He had waited for this day for far too long. Ever since high school ...
And even after entering university ...
Karl had humiliated him countless times. Not once had he found an opportunity to return the favor.
But today ...
Today was finally different.
Today ...
Karl would be the one humiliated.
Everything had already been prepared. Nothing could save the Fourth Young Master of the Warren family now.
With Steve standing on his side, victory was already guaranteed.
"Don’t get too smug, Carte," Karl sneered back. "There’s nothing worth being proud of."
"It’s not even you who’s defeating me. You simply found someone else to fight on your behalf. What’s there to boast about?"
He took a step forward.
"If you’ve really got the guts, step into the ring yourself. Then let’s see who’s the one getting humiliated."
Karl still sounded confident.
After all, if Zeke himself entered the arena, Karl had absolutely nothing to fear.
Defeating him would be easy.
However, after learning Steve’s true identity, Karl no longer had the same confidence against him.
So, he simply chose another approach.
If provoking Zeke into fighting personally worked, the problem would solve itself. But unfortunately ...
Zeke wasn’t nearly foolish enough to fall for such an obvious provocation.
If he had been capable of defeating Karl himself ...
He would have done it years ago.
And since he couldn’t, he naturally intended to let Steve settle the score for him.
"You don’t need to worry about my pride, Fourth Young Master," Zeke scoffed lightly. "As long as I get to watch you crawl beneath my legs and serve me, I’ll already have more than enough to be proud of."
A malicious grin spread across his face.
"After all, it’s not every day someone gets to make a Warren their servant." He tilted his head slightly.
"So what if I can’t order your mighty older brothers around? Having the youngest Warren serve me is practically the same."
Karl’s fingers clenched tightly.
"Carte ..." His voice turned icy. "You’re overstepping. You think you can insult my brothers? I’ll make you—"
Before he could finish, Zeke casually raised a hand, interrupting him.
"Hey ..." He laughed. "It won’t be me insulting your great older brothers. It’ll be you. So don’t pin that on me."
Pier, who had been standing nearby the whole time, frowned as well.
Looking directly at Zeke, he warned, "Zeke, don’t forget who you’re talking about. You really think you or your Carte family can trifle with the Warrens?"
"If the Warren family finds out about this, they could make your entire family disappear overnight. They’re—"
"Pier." Zeke interrupted with obvious disdain. "Stop acting like a lapdog. The Warrens may be powerful. But the Cartes aren’t exactly insignificant either."
He shrugged casually.
"Besides, this is about a bet." He looked straight at Karl. "Your Brother Karl isn’t going to run crying back to his older brothers over something like this, is he?"
"I won’t."
Karl answered through gritted teeth. "Running home with complaints is your habit. Not mine."
"My brothers may spoil me. But they never taught me to bring outsiders over just to bully someone else."
For a brief second, the smugness on Zeke’s face cracked. But he quickly composed himself again.
Smirking, he deliberately mocked, "How could they possibly teach you that?? They’ve already cut off your allowance instead."
"I heard you’ve been completely broke lately. Often living off other people’s money." His eyes darted purposefully towards Pier, and he laughed mockingly.
"So, is it fun? How about this, when you crawl beneath my legs later, I’ll reward you with a little tip. You’d probably be grateful for it too, won’t you?"
Those humiliating words would have enraged even the calmest person ...
How could Karl possibly endure them??
"What?" Zeke deliberately provoked him again. "Don’t tell me you’re already scared of being humiliated. So you’ve decided to surrender?"
Karl’s jaw tightened. "If anyone wants to surrender, it must be you," he grunted.
"I’m not a coward."
"That’s the spirit." Zeke clapped sarcastically. "Just as expected from the Fourth Young Master."
His smile widened.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s settle this once and for all."
With that, he turned toward Steve and casually rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Since he’s coming back for another round, don’t hold back anymore."
His eyes flashed viciously.
"Humiliate him, just like you promised me."
Steve’s expression remained almost unchanged. He merely gave a slight nod.
Pier couldn’t hear their conversation from where he stood. But simply watching the interaction was enough for uneasiness to spread through him.
He immediately grabbed Karl’s arm.
"Brother Karl." His voice was filled with worry. "Zeke provoked you on purpose. Don’t let him succeed."
"Please ... don’t go back into that ring."
However, Karl simply removed Pier’s hand from his arm.