James grabbed Drake by the collar, his face furious as he slapped him hard. His voice carried a clear warning.
"You ungrateful brat! How dare you spew nonsense like that? Apologize to Mr. Brown immediately and explain the misunderstanding. Do it seriously!"
Zahara, who had been silent until now, smirked mischievously and interjected, "Didn't you just say you're Mr. Brown's close buddy? And that he owes you some respect? Why bother apologizing now?"
Her comment set off a wave of chatter among the onlookers.
"What? So he was bragging to Mr. Brown's face?"
"If it were me, I'd find a wall to smash my head into. How could anyone stay here after that? So humiliating!"
Hearing this, Drake finally snapped out of his daze. Panicked, he dropped to his knees in front of Xavier, his
