CHAPTER 543: CHAPTER 543: DO YOU THINK I’M OKAY?

Paige Sterling took the water handed to her, and the two punks were shocked to see Paige had the nerve to relax and drink after beating them up, looking utterly indignant.

They stood trembling, pointing at Paige, "Woman, h-h-how could you do this?"

So upset they even stuttered.

Paige’s gaze swept over them, reminding them of the fear from the pounding they’d just endured, making them shiver.

But how could they, as men, fear a woman? How could they face anyone on the streets after this?

Even if they couldn’t win a fight, they could at least save face by talking tough, right?

So Flora Lyons said, "Woman! If it weren’t for the fact that you look so dainty and weak, I’d definitely beat you until you cried for your mama!"

I’m not losing to you, I just don’t want to bully you, that’s all.

Chloe Abbott added, "Yeah, we only didn’t fight back because you’re a woman, don’t push it."

Paige replied, "Looks like I didn’t hit you hard enough?"

Paige cracked her knuckles, and the two immediately took a step back, clearly ready to run.

But their escape was blocked by their underlings, who had no idea they should be clearing a path for their leaders.

The two leaders found themselves in a tight spot.

Paige pointed at the mess in the noodle shop and said, "Now, immediately, put everything back the way it was."

Flora Lyons scoffed, "What do you mean by this, woman? We’re people of status, and you’re asking us to clean up this little shop? Don’t push your luck."

"Clean it up, or get yourselves sent to the hospital, your choice."

Both of their faces turned white because they knew Paige would do exactly as she said.

After experiencing her fighting style firsthand, they had no doubt.

They exchanged a look, an unspoken understanding shared for once—sometimes yielding is wisdom.

"We’re not arguing with you."

"I’m not being threatened, I just have always liked cleaning up since I was a kid!"

Despite their tough words, they immediately began tidying up, racing to do more than each other.

Seeing their leaders working, yet their men were standing around, Chloe Abbott shouted, "What are you standing there for? Don’t you know you should be working?"

The underlings, "..."

So, only the scene of a group of punks peacefully tidying tables and chairs could be seen in the noodle shop.

If the owner hadn’t witnessed the earlier pandemonium in his shop, he’d think they were a group of volunteers doing good deeds.

Some chairs were damaged, and Paige pointed them out, "Pay for them, at the original price."

Flora Lyons and Chloe Abbott rummaged through their pockets, only finding a dozen or so bucks each, as poor as can be.

In the end, among them and their underlings, pooling in tens from here and there, they barely managed to gather the money.

"Woman, can we leave now?"

Paige nodded.

The group sighed in relief but were stopped by Paige again as they reached the door.

Their legs shook, "W-w-what do you want now?"

Paige said, "You fought for so long, seriously affecting the shop’s business. Don’t you think you should compensate for that?"

"..."

Damn it, weren’t you the one who started the fight?

We didn’t even plan to fight!

But they didn’t dare say this, "Sister, what do you want us to do? We’re out of money!"

Paige said, "From today on, you come work at this shop every day to pay off your debt. If the business is good, you’ll be done in a month. If not, well..."

Heh heh...

The group, "..."

And they’re supposed to work for free and ensure the shop does well? Seriously?

Paige then turned to the owner, "What do you think, owner?"

The owner grinned, "Sounds good, sounds good..."

He knew this bunch of punks wasn’t really trouble, so he wasn’t worried about them causing any in his shop.

But Flora Lyons and Chloe Abbott objected, "We can bleed and break, but never lose our dignity! We want to be top dogs and will never work here!"

Paige shot back coldly, "You want to be top dogs? Do you know what it takes?"

Flora Lyons and Chloe Abbott—conditions for being top dogs?

Paige continued, "Are your grades up to par? In the top ten of your grade?"

What do grades have to do with being a top dog?

"Know XX? The greatest boss worldwide, top ranked in every grade from kindergarten to college, holds a PhD. And XX? A PhD in physics before becoming a boss. And XX, who can recite the core values of S-ism backward. Can you? You bunch of illiterates think you can be the boss? Nowadays, even to be a lackey you need a bachelor’s degree. What makes you think you’re qualified to be the boss? You wouldn’t even be fit to clean toilets."

The group looked bewildered, never having heard these names. Were they really that ignorant?

"Not only are your grades bad, your morals are in serious need of improvement. If you don’t even know the core values of the Eight Honors and Eight Disgraces, what gives you the courage to think you can become the boss?"

Right now, the two leaders felt a ten-thousand-point blow to their egos.

They’d always felt good about themselves, but now realized how lacking they truly were.

"Boo hoo, I don’t care, I’m going to study hard so I can be a boss with a PhD..."

"Me too, boo hoo, I’m going to study hard and strive to be the most educated boss ever..."

The owner, "..."

How did they suddenly turn over a new leaf?

Paige and Summer Xavier left the noodle shop, and Summer was still chuckling on the way home.

She hadn’t expected Paige’s educational skills to be so strong that a good pounding could lead these punks back to the right path.

She recounted the incident to Mrs. Xavier, who was also amused.

Now she had no complaints about Paige, and frankly, she wasn’t in any position to have any.

Austin Xavier returned just in time to hear his mother and sister discussing Paige.

He thought he’d heard something about a wedding.

But when the mother and daughter saw him, they both tacitly stopped talking.

They knew Austin still couldn’t let go of Paige.

Austin went over to ask Summer, "Who were you saying was getting married?"

"No one..."

Julian Hawthorne and Paige Sterling’s wedding plans were no secret in their social circle.

But Austin had been abroad recently, and no one in the Xavier Family had mentioned it, so he was in the dark.

Seeing Summer wouldn’t say, Austin didn’t probe further. He dialed Angus Langdon, "Who’s getting married recently in our circle?"

He had a hunch but didn’t want to believe it.

Angus didn’t think much of it and said directly, "You don’t know? Julian Hawthorne and Paige Sterling are having their wedding, the date is already set..."

Austin ended the call, his face turning icy and serious.

They’d gotten their marriage license ages ago, so holding a wedding was just the next step.

Austin had long anticipated this day, but when it arrived, he found he still couldn’t accept it.

Summer came in, finding Austin sitting by the window, his expression ominously calm.

She cautiously asked, "Bro, are you okay?"

Austin asked, "Do you think I’m okay?"