Chapter 177NEXT DAY, EMC 08:52:33James sat in his office, the looming court appearances for Mrs. Lee, Eric, and his own personal conflict with the ESU agents and Kate loomed over him like a dark cloud.He glanced at the stack of paperwork on his desk, but his mind kept drifting back to the courtroom dramas that awaited him. Mrs. Lee's case was particularly troubling. He knew her innocence, but proving it in court would be another matter entirely.As he pondered his next move, Ellen's call interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, James, are you alright?" she asked, concern evident in her eyes.James forced a smile. "Yeah, just preoccupied with work stuff. You know how it is."Ellen gave him a sympathetic reply. "I understand. Just remember, you're not alone in this. We'll get through it together."Her words brought him a measure of comfort, but James couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that lingered in the back of his mind. He knew he had to stay focused and prepare for the legal battles
Chapter 178James and Eric were still arguing when a message notification beeped on Eric's phone. He picked up his phone to check and saw it was from an unknown number. Out of frustration, he decided to check it out.Swiping his phone unlocked, he read the message, and what he saw startled him. "'Hello, Eric Wood. I'll help you win the case against the ESU agents.'"James leaned in, his eyes wide with surprise. "Who sent that?""I don't know," Eric replied, staring at the screen. "It's from an unknown number."James frowned, his mind racing. "Could it be a trap?""Maybe," Eric conceded, "but it could also be an opportunity. We need all the help we can get.""True," James agreed. "But we have to be careful. Whoever sent this knows about the case and could have their own agenda."Eric nodded, considering his options. "I'll reply cautiously, see what they want in return."James watched as Eric typed out a response, his curiosity piqued. "Be direct. Ask who they are and what they want."E
Chapter 179Liam and Kai were seated comfortably in the back of one of Liam's Rolls Royce, the car gliding smoothly through the city streets. The luxurious interior was filled with the quiet hum of the engine, providing a stark contrast to the tension in the air.Liam’s phone buzzed with a new message. He quickly checked it and a wide grin spread across his face.“What does it say?” Kai asked, his curiosity piqued.“He fell for it!” Liam exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. “Eric Wood agreed to a meeting to discuss our proposal. They’re interested!”Kai smirked, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. “Excellent. This is the first step in our plan.”Liam leaned back in his seat, feeling a rush of adrenaline. “We need to prepare. We can’t let them suspect anything. We have to be careful and make sure everything goes smoothly.”Kai nodded. “Yes. We’ll need to present ourselves as genuine allies. We should gather more information about their financial status and current operations.
Chapter 180"The Grand Regent Hotel, Conference Room B. That’s where he has agreed to meet us today at 2 PM," Eric said, reading the message from Liam."So fast?" James asked, feeling suspicious. "Liam might have an ulterior motive for making everything fast-paced."Eric nodded. "The earlier, the better. Besides, the court appearances are in three days.""Still, I suspect something is amiss," James said. "You will go alone to the location and make the proper arrangements with them…”"Why do I have to go alone?" Eric asked, interrupting him, his brow furrowing with concern. "Don't you think it's dangerous? At Least come with me."James shook his head and leaned on the desk, rubbing his temples. He looked up at Eric, his expression serious. "I understand your concern, but going alone will make them less suspicious. If they see both of us, it might back them off or make them more guarded."Eric crossed his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly uneasy. "But what
Chapter 181As Eric extended his hand to Liam and Kai, James adjusted the volume on his earpiece, ready to listen to every word exchanged in the conference room above."Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Eric Wood. Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice," Eric said, shaking hands with both Liam and Kai.Liam stood and shook Eric's hand firmly, a smile on his face. "The pleasure is ours, Mr. Wood. I'm Liam Carter, and this is my associate, Nathaniel, Nathaniel Grey." He lied.Kai nodded and shook Eric's hand as well. "It's good to finally meet you, Mr. Wood. We believe this partnership could be very beneficial for both our interests."Eric nodded and took a seat, his guards standing discreetly by the door. "I've been briefed on your proposal, Mr. Carter. You mentioned you're interested in buying a share in EMC. Could you elaborate on that?"Liam leaned forward slightly, his expression serious. "Absolutely. EMC is a fast-rising company in the business world, and we see great pote
Chapter 182"Seriously? Nathaniel Grey?" Kai said, shooting Liam a playful glare and giving him a light punch on the arm just as Eric left the conference room.Liam smirked and chuckled. "Well, I couldn't think of any other name. Besides, Nathaniel Grey suits you perfectly.""Seriously? I'm Japanese, and you expect me to have an English name?""I'm sorry, I didn't think about that. You can always say you have an Asian mom.""Now I'm gonna be stuck with a name I don't like for a long time," Kai fumed.Liam laughed again. "It's no big deal. Don't worry about it. Everything is going according to plan.”They continued to banter until Liam's phone buzzed with a notification. He glanced at the screen and saw a message from Alisha: "Hey, you haven't sent me the location for our date yet. Did you forget?"He suddenly remembered he had a date with Alisha that evening. "Oh, crap! I have a date with Alisha tonight," he exclaimed, looking at his watch impatiently.He quickly typed a response, "S
Chapter 183James watched with keen interest as the two men who matched the description that was provided by Eric as Liam Carter and Nathaniel Grey emerged from the elevator and made their way down into the bustling bar below.He observed their demeanor, noting the confident strides and the subtle yet authoritative aura that seemed to surround them.As they walked through the crowded bar, James couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach.There was something off about Nathaniel Grey's appearance that caught James's attention. Despite his English-sounding name, Grey bore the features of someone of Japanese descent. This incongruity only served to deepen James's suspicions about the true identities and motives of these two businessmen.‘Who are these men, and what do they want?’ he thought to himself.As planned, moments after they left the hotel, James casually stood up and followed behind them as they exited the hotel and ventured out onto the bustling
Chapter 184After checking out, Liam and Kai stepped outside. They got into the car, which smoothly pulled away from the curb and merged into the evening traffic.As they continued driving, Kai glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed the same car from earlier trailing behind them. “That car is still following us," he said.Liam turned slightly to peer out the back window, confirming Kai's observation. "Looks like we have a persistent follower. Let's see how serious they are."He directed the driver to take a series of random turns. They wound through busy streets, quiet residential areas, and even a couple of alleys, but the car remained close behind, mirroring their every move."This is getting interesting," Liam muttered. "Whoever it is, they're not giving up easily. Should we confront him?" Liam asked, glancing at Kai.Kai considered the suggestion for a moment before shaking his head. "Not yet. It'll not be easy to confront whoever it is right now," Kai said, his tone decisive.
Chapter 397Morning broke with a dull glow, illuminating the quiet safe house nestled deep in the woods. Inside, tension hung thick in the air. Williams was standing near the window with a phone pressed to his ear, speaking in a calm but calculated tone.“We’ve got your son, Charles,” he said, his voice steady. “But we haven’t located Jaxon.”On the other end of the line, Mr. Sterling’s voice cracked with emotion. “Charles? Is he safe? Are you sure?” Relief flooded his tone, but it was quickly shadowed by anxiety. “What about Jaxon? Did you find him? Is there anything—anything—leading up to him?”Williams let out a quiet sigh, one that sounded more like practiced patience than genuine concern. “That’s all we could manage,” he replied. “The men who took Jaxon still have him, and from what we’ve gathered, they plan to kill him if there’s any interference.”Mr. Sterling was silent for a beat, processing the grim news. Then, his voice rose, tinged with panic. “What do I do now? How do I
Chapter 396James and Gregor stepped out of their concealed position in the underbrush as the taillights of the SUV disappeared into the darkness. The cool night air was eerily silent now, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves and the muffled sounds of wildlife in the distance. The ground beneath their boots crunched softly as they moved toward the aftermath of the chaos they had just witnessed.Gregor’s eyes scanned the scene, his face expressionless as he took in the lifeless bodies sprawled across the area. Three of them, including Ben they once held, lay motionless, their weapons discarded and their blood staining the dirt beneath them.Gregor crouched beside one of the bodies, briefly checking for a pulse, though he already knew there was none. Standing, he shook his head and muttered, “Well, that’s the life they’ve chosen for themselves.”James, standing a few steps behind him, remained silent for a moment, his sharp eyes darting around the scene. The faint glow of the moo
Chapter 395The shadows of the dilapidated bunker stretched long under the moonlight as Williams and his team lay in wait. They had taken up position hours earlier, tucked inside Jaxon’s sleek sports car, the dark, polished metal blending seamlessly into the night. The air inside the vehicle was stifling, thick with tension and the faint metallic tang of gun oil. Every man was armed and ready, their nerves wound tight, waiting for the right moment to strike. Williams sat in the driver’s seat, his hands resting casually on the steering wheel, though his eyes never left the rearview mirror. Beside him, Kane sat rigid, one hand gripping Jaxon’s arm firmly while the other rested on the stock of a shotgun lying across his lap. In the cramped sports car, Tom and Dorian crouched uncomfortably in the trunk, their weapons at the ready, waiting for Williams’ signal.The silence inside the car was shattered when headlights cut through the darkness. A single car approached, its rumbling engine e
Chapter 394The dense canopy of the forest loomed overhead, casting long shadows over the makeshift campsite where James and Gregor had been holed up for days. The air was damp, thick with the earthy scent of moss and pine, and the distant call of nocturnal creatures echoed through the stillness.Gregor sat cross-legged on the damp ground, his eyes glued to the small tablet in his lap. A blinking red dot pulsed steadily on the screen—the nano tracker they’d planted on Ben’s phone.For three grueling days, they’d followed that dot from one hideout to another, staying just far enough away not to be detected. They’d spent their nights in the car or in the bush, catching only brief moments of sleep between shifts of surveillance.Tonight was no different, and Gregor’s tired eyes burned as he watched the screen, hoping for any sign of movement.James lay stretched out on the ground beside him, his jacket pulled over his face to block out the faint moonlight filtering through the trees. Hi
Chapter 393Jack paced back and forth in the dimly lit room, his gun laid out on the table as he meticulously assembled and armored it. Each metallic click echoed in the stale air, punctuating the tense atmosphere.They had to switch hideouts when Ben rejoined them, in case he was being tailed. Jack carefully considered the situation and concluded that bringing him back into the operation as an additional resource would be a wise decision, just in case they encountered any unexpected challenges but he made sure they switch hideout from time to time. But their main exchange point was still the old bunker because it has a lot of escape routes and underground tunnels.Ken was nearby, double-checking their supply of ammunition, while Denver and Ben lounged on an old, battered couch, their excitement barely contained.“Finally, we’re getting out of this shithole with a bundle of millions,” Denver said to Ben, leaning back with a smug grin. He flicked a discarded cigarette butt into the cor
Chapter 392The evening sky was a dusky orange, streaked with long trails of purple as the sun dipped below the horizon. Williams parked the sleek, black car that Mr. Sterling had secured for him—a high-profile Lamborghini that was both remarkable and practical for what was about to go down.The tinted windows gleamed faintly in the fading light as he stepped out, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. He adjusted the baseball cap on his head and pulled it lower to obscure his face further.Kane was already waiting near the edge of the gravel lot, leaning casually against a rusted lamp post that barely flickered to life. His stance was relaxed, but his eyes darted around, sharp and alert. A few paces away, Tom and Dorian lingered by the entrance to the abandoned warehouse, their conversation low but punctuated with short laughs.Williams approached Kane with purposeful strides. Without a word, he gestured for Kane to follow him a short distance away from the others.“They ready?” William
Chapter 391Andrew’s pen hovered over the page. “Eric Wood? The CEO of EMC?”“Yes,” Sterling said, his voice steady now, laced with conviction. “He’s had a vendetta against my family for months. He’s jealous of our success, our influence. And now, with everything happening at EMC, I wouldn’t put it past him to stoop this low. My two sons were kidnapped in a sparse of a few weeks. Is it not strange?”Andrew tilted his head, his expression skeptical. “That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Sterling. Do you have any evidence to support this?”Mr. Sterling sighed heavily, as though burdened by the weight of his own claim. “Not concrete evidence, no. But think about it. He has the resources, the motive. And I heard through some… private channels that he’s been meeting with unsavory characters lately. People who could easily pull off something like this.”Andrew jotted a few notes, his pen moving quickly. “I see. I’ll look into it. But you understand we can’t act on hearsay alone.”“Of course, of
Chapter 390As soon as Mr. Sterling ended the call with Williams, he hurried to his closet, throwing on a sleek navy suit and matching tie. His hands trembled slightly as he adjusted the knot, but he steeled himself, taking a deep breath.This wasn’t just a favor for Williams; it was a calculated move to get his two sons back. Grabbing his keys, he rushed out of his mansion, the elevator ride to the ground floor feeling agonizingly slow.When he finally stepped outside, the cool morning air bit at his face, but he paid it no mind. His black sedan waited at the curb, and he climbed in, starting the engine with a growl. As he sped toward Sky Suite, he rehearsed the lies he might need to tell to retrieve Jaxon’s car.The towering Sky Suite hotel loomed ahead, its modern glass facade gleaming brightly under the early morning sun. As Mr. Sterling approached the entrance, his stomach tightened. The sight of two patrol cars parked near the lobby entrance made his pulse quicken. Uniformed off
Chapter 389As soon as Kane received the message from Tom that Jaxon had finally broken under the pressure and confessed, he immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Williams. His tone was sharp, clipped, and direct as he relayed the crucial information.“He finally talked,” Kane said without any preamble. “He’s given up Jack’s location—some bunker near the old docks.”Williams, on the other end of the line, didn’t respond right away. The faint sound of tapping, likely his pen against his desk, filled the silence. “Good,” Williams finally said, his voice steady but tinged with calculation. “Did he say anything about how many men Jack has with him?”“Yeah,” Kane replied. “Three, including Jack himself. He said one of them ran away. It’s a small crew.”Williams let out a low hum of approval. “That’s manageable. We’ve got the numbers, four to three. Here’s the plan,” he said, leaning forward in his chair. “You’re going to prep Jaxon to lead you straight to the bunker. He’s our key. Ma