Chet continued, "Do it, and we don't have to keep hiding in Zamri! Now go! That's an order!"His order clearly carried more weight than Grom's. Moreover, the accomplishment was especially tempting since the other Lionheart martial elites had no idea what Frank was capable of.On top of that, it was a fact that they had the advantage in numbers, whereas Frank's abilities remained to be seen.And with Chet name-dropping Sil Lionheart, after hesitating for a while, the Lionheart martial elites except Grom made up their mind and encircled Frank.They should just give it a try now—if they failed, so be it!"Chet Jonas, you prick!" Grom bellowed.He loathed Chet so much he could kill him right then, as only he knew that this was undoubtedly suicide.Chet simply sneered at him in turn and growled coldly, "Quit trying to play up your importance, Grom. I will be telling you once this operation is over! Just you wait!""You're going to tell on me?!"Chet's unbelievable attitude left Gro
"Now, I have questions, and you will all answer," Frank said as he walked slowly toward Chet as he sat limply on the floor, his face drained of all color."P-Please ask… I'll tell you everything…" Chet was so petrified in fear that he had no idea what he was saying."Yesterday, the expensive equipment Lanecorp was transporting had been stolen or sabotaged mid-transit—""That was us!" Chet admitted to it immediately, tears flowing down his cheeks as he kowtowed to Frank endlessly. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Lawrence… We did it, but we were just following orders! It was Sil Lionheart who put us up to it—we don't dare to go against him!"Chet's pleading cries left Urian snorting coolly.Just earlier, the man was looking all smug, bragging about how beautiful a job he did and how brightly their fires burnt.He certainly did not look like he was forced to do it!Still, Urian did not say a word, in case he would blow up like Grom did.It was such a horrific way to go, and he had not even h
Chet believed his excuse was flawless.However, even as he was busy fantasizing, Frank held out his palm and waved in front of his eyes. "Your sabotaging efforts had destroyed five billion dollars worth of Lanecorp property. Pay up, and we will let bygones be bygones.""Five billion…?"Even Noel's lips parted when she heard the number, though she soon shook her head in exasperation.Frank was clearly ripping Chet off!"Impossible!"Chet was clearly shocked by the astronomical number too.Forget five billion—he did not even have one billion to pay Frank, as he was definitely overreaching here."Naturally, the money is no skin off Lanecorp's back. What I want is to see your sincerity. So? How about it?"Frank kept staring at Chet in amusement, intent on seeing how much Chet would pay just to survive.After all, Frank had plenty of other options if he wanted the two billion dollars lost."O-Okay!"Chet knew right then that he was in no place to bargain against Frank, and he co
"Hmm? So it seems that you've really met Noel York," Sil said quietly from the other end of the call. "It slipped my mind, but she's working with Lanecorp now. But you're saying she's willing to switch sides?"Sil's words left Chet flinching, his heart almost caving.He finally knew how it felt to be duped.If Sil had told him about Noel before this, would he have brought the Lionheart martial elites here to attempt capturing Noel, hence leading them straight to a trap?Well, even as rage welled inside Chet, it was too late for regrets now.While he felt stressed just from lying to Sil earlier, he now felt free and unburdened, since Sil neglected to tell him about Noel.If only Sil had told him, would they have played straight into Frank's hands?!As Chet found his resolve, his eloquence returned. "Yes, that's what Ms. York told me personally. Also…""What is it?" Sil frowned on the other end."But Ms. York said she has a contract with Lanecorp," Chet explained. "If she were t
"Alright."Sil did not hesitate on the other end of the call either and said quietly, "I'll wire five billion dollars to your account right now, Chet. You'd best get Noel to leave Lanecorp soon, and have her meet me in Morhen.""Hahaha…"Rory continued to laugh at the top of her lungs from the other end. "I'll have her kneel before my feet… And Frank Lawrence too! He and Lanecorp will pay!"And with that, Sil hung up, while Chet was soon notified of a transfer of five billion dollars to his bank account.He was panting heavily even as he stared at the notification—he had never seen that much money in his life!Still, he died inside when he looked up and saw Frank looking at him, realizing that the money was never his.After all, Noel defecting to the Lionhearts was a lie—Chet was just using that as a ploy to dupe Sil for his money, just to save his own skin."Now transfer that money to Lanecorp's account," Frank said bluntly, compelling Chet to get to work right then.Soon eno
Meanwhile, at the Pearce Group headquarters in Morhen, Gene Pearce was seated at the main chair with a cigarette between his lips, listening as his executives argued in the meeting.While he kept a straight face, frustration was flaring within him—the only thing these pieces of trash ever did was shift blame, putting their self-gain above all else.He was actually wondering if he should just tell them to fuck off while he hired new blood.Still, even as the thought crossed his mind, his phone rang, and the conference room turned quiet instantly."It's Mr. Lawrence, sir," his assistant said as she handed his phone over respectfully.Gene cheered up right away, as he had to admit that Frank's Jade Marrow Pill was incredibly effective.And with the hot springs at Frank's Riverton farm resort, he felt younger and brimming with energy—even his new girlfriend could not keep up with him.He was even wondering if he should get another couple more to produce some heirs, something which h
Gene remained silent for a while but eventually slammed his hand on the table again."Fuck, I won't take this lying down! Call Frank again—I'm getting involved too!"-A day later, at a basement bar in South Morhen, Chet and Noel—who was disguising herself with a face mask and a cap—arrived at the meeting point chosen by Sil.They strode down the corridor, past the crowd dancing to a thumping tune, and found Sil smoking a cigarette at a booth seat.Sil's eyes lit up when he saw that Noel was really there and unwittingly dropped the cigarette on the floor."Shit, that's the top actress of Draconia for you!"He could not help comparing her to Rory Thames, but they were in completely different classes!Rory was the top singer of Draconia and had the looks, but she was more than a class beneath Noel, a goddess of the silver screen.Her pure, noble presence alone far eclipsed Rory's—even though her body figure was unbelievably tempting, the face when she took off her mask was angel
"I'm your subordinate?"Noel turned and frowned at Sil. "What's going on here, Mr. Lionheart? I don't remember such a clause in our agreement."Sil stayed silent, as he was caught in a dilemma.Rory giggled in turn, shaking her head. "You're so naive, Noel. Did you think the Lionhearts were really taking you in for your skills or your reputation? They wouldn't bother if not for me… Oh, and we weren't lying, it's just that I'm the head of Lionheart Entertainment.""So, you're going to do everything to tell you from now on, including whatever projects I assign you.""Wait."Noel held up a hand, frowning. "You're overstepping, Rory, and I don't remember ever insulting you. Why are you so bent on hurting me, even spending five billion dollars to poach me from Lanecorp?""Tut, tut…"Rory stood, folding her arms before her chest as she clicked her tongue. "Important people are really forgetful, huh? Do you think you'd be Draconia's top actress if you didn't seduce the judges?"With