After sitting, I looked up to see Freja scrutinizing Anthony and me. Her gaze was narrowed as she flashed a smirk.
“Indeed, you are a match made in heaven. Even though you’re separated, you look every inch a couple. If we can collaborate, you’ll be known as Romeo and Juliet in the industry,” Freja complimented us in a flattering manner.
I thought she was trying to butter up to us, but Anthony seemed anxious. “What do you mean, Ms. Schmidt? Don’t you trust me?”
“Mr. Featherstone, calm down. I admire Ms. Stanhope for her courage, that’s all. After all. I’m merely thirsty for talents,” Freja replied. Her smile faded away, but the glint in her gaze remained.
Anthony’s lips curved into a smirk. “Ms. Schmidt, you should get rid of the unrealistic notions in your mind. If the Stanhope family is that easy to trick, you won’t know about Sienna’s deeds.”
Obviously, Anthony wasn’t praising me.
It looks like Uncle Louis didn’t work in vain. Though he had retired, his name can still be used as a form of protection in such circumstances.
Anthony was right. No one could make him cross the line, for he had been adhering to it for his entire life. They had no idea how powerful his faith could be.
“We can’t be sure about that, can we? There will always be a way,” Freja said calmly, ignoring my presence as she winked at Anthony. I had no idea what she was trying to get at.
Anthony wore a frosty expression as he leaned back. “Don’t ask me. You should ask Nathaniel about it.” He sounded like he had nothing to lose.
Hearing his answer, Freja shrugged nonchalantly. “It was just a joke. You’re too serious, Mr. Featherstone. It’s a bad habit that you need to change.”
“I won’t change it. I just want to know if you’re capable enough of accepting the goods that we’ve prepared,” Anthony said. He was clearly irritated, for his expression had darkened.
However, this was the Anthony Featherstone that I was familiar with. He was serious, assertive, and dominant.
“Ha!” Freja chuckled lowly. “You used to be a smart businessman, but why are you so narrow-minded when it comes to another product? I might be easily satisfied, but there are millions of people in the country. Do you seriously think I can’t sell the goods?”
Unfazed, Anthony continued, “When the cat is away, the mice will play. Do you think you can control your subordinates who aren’t in K City? When one of them slips and gets caught, what should we do?”
“That won’t happen,” Freja replied confidently.
“I will only trust you if you provide me with all the information about your distributors. I need to check them out and confirm that they are trustable. Or you can take in my suggestion and assign my subordinates to each city. If something crops up, it’ll be easy to rid of the trouble and save both sides,” Anthony concluded.
The smile on Freja’s face froze. “Mr. Featherstone, did you forget that we’re in the middle of discussing a business? I’m not your subordinate, so I have my own way of doing things. Why are you making it seem like I’m a middleman? If I want your goods, I would have to relinquish my men and locations?”
After a pause, her expression turned vicious. “Are you planning on taking control of my business, Mr. Featherstone?”
Immediately afterward, the sound of guns being loaded penetrated the building. Clearly, Freja’s subordinates had aimed their guns at me. They were prepared to wipe us out anytime.
Anthony and Freja’s gaze met midair. I could almost feel the air crackling between them, charged with tension as it was. My hair stood on end.
I couldn’t help but gulp nervously before studying the situation behind me.
How many men are there behind us? Three? Or four? There’s a blind spot on the left. If they open fire, we should run to the right.
Right then, the old elevator started rumbling as it rolled up. Seconds later, the bodyguard pulled the door open and greeted the man inside. “Mr. Hall.”
Nathaniel then strode out of the elevator and came to us.
After coming to a stop beside the table, he took off his leather gloves slowly.
Freja’s eyes narrowed as she stared at him warily.
When everyone was wondering what Nathaniel would do next, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Freja’s head before slamming her on the table.
Once, twice, thrice…
Freja was disoriented from the sudden attack when Nathaniel whipped out a mini pistol from nowhere and placed it right next to her temple.
His eyes squinted dangerously, and his lips lifted into an icy smirk.
Lowering his body, he inched nearer to Freja’s indignant face and parted his lips to say, “I’ll handle the goods and men. You’ll get a twenty percent share. If you reject my offer, you’ll die today. Make up your mind.”
Freja was initially in control of the entire market in Chanaea. She could pocket ninety percent of the earnings before giving her subordinates a measly share. Now, Nathaniel wanted her subordinates and her locations. He didn’t bother showing her any mercy.
Nathaniel was offering her a twenty percent profit without needing to do anything. As Freja was brave enough to handle the illegal business, she wasn’t at all afraid. She clenched her jaw and glared at him furiously, refusing to cave in.
She’d rather die than let Nathaniel take over the Schmidt family’s business!
However, Nathaniel wasn’t one to give up, too. When Freja assumed he dared not fire the pistol and let out a disdainful snort, he pulled the trigger. Bang! A hole appeared in the table five centimeters away from her. Her brain started ringing.
Nathaniel had made himself clear. Freja could agree to his conditions, and it would be a happy ending for everyone. Otherwise, he’d take her life and spend time wiping out her network before building his own network.
Comprehension dawned, and Freja had to admit he was a hot-tempered and unpredictable man. He could kill her any minute.
Right as she made up her mind, the icy pistol pressed into her temple once again. Nathaniel announced confidently, “This time, I won’t miss my target.”
The sound of him disengaging the safety sounded like Hades’ arrival.
Freja shut her eyes and raised her arms in defeat. “All right! You call the shots!”
Nathaniel chuckled. “The pistol is loaded, so I have to fire it out!”
He then pulled on the trigger swiftly.
Freja held her breath. She couldn’t even bring herself to yell out loud.
However, after a bang sounded, she felt no pain. Opening her eyes, she ran her hands all over her head and made sure she was all right before heaving a sigh of relief.
In reality, Nathaniel had aimed the pistol at Anthony and me before pulling the trigger. The bullet whizzed past the space between us before hitting the cement wall behind us.
Freja wasn’t the only one who had escaped death.
Nathaniel enjoyed the sight of a humiliated Freja before releasing her. He raised his arms in the air as though he were enjoying the sight of his subjects kneeling before him. The arrogance on his face was evident.
After freeing herself, Freja jolted up and tidied her appearance as she retreated a few steps back. At a safe distance away from Nathaniel, her expression turned grim, and she was once again the elegant Freja Schmidt of the Schmidt family.
She didn’t even act this way back at the banquet, where everyone treated people differently according to their status. It seemed like this was the only way to hide her previously disheveled state and wipe away her fear of losing her life.
“Isn’t this great? Being an obedient dog is better than a corpse that won’t bite,” Nathaniel commented, showing her no mercy.
Freja gritted her teeth and stared ahead arrogantly without uttering a word.
She was still the fearless Drogawolf a few minutes ago, so there was no way she’d admit to being a lowly dog who would only beg for scraps.
Though Nathaniel was now in control of Freja, he couldn’t control her arrogance.
Nathaniel couldn’t be bothered about her thoughts and turned his attention to Anthony.
He walked over to Anthony, and they were mere inches away from each other.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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