Anthony seemingly spaced out earlier. Only when he heard Desmond calling his name did he snap back to his senses. “I’ve got nothing to say,” he sneered.
“So, you’re admitting that it was your doing? Vincent demanded sharply.
Straightening leisurely, Anthony drawled, “I didn’t say that.”
“What did you mean by that, then?” Vincent’s voice abruptly rose several decibels, for he felt as though he had been played for a fool.
With a smirk tugging at his lips, Anthony turned and looked in the direction of Nathaniel and me. “My meaning is simple enough. I know my capabilities better than anyone else.”
That’s true. He has always erred on the side of caution, so it makes no sense that he’d shoot himself in the foot.
When I saw the others at the table nodding in contemplation, I couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief.
Even though the people in the room were all dressed ordinarily, we were both well aware that the civilized facades were merely masking ruthless souls. Therefore, one had to be wholly on guard while being in the same room with them.
Right after quelling the suspicion against him, Anthony gave Nathaniel a taste of his own medicine, declaring, “Since you’re being so frank with us here, Nathaniel, I’ll also save myself the effort of beating around the bush. There’s a question that’s been eluding me. I hope you can explain it to me.”
Nathaniel remained calm and unruffled. “There’s no need to hold back with me. Go ahead and ask your question.”
“It’s not something huge. It’s just about your frequent contact recently with the godson of the former Chanaean official, Louis Stanhope. I wonder if there’s anything you’re planning?”
The moment Desmond heard Louis’ name, he shot to his feet. “Louis Stanhope is the most rigid official and has always abhorred our illegal dealings!”
Vincent set his sights on Nathaniel once more, and he aggressively questioned, “How are you going to explain that, Nathaniel?”
Anthony could have pointed out my relationship with John, but he didn’t do that, probably out of concern for my safety. For that reason, he went about it in a roundabout way by linking John and Louis, two renowned figures in Chanaea.
Everyone knew that birds of a feather flocked together, so there was no way Nathaniel could dig himself out of the grave.
However, he didn’t miss a single beat and wasn’t the slightest bit panicked. Instead, he straightened his clothes in a seemingly distracted manner. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”
Vincent was so livid that he gritted his teeth. His eyes narrowed into slits with a cunning and brutal gleam in them. “In that case, don’t blame me for showing you no courtesy!”
After saying that, he raised his right hand and beckoned at his subordinate behind him. At that, the man immediately whipped out a gun and aimed it at Nathaniel.
Nonetheless, Nathaniel merely lifted his head calmly. Flashing Vincent an elegant yet strange smile, he murmured, “You’ve always been waiting for this day, no, Mr. Chadwick?”
Snorting, Vincent no longer bothered to pay him any mind since he was going to bite the dust soon. “So what if I have? You betrayed the organization and everyone this time, so no one can save you! You only have yourself to blame for not knowing your place!”
Without an ounce of hesitation, he thundered, “Finish him off!”
When his voice rang out, however, the anticipated sound of a gunshot was nowhere to be heard. The entire room was deathly silent.
The smug smile on Vincent’s face froze, and he promptly whirled around to berate his subordinate for being so dense. “Hey! I told you to shoot! Are you deaf or”
While he was clamoring, the gun in the man’s hand gradually shifted, changing directions to point right at his head.
Not even deigning to explain anything, the man pulled the trigger. Whizz! The bullet went through the silencer and hit Vincent in the head.
As the pop of the gun pierced the air, Vincent collapsed onto the ground before he even realized what had happened. His body twitched a few times before going entirely still.
Nathaniel got to his feet without any change in expression. Picking up the napkin on the table, he wiped his hands while casting his gaze at Vincent’s body on the ground and uttered indifferently, “As you said, Mr. Chadwick, there’s only one ending for someone who betrayed the organization and everyone.”
When he had finished speaking, he held up the napkin he had used to wipe his hands over the man’s wide eyes and dropped it, allowing it to cover his gruesome state in death.
Upon seeing their long-time good friend dying a tragic death, Desmond and Theodore both saw red. They were on the verge of losing their tempers when Nathaniel walked over to their backs and patted them on the shoulders heavily. In a solemn voice, he advised, “You should both consider carefully before acting. Are you really going to turn on me because of someone who betrayed you both?”
“Are you saying that it was Vincent who leaked our information out? That’s impossible!” Desmond countered at once.
Nathaniel wasn’t in the mood to explain things to them; thus, he drawled, “Feel free to think about it. There’s plenty of time if you want to avenge him. But now…”
At that, he abruptly trailed off. Spinning around, he took the gun from the killer and pointed it at Ramona, who hadn’t said a single word, across the table.
That struck such stark fear into Theodore that he descended into a panic. His gaze alternated between the gun and Ramona, terrified that he would be the next person. “Why… Are you planning to kill us all here today?”
Nathaniel ignored his words altogether, staring at Ramona with resentment brimming in his eyes. Grounding his jaw, he spat, “Why did you do that?”
Ramona had been through hell and back and was sitting here with her own capabilities, so she showed nary a hint of fear despite Vincent’s precedence. She calmly lit a cigarette and started puffing away impassively, making it evident that she had no intention of explaining anything.
The fury in Nathaniel’s eyes blazed hotter. Deciding to eliminate her, he placed his finger on the trigger.
With one seized by the urge to kill and the other making no move to dodge, the result was seemingly destined.
However, Anthony spoke up at just that precise moment. “There’s no need to put her in a difficult position. I was the one who persuaded her to leak the locations to the cops.”
Nathaniel swiftly swung the gun sideways and aimed it right at his heart. “Great, just great! You managed to win my trusted aide over and get her on your side in such a short time! Should I not laud you, my dearest brother?”
“That’s enough.” Ramona snubbed the cigarette out, interrupting their confrontation. “Do you think I’m so easily swayed? I only did that for your own good. If Uncle Garrett were to learn that you did so many ridiculous things for this woman, you’d be the next one to die! If I hadn’t made some trouble for you, you’d really think that you could control everything! Sienna should have died long ago in M Country. How are you going to explain it to him when he sees you with her?”
Every single word out of her mouth carried concern for Nathaniel. Of course, it was also the most hostile remark she had even made toward me thus far.
Nathaniel took a deep breath, but he didn’t plan on accepting her kindness. “I have my own plans. You shouldn’t have interfered. Since you betrayed the organization, you have to bear the consequences.”
Undeniably, he was really a heartless person. Everything Ramona did was out of consideration for him, but all that mattered to him was cleaning house and thereby taking her life.
Ramona remained unfazed. She turned her head in disappointment as though resigned to her fate. “Since I decided to do it, I wasn’t afraid that you’d find about it. Just do your worse.”
Sure enough, Nathaniel adjusted the angle of the gun, lining it up with her bangs-covered forehead. He flicked the safety off and placed his finger on the trigger.
Is she really going to cross the great divide? It’s quite a pity for such a beautiful woman to die. But on second thought, the hands of everyone in this organization are likely stained with blood. No one is innocent.
Following that thought, I stopped worrying about it.
Surprisingly, Nathaniel ended up not pulling the trigger after contemplating for a long while.
Something seemingly occurred to him, for he suddenly put down the gun in his hand. As he turned and headed back to me, he coldly warned, “This is the first and final time.”
Ultimately, he decided to let her go.
Everyone there didn’t expect him to actually show mercy.
Ramona stood up at seemingly the same time. Her face was ashen, and her gaze dull. As though throwing a tantrum, she huffed, “I’m not going to thank you because I did nothing wrong! You’ve gotten soft-hearted, Nat. It’ll kill you one day.”
After saying that, she shot me a sidelong glance before stalking off.
Seeing that, Anthony went after her. He had just taken two steps when Nathaniel called him back. “Anthony! Remember that your life is mine, and I can take it away anytime! Don’t be too arrogant!”
Anthony paused midstride, but he didn’t turn back. After listening to the man, he continued chasing after Ramona.
If I were in his shoes, I would make the same choice.
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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