Top Notch War God

Chapter 97

Talon and Ariya arrived at a café, ordered two coffees and some bread. Talon casually sent a text message and leaned back in his chair, sipping his tea in a relaxed manner.

"Talon, are you really going to give Pete $600 million?" Ariya was too anxious to enjoy her tea and couldn't help but ask.

"Why would I give him my hard-earned money?" Talon responded with a question of his own.

"But back in Pete's office, why didn't you say that? He originally only wanted $50 million to delete the negative press, but you're the one who raised it to $600 million! If you don't want to give him the money, then why agree to it? What are we supposed to do now?" Ariya snapped, clearly frustrated.

"We'll just wait here. Within half an hour, Pete will come begging me," Talon said calmly, pouring Ariya a cup of tea.

Ariya took the cup, incredulous. "Pete will come begging you? Oh, come on, stop dreaming! You heard what he said in his office—this guy isn't someone you can beat or threaten. Even if you take legal action, it'll take time. Your only options are to pay up or brace yourself for a long, drawn-out fight!"

Talon remained unfazed. "If I pay him once, who's to say there won't be a second or third time? This time, I plan to hit him where it hurts, find out who's pulling the strings behind the scenes, and make sure it doesn't happen again. Ariya, it seems like you don't believe me. How about we make a bet?"

"You still want to make bets at a time like this?" Ariya rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Yes! I've been away for so long and haven't even had the chance to enjoy my wife's company. Don't you think that's unfair? Let's make a deal—if Pete comes to apologize, you let me sleep in the bedroom. Don't worry, I won't do anything you don't like." Talon teased, shaking his head with an amused but determined look.

"Oh, come on! How can you be thinking about stuff like that right now! I'm not betting with you, but if you want to sleep in the room, fine—you can sleep on the floor! For the record, I was drunk yesterday. It's not my fault you didn't take advantage of the opportunity." Ariya's cheeks turned red.

"Are you kidding me? I was afraid you would get mad at me!" Talon felt a wave of regret. He downed an entire pot of tea, trying to shake off the missed opportunity.

Just then, his phone chimed with a notification. He glanced at it and smiled. "Ariya, come take a look at this post. It's pretty interesting."

"I'm not in the mood to look at posts!" Still distracted by Talon's earlier suggestion, Ariya thought about how, in the five years they'd known each other, they hadn't shared much intimacy beyond the first time. Maybe she should grant him this small request?

"It's really interesting, I promise you'll laugh," Talon said, handing the phone to her.

Ariya reluctantly took the phone and glanced at the screen. As soon as she read the title, she froze. The headline was: Exposé: My Days Being Exploited by Norman News President Pete.

As she scrolled down, she saw pictures of Pete's office at Norman News, with a woman named Jessica sitting on the desk, and a man standing in front of her. Below the images was a short video clip. Even though the crucial parts were blurred, it was unmistakably Pete!

In the video, Pete could be heard boasting crudely while engaging in the act. "Ariya, what do you think? Have you had someone bigger than me? You like it?"

"Shameless, absolutely shameless!!" Ariya was so angry that she almost threw Talon's phone. Her fists clenched in rage as her teeth ground together.

"Calm down. Pete will pay for this," Talon said, his eyes narrowing as he let out a cold chuckle.

After spending about ten minutes with Pete in his office, Jessica stepped out, visibly irritated. Pete had finished too soon, leaving her unsatisfied. Frustrated, she had to help herself in the bathroom. When she returned to her office to grab some tissues, she noticed her coworkers glancing at her and whispering, occasionally letting out small bursts of laughter.

"What's so funny? Am I that amusing to you?" Jessica snapped, irritated.

A sleazy guy with glasses laughed and said, "Oh, come on, Jessica! How could you be so careless? Your husband's a cop, isn't he? You better hope he doesn't find out—he's a jealous one, right? And man, it looks like Mr. Norman couldn't last even five minutes! Haha, Jessica, maybe after work, you and I can, you know..."

"Shut the hell up! There's nothing going on between me and Mr. Norman. He called me in for regular work-related matters!" Jessica's heart skipped a beat, but she tried to play it cool, raising her voice to maintain the facade.

The guy pushed his computer screen toward her. "Oh, please, stop pretending, Jessica. We all know what's been going on between you and Mr. Norman. The camera angle is perfect—everything is clear. You were way too careless when you posted this. If your husband finds out, your marriage is done for, don't you think?"