The President's Captive Love

Chapter 3: Onyx

THE WAREHOUSE

A large European car cruised down a dirt road in a remote area far from the city. The dense trees provided excellent cover from prying eyes. Around the warehouse, a layer of rusty iron fencing enclosed it further. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned place, but in reality, it was packed with illegal goods.

Onyx arrived with his subordinates for a regular meeting with his group of friends. His impassive face behind square glasses gave him the appearance of a studious nerd who always had a book in hand. Anyone meeting him might assume he was a doctor or lawyer, but in truth, he was a mafia boss.

Inside the warehouse, his subordinates were bustling around, checking the goods before shipment. Onyx, who owned a logistics company, could easily smuggle these goods onto ships.

The basement of the warehouse was a labyrinth of winding paths, branching in multiple directions, which could be confusing. However, someone familiar with the routes like him could easily walk with eyes closed to the spacious meeting room.

"Hey, you're always early, aren't you?" Victor, sprawled out alone on the sofa, greeted him while sipping a can of beer, then tossed another ice-cold can his way.

"..." Onyx caught it accurately, opened the can, took a small sip, and sat down across from his close friend.

The room was packed with long sofas surrounding a low table, devoid of any decorations, focusing solely on functionality. In one corner was an old document cabinet and a small fridge filled to the brim with alcoholic drinks. In another corner was a thick wooden desk, but no one ever used it.

"Can you ship the goods to Hong Kong? I'm dealing with a new client," Victor asked.

"No problem, they'll pick it up at the port."

"Won't it get randomly inspected?"

"No, they wouldn't dare inspect my containers," the tall man gave a slight shrug. He had connections everywhere and slipped a lot of money under the table. That was enough for the greedy officials to turn a blind eye to his affairs.

"Heh," Victor chuckled, taking a big swig of his beer with ease.

Since no one else had arrived yet, Onyx opened the book he had brought along to read for fun and pass the time. With an IQ of 160, he was always eager to learn new things. He was fascinated by numbers and technology, and was currently diving into coding, hacking systems, and developing programs.

He graduated from university in Thailand at the age of 16, but his parents wanted him to have a typical teenage life, so they sent Onyx back to high school to socialize. That's how he met Victor during their high school years. During that time, he pursued a master's degree alongside his high school studies.

Onyx went on to study at another university in the United States. After graduating, he stayed in touch with Victor, who introduced him to Leon and Cairo. As their friendship deepened, they decided to enter the underworld business together.

Soon, Leon's cheerful face appeared along with his trusted subordinate, followed by Cairo, and the meeting began.

"I heard that Acha's group is starting to take an interest in this business," Victor said calmly after Leon finished boasting about a new type of weapon.

"Huh! Besides trafficking organs, they want to get into the weapons business too?" Leon snorted, turning to ask.

"We need to be careful with our shipments these days."

"If they dare to meddle, we'll eliminate them," Cairo said coldly, his eyes gleaming.

"Heh heh," Leon chuckled, grinning at his friend's words.

"..."

"About Acha's group... I'll try to investigate," Onyx, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up, feeling uneasy. He had heard a bit about the other party's cunning nature, never letting go. If they didn't prepare, there would likely be headaches in the future.

He had encountered Acha at social events or meetings. Acha's father was the Minister of Public Health and also the director of a major hospital. Who would have thought that behind the stern, socially-conscious doctor was a son involved in illegal organ trafficking?

"What suddenly made you so eager?" Leon tilted his head, looking curious.

"...Just something I'm curious about," he said with a cold, handsome expression behind his glasses, before sinking back into his thoughts, letting his friends continue their playful chatter.

"When will Taipei be back?" he asked in a calm voice to 'Tawan,' another close subordinate, while sitting in the car returning to his private penthouse.

"Probably in 2 or 3 days, sir."

"..."

The tall figure fell silent again, gazing out the car window, while Tawan, who was driving, discreetly observed his boss's demeanor.

"Is there anything you need me to take care of first, sir?"

"..."

The car fell silent once more. Even though Tawan had been working with Onyx for a long time, he still wasn't quite used to the other's reserved demeanor. While he thought the young mafia boss was waiting for Taipei to return to handle matters, his boss spoke up first.

"Then go investigate Acha for me. I want to know what he's been doing lately."

"Understood, sir."

Soon, the luxury car arrived at the nine-story building in the heart of Bangkok, which was Onyx's residence. The young man valued his privacy, so he bought the entire building and converted it into accommodations for his subordinates. The top floor was completely transformed into a private penthouse, filled with amenities and advanced technology.

The subordinates' accommodations were well-organized, with a communal swimming pool, a gym, a shooting range, a dining room, and a relaxation area. Every subordinate had to work under risky conditions, so the young boss provided full benefits, earning their loyalty and commitment.

Onyx entered his residence, and his subordinates bowed their heads respectfully. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment, his face remaining as indifferent as ever. The tall figure scanned his fingerprint and entered a code at the elevator, which then ascended to the top floor.

Inside the spacious, airy private suite, one side features a large kitchen decorated in dark tones. Next to it is an eight-seat dining table. On the opposite side is a spacious living room, which, despite having no partition walls, is well-organized. An 88-inch flat-screen TV is mounted on the wall with a surround sound system. A large dark leather sofa forms a U-shape around a low table. Behind it are several smaller rooms: a private fitness room, a library, a laundry room stocked with cleaning supplies, and a bathroom. In the far corner, there's a sturdy black door that requires fingerprint scanning for access, and he is the only one with access.

One wall of the suite is made of floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a clear view of the swimming pool on the balcony. Nearby, there is a staircase leading to the second floor, which houses the master bedroom, two guest rooms, and a study. This penthouse is so fully equipped with amenities that the young man hardly needs to go out.

Despite the penthouse's vastness, it remains eerily quiet with only one resident. Onyx tossed his glasses onto the sofa, revealing his strikingly handsome, flawless features. His thick eyebrows arched slightly, and his sharp, eagle-like eyes appeared intense and serious. His nose was prominent, and his lips were thick and dark, typical of a smoker. He unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his shirt and loosened his cuffs for comfort, and his muscular legs carried him to the black door. He pressed his thumb to the panel to scan his fingerprint.

Beep~

The unlocking sound echoed as he pushed the door open. Inside, the secret room was pitch black, illuminated only by a single green light. When he pressed the button, the custom-built, million-dollar computer lit up, and the system's startup sounds activated, causing all three large screens to turn on sequentially.

This was the computer room where Onyx often spent entire days. All secret information was stored here, with a system he developed himself, making it difficult to hack.

After entering the password, Onyx leaned back in the soft chair, scanning through the surveillance footage he had installed throughout the penthouse, warehouse, office buildings, and ports across the country. He had modified and developed these cameras to be very small yet durable, capable of recording clear images and sound both day and night.

He had stealthily set them up without anyone's knowledge to covertly oversee the activities of his employees and subordinates. If anyone considered betrayal or clandestine actions, he could intervene immediately.

Onyx continued to scroll through the images, checking each location's orderliness until he paused at the screen in front of his office. Onyx enlarged the image, glancing at the time on the screen. His sharp gaze softened upon seeing his secretary still immersed in paperwork, even though it was long past working hours.

The petite figure in an old-fashioned outfit topped with a garish floral sweater, with frizzy dark brown hair and thick glasses, made it so he had rarely seen her face clearly. She flipped through each document file, jotting down details in a notebook.

The young mafia boss smirked slightly, zooming in on her desk to get a better look at the gift she had chosen.

He had given her the chance to pick a reward for her dedication over the past four years, yet she ended up buying only a silly brown notebook priced at just 249 baht.

The large figure stretched out comfortably, unwittingly watching the woman work for nearly an hour. Until it was nearly 9 PM, the woman changed her posture, stretching to relieve fatigue. She began packing her personal items into a cheap bag, taking 2 or 3 files with her.

Onyx continued to switch between images, from the front of the office to when she walked out of the building and disappeared into the bustling crowd outside.

Onyx realized he had been indulging in a pointless activity, like watching his secretary work. He shook his head to refocus and resumed working on the unfinished program.

His slender fingers danced rapidly over the keyboard, typing in a language that was incomprehensible to most, as if it were an extension of his body. He filled the high-spec computer with lines of code. Onyx was deeply absorbed in coding, but the program he was working on was still far from complete. By nearly 2 AM, the young man decided to take a break. He saved his work, left the screen as it was, and retreated to his private bedroom.