Dangerous Deal With Billionaire Mafia

Chapter 4. Punishment

Edward coldly looked at Remi who was trembling in front of him. His voice rang out, emotionless:

"Why did you do that?"

Remi swallowed, her hands clenched together. She tried to stay calm but her voice was still broken:

"I... I just want to contact my family."

Edward did not react immediately, only coldly gestured:

"Give me back my phone."

Remi did not give up, she looked at Edward with pleading eyes. "I promise, just this once... please..."

Edward narrowed his eyes slightly, his patience had worn off considerably. His voice was low, dangerous:

"You deliberately violated the rules. Do you think I set the rules just for show?"

At this moment, Inpo hurriedly ran over. Edward glanced at Inpo coldly and then spoke in a reproachful voice:

"You are really careless, letting him sneak in here so easily."

Inpo bowed his head in apology, not daring to make excuses. Edward glanced at Inpo and signaled for him to take the phone back from Remi's hand. She helplessly let go of it, her heart filled with disappointment. Then, Edward ordered:

"Take him to the training room."

Remi was led away, her heart pounding with fear. When they arrived, Edward sat down on the chair in the middle of the large room, his cold eyes directed at her. He leaned back leisurely, and commanded:

"Turn around."

Remi bit her lip, not daring to move. Edward emphasized:

"I warned you, yet you still blatantly broke the rules. Consider this a small gift to remind you."

Remi trembled, screaming in panic:

"Please forgive me this time! I promise I won't do it again! Please...!"

Edward was unmoved. He just gestured with his hand, and Inpo immediately approached and handed him the whip. Edward lashed the whip hard on the ground, the sound made Remi pale. He curled his lips, his eyes like a predator: "Turn around."

Knowing that she couldn't escape, Remi slowly turned around, her hands clenched tightly. Edward raised the whip, without hesitation, and swung it down on her back. A sharp sound rang out, and Remi screamed in pain. Her back was burning, as if her skin was being torn apart.

Before she could catch her breath, the second whip came down, stronger than the last. Remi's whole body trembled, and she fell to one knee on the ground, gritting her teeth to endure. Even though the pain was so great that she wanted to cry, she tried not to shed tears. Edward stared at her, his eyes unreadable.

Edward looked at her with an unreadable gaze, curious as to why she had the audacity to do so. He coldly asked her, "How do you feel about the punishment just now, do you know your mistake?"

Remi nodded repeatedly, her voice trembling as she said, "I know my mistake... I won't do it again."

She didn't give up, still begging Edward: "Can you give me my phone back now? I'll just call my family this time and then give it back to you."

Edward carefully observed Remi, probing her reaction. He saw her pitiful appearance so he allowed it. He signaled Inpo to give the phone to Remi. She took it and thanked him profusely.

Remi immediately pressed the call button for Ivy. The other end of the line rang for a long time but no one answered. She bit her lip, patiently calling again. This time, Ivy's voice rang out, but it was a drunken mumble, "Who keeps calling... annoying..."

Remi asked worriedly: "Ivy, it's me. Are you okay? How was your father's funeral? Do you know who killed Karen?"

Ivy frowned uncomfortably, her voice slurred, "Who is it? Why are you asking so many questions?"

Remi tried to stay calm, "I'm Karen's friend, I'm worried about you and your family."

Ivy laughed sarcastically, "Karen's friend? Haha... everything's fine. My father and sister are dead, but never mind. I'm busy wallowing in grief. The police said the killer escaped."

Remi was stunned, then exclaimed, "No way! It was all Paul's fault! He killed both of them!"

Ivy cursed directly into the phone, "Are you crazy? Talking nonsense! Paul was a gentle, kind man. He loved me, gave me money, gave me gifts. When I was at my worst, he was always there for me. Who are you to speak ill of him?"

Remi couldn't believe what she was hearing. She tried to say, "Ivy, please, don't trust Paul. Don't let him manipulate you!"

But she couldn't say anything more. Edward was still standing in front of her, watching her like a predator. His eyes were filled with curiosity.

Remi helplessly said, "Ivy, listen to me. Paul is a bad guy!"

Ivy snapped, "You're really crazy! I don't have time to argue with you!"

After saying that, Ivy immediately hung up. Remi panicked, she tried to call again, but the other end of the line didn't pick up. She called again, then again... but in vain. Edward still stared at Remi. He was really curious about the young man that Remi mentioned. He ordered Inpo, "Get his phone back."

Remi clenched the phone in her hand, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She was forced to hand it over, looking at Edward sadly. Under the yellow light in the training room, Edward quietly observed Remi. He didn't say anything, just smoked a cigarette and leaned back in his chair, his eyes cold but deep. Every expression, every reaction of the young man when talking to Ivy on the phone couldn't escape his sharp eyes.

He saw Remi happy to get his phone back, saw him worried when Ivy didn't pick up, saw him impatient when Ivy answered in a drunken voice. But what caught his attention the most was Remi's agitation when he mentioned the name "Paul."

Paul... Edward remembered the file he had seen earlier. Paul was a man of ambition, his perfect cover hiding a real monster. And Remi, the small, skinny boy in front of him knew that. But Ivy didn't. She was already being manipulated.

Edward saw the despair in Remi's eyes when Ivy called him crazy. He saw the helplessness when he tried to warn him but couldn't. Normally, for someone who had just been punished by him like him, he should have been in a state of panic, pain, or resentment. But no, all of Remi's emotions at this moment were focused on that conversation.

Remi really cared about Ivy. Edward curled his lips, his eyes sharpening. He had always believed that there were only two types of people, selfish people who only thought about themselves, and stupid people who were willing to suffer for others. Remi seemed to be the second type. An interesting stupid person.

Edward watched Remi bow his head helplessly as his phone was taken away. He didn't cry, didn't make a scene, just clenched his fists, his eyes cloudy with anxiety. Edward suddenly wanted to know... if Remi was pushed to the limit, what else could he reveal? Edward spoke in a low voice:

"Remi, do you really want to save Ivy that much?"

Remi startled and looked up at him, her eyes filled with pleading.

“Yes. I will do anything to save Ivy.”

He looked straight at Remi, feeling the sincerity in those words. A stupid kind of sincerity, but not fake.

“Are you just a good friend?”

Remi stiffened slightly. He clearly didn’t expect Edward to ask that question. Remi quickly lowered his eyes, as if he was hiding his true feelings. He hurriedly thought of a convincing reason and replied: “Karen is very important to me. She is someone I have secretly liked for a long time. Therefore, I want to protect her sister.”

Edward was silent, staring at Remi as if he wanted to pry out his secret. He didn’t completely believe that explanation, but he didn’t expose it either.

“Then show your ability.” He said indifferently. “First, you have to convince me to accept you. Pass this special supervision period, become an official bodyguard, and I will return your phone to you. Prove your abilities.”

Remi looked at Edward, her eyes shining with determination. “I agree. I will do my best.”

Edward did not reply, just sat there enjoying the cigarette in his hand and watched Remi leave the room. He could feel his determination, but he could also see clearly that he did not have the qualities of a bodyguard.

If Remi wanted to prove himself, he would have to suffer much more. Edward watched the thin back disappear. A strange feeling suddenly flashed in his heart, an inexplicable interest in the subordinate soldier that he should not have cared about. He secretly said:

“How funny.”

Remi returned to her room and rested, she asked the mansion's butler for medicine to apply to her wound, she had difficulty applying medicine to her wound because of the whip on her back, but she had to try to overcome this difficulty. Remi clenched her hands, her heart filled with fierce determination. If she wanted to get her phone back and continue to protect Ivy, she could not falter. In the following days, she put all her energy into training.

In the morning, she woke up earlier than everyone else, jogging around the training area until her legs were sore. When exercising, even though her body was aching, she gritted her teeth and endured, not complaining a word. For combat exercises, she observed Han and the stronger people, memorized every move, and tried to practice even though she was knocked to the floor many times.

Inpo sometimes shook his head in dismay when he saw Remi falling down after each sparring session. But then, he was surprised to see that the skinny boy from that day started to react faster, and take more punches.

Three days later. Edward stood in the middle of the training ground, in front of him was Remi, who was kneeling on one knee, panting after the final test. He slowly looked down at Inpo's evaluation, then looked back at Remi.

"You passed the test." Edward said coldly.

Remi raised her head, her eyes shining with joy and relief.

"From now on, you are officially my bodyguard."

Remi swallowed her sobs, her hands clenched and unclenched. She had done it. Edward continued: "And as promised..." he signaled to Inpo, returning the phone to Remi. Looking at the familiar phone in her hand, Remi felt like she had just taken back an important part of her life. She clenched it tightly, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.

"Thank you." She said softly, her voice trembling.

Edward looked at her with an unreadable expression, then just turned away coldly, as if it was nothing to worry about. But deep down, he knew he had just placed his attention on a more interesting new recruit than he thought.

Remi's heart now surged with indescribable joy. She got her phone back and quickly returned to her room. The first thing she wanted to do was call Ivy. But she didn't expect that the person who picked up the phone would be Paul.