Chapter 4 Revenge
1151 Words
At Mileway Pub, the dazzling lights of the light show captured everyone's attention.
The live band's energetic performance took the lively atmosphere to its peak as countless handsome men and beautiful women gathered to revel in the night.
In the private room on the second floor, Linda's cheeks were already flushed with a rosy glow.
"That was fun! Say you love it. I know you do!"
Nelia shook her head in exasperation. Linda was already drunk again.
"Come on! Babe, mix me a few more of those delicious cocktails! Tonight, I'm going all in..."
Before she could finish, Linda quietly collapsed onto the couch.
As Nelia tried to settle Linda down, a sudden burst of shouting came from downstairs.
*****
"What the hell is this? There's a bug in my drink!"
"Where's the boss? Get out!"
A burly bald man yelled, shaking his glass at the bartender.
"I'm the boss."
Nelia stepped forward, her gaze falling on the bartender who was sprawled on the floor, looking utterly humiliated. She looked at the man with a frown.
She had personally checked the cleanliness of the pub before opening today, and there was no way anything dirty could have been in the drinks.
"You?"
The man sneered, his eyes scanning Nelia with contempt.
"What's your solution? If you can't fix this, I'll tear this damn place apart!"
"I'm really sorry, sir," Nelia said, maintaining her composure.
"How about I make you a new drink, and to apologize, I'll cover your tab for tonight."
Nelia was trying to defuse the situation without causing any more trouble for Linda.
"Alright, I'll accept that."
The man smirked, twirling the glass in his hand.
"But... all of my friends in the private room also have bugs in their drinks. Now, what do you think we should do about that?"
"Well, I guess I'll have to check it out personally."
Nelia's eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched.
This night was about to get a lot more interesting.
*****
The private room was large, but the lighting was dim, almost like the open mouth of a deep abyss, waiting to swallow whoever entered.
As soon as Nelia stepped inside, she felt something cold press against her back.
Was that... a gun?
"Freeze!"
The bald man shoved her into the room roughly.
Sitting arrogantly on the couch in front of her was a familiar figure.
"Nelia! Long time no see. Care to guess who I am?"
The man's loud, manic laughter filled the room, and Nelia's heart sank.
It was... Buper.
"Ah, I was wondering who was causing all this trouble. The latest p**n you starred in was quite a hit. Congrats."
"You really think I won't do anything to you?" Buper sneered.
"My dad said as long as you're alive, it doesn't matter if you're injured or crippled!"
"Heh, you just never learn, do you?"
Seeing Nelia still holding her ground, Buper laughed even harder.
"Haha! I truly love how stubborn you are. I can't wait to see you still so defiant when these men ride you in turn!"
Nelia remained calm. If Buper thought these men could take her down, he was dead wrong.
Just as she was about to make a move, the door that had been tightly shut suddenly swung open, and the bright light flooded the room, drawing everyone's attention.
"What's with all the people and the lights off? What kind of party is this?"
A low, familiar voice echoed through the room. Nelia's eyes widened. It was the lead singer of the band Linda had invited.
"Hey, jackass, you're not invited!"
Buper's face twisted in anger as he pointed the gun toward the intruder.
"Sorry, I'll take my leave..."
But just as the man tried to leave, he was yanked back into the room by someone else.
"Since you've seen it, you're not leaving now."
The speaker was a man with a scarred face, wearing a mask. He turned to Buper.
"Sir, there are too many people here. We should leave before things get too messy."
*****
A group of men dragged the bound Nelia and the intruder out of the room and threw them out of the window.
Although Nelia had plenty of chances to escape, she stayed put to protect the man. She had to come up with another plan.
What made her almost laugh in disbelief was that this man was still comforting her as if nothing had happened.
"Boss, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
The man continued, "Hey, don't worry. I've already called the cops, and help is on the way."
Looking at the man, still bleeding but smiling while checking on her, a strange warmth spread through her chest.
When they were thrown from the window, he had protected her, landing beneath her to cushion the fall.
"I'm fine, but you... your wound is still bleeding."
"I've got a lot of blood. A little bit won't matter," he said.
"Uh..." Nelia fell speechless.
"Thank you... what's your name?"
"Calaen," the man said.
"Okay, Calaen. Listen, I've got a tracker on me, and I already notified the rescue team. When we get there, don't provoke them too much. I'll find a way for us to escape."
Nelia whispered her plan, and Calaen nodded obediently like a chick pecking at food.
His calmness was unsettling to her.
"You... don't have any questions?"
She looked at him, finding his reaction way too abnormal.
"No need. I trust you unconditionally," he said.
*****
In an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town, Nelia was thrown roughly to the ground.
"Haha! No one's going to disturb us now, my darling wife."
Buper's eyes burned with desire; he now seemed like a junkie seeing his fix.
"Actually, you're mistaken. You're her ex-husband."
Calaen's voice was tinged with mockery as he corrected Buper.
Nelia felt a headache coming on. This guy was supposed to stay calm, but now he had just made things worse.
If Buper killed him, no one would know or care.
"One more word, and I'll kill you right now!"
Buper pointed the gun at Calaen. Just then, Nelia quickly spoke up to distract him.
"Buper! About Mermaid Cliff... have you verified the assets?"
Buper seemed surprised. "You know about the verification process? Looks like you've done some research."
"Of course. So, how about making a deal?" she offered.
"I'll help you pass the verification, and you let us go."
Nelia's mind was racing. From her previous experiences on the dark web, she knew that asset verification didn't just mean money, especially since Buper's family didn't lack wealth.
The only thing that might interest them was the gem her parents had left behind.
If they hadn't acquired it yet, it could still be used as leverage.
Looking at her confident expression, Buper suddenly broke into a grin.
"Good idea!"
But then, his face darkened.
"However... you're the asset we need to verify."
- Writer
