Chapter 10
1340 Words
"Aiden?" Emily whispered, a tremor of fear in her voice. She leaned toward James. "Did Ms. Harris just say Aiden?"
"It... it sounded like it," James replied, his own voice tight with uncertainty.
"Wh-what's the connection between Ms. Harris and Aiden?" Emily's voice trembled, her eyes wide with dawning comprehension. "Could... could Aiden be the owner of the collection?"
James shook his head, his brow furrowed. "I... I don't know."
Emily frowned, a puzzled expression on her face. "Strange, that voice sounds familiar. I wonder where I've heard it before?" She craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the speaker, but Mandy remained hidden behind the curtain.
***
Meanwhile, backstage, Mandy paced restlessly, her anger simmering beneath a veneer of controlled anxiety. "Did you make the call?" she demanded of her assistant.
"Yes, ma'am, but there was no answer. Perhaps Mr. Tate is out on business?" the assistant offered tentatively.
Mandy continued, "Impossible. He knows how important this auction is. I'm worried something's happened to him."
A shout cut through the air from a distance. "Ms. Harris! Someone said they saw Mr. Tate being taken away by some men with tattoos!"
Mandy spun around, her eyes flashing. "Which direction did they go?"
"West, ma'am," the person replied.
"Winslow," Mandy instructed, her voice sharp and decisive, "go check it out. If anyone's hurting Mr. Tate, handle it. Whatever it costs, I'll pay. If necessary, I'll buy his life."
Winslow Green, a loyal and ruthless enforcer, nodded curtly. "Ms. Harris, I understood."
Mandy's voice hardened. "Of course, if you don't handle this properly... Humph. Winslow, I don't think you'll be working for me anymore."
Winslow's expression tightened. "Ms. Harris, rest assured. If we can't handle this, my guys and I will lose face in Veridonia."
***
Back in the auction hall, the auctioneer addressed the increasingly restless crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize, but there's been a slight... situation. Our collector may be momentarily indisposed and will be back shortly to complete the proceedings. Ms. Harris has already dispatched someone to check on him. Please bear with us for a moment."
Emily slumped back in her chair, the color draining from her face. "It's over," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's all over. Aiden really was the owner of the collection?"
James's voice was laced with disbelief. "How is that possible? Don't we know Aiden's capabilities? The items in this auction are extremely valuable antiques."
"So he's been hiding his true self all these years," Emily muttered, her voice filled with a mixture of shock and resentment. "He's so close to Ms. Harris. That explains why Ms. Harris wouldn't cooperate with us," she added, a fresh wave of anger washing over her. "More importantly, we spent sixty million on something that belongs to Aiden. I'm furious."
James's voice was urgent. "Emily, now's not the time to be angry. Didn't the auctioneer say Aiden is Ms. Harris's best friend? If Ms. Harris finds out it was our people... then..."
Emily's face was ashen. "Oh no. Send messages to everyone and tell them to run. Offending the Harris Group is like offending every boss here. Forget about further development. If our company can even stay in business, we'll be lucky."
"Okay, okay..." James frantically picked up his phone, his fingers trembling as he began to type.
Just then, Mandy's voice, cold and dangerous, cut through the growing tension. "This is unbelievable. Someone went missing at our auction. This is a blatant provocation against the Harris Group!"
She paused, her eyes narrowed. "And they kidnapped the owner of the collection. Humph. I want to see who's bold enough to do this." Every word Mandy spoke sent a fresh wave of icy dread through Emily. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
***
By the lakeside, the tattooed man sneered, "Hahaha... Aiden, how does our urine taste?"
Aiden lay on the ground, unable to move, his body squirming weakly like a worm. Despite his pitiful state, a faint smile appeared on his lips. "You'll regret this."
"Regret this? Did you hear that, boys? He says we'll regret it. Alright, enough fun. Let's send him to h*ll." The tattooed man gestured to his men, who stuffed Aiden into a burlap sack. Just as they were about to throw him into the lake, a commanding voice rang out from the distance.
"Stop!" It wasn't Mandy who had arrived, but a man with a face full of scars.
The tattooed man froze and spun around. His face instantly turned pale. "M-Mr. Green..." he stammered, trembling uncontrollably.
In their eyes, Mr. Green was a figure they rarely encountered. Yet here he was, in the flesh, which terrified the tattooed man to the core.
"Let him go," Winslow ordered sternly.
The tattooed man hesitated. "Mr. Green, he..."
"I said, let him go!" Winslow barked.
Winslow stepped closer. "Let him go now. Do you even know who he is?"
The tattooed man replied, "Isn't he just Ms. Wilson's ex-husband?"
"Hmph!" Without warning, Winslow slapped him hard across the face.
Slap!
Winslow glared at him. "I'm telling you, you've made a huge mistake! Do you even realize that?"
The tattooed man, still clutching his face, stuttered, "Mr. Green, I..."
Winslow cut him off. "He's Ms. Harris's best friend. You've messed with him. Do you think you'll get away with it?"
The tattooed man's eyes widened in disbelief. "M-Ms. Harris's friend?"
Winslow ignored his shock and quickly ran over to help Aiden up. "Mr. Tate, are you alright?"
The tattooed man tried to approach as well, but Winslow shoved him back with a forceful push. "Get lost!"
Turning back, Winslow asked coldly, "Who peed on me earlier?"
The tattooed man immediately stepped forward. "Mr. Tate, I... I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you. Please, forgive me! I swear I'll never do it again!"
Aiden's tone turned icy. "I told you that you'd regret it. You said you wouldn't. And now you're asking me to forgive you? What a joke!"
The tattooed man began slapping himself repeatedly. "I'm a b*stard! I should go to h*ll!"
Aiden asked, "Tell me, who sent you?"
The tattooed man hesitated, his eyes darting nervously. Winslow didn't wait. He picked up a knife and pressed it against the man's neck.
"Speak," Aiden ordered coldly.
The tattooed man stammered, "It... It was Ms. Wilson..."
Aiden's eyes narrowed. "Emily?"
The tattooed man nodded frantically. "Yes. Mr. Tate, we were forced into this. Please, spare us!"
Winslow glanced at Aiden and asked, "Mr. Tate, what do you think?"
The tattooed man clung to Aiden's arm. "Mr. Tate, please! I'll do anything to make it up to you. Just spare me this one time!" Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.
Turning to Winslow, the tattooed man pleaded, "Mr. Green, please help me beg Mr. Tate for mercy!"
Winslow flung his arm away in disgust. "Beg for mercy? If I beg for mercy on your behalf, how am I supposed to explain this to Ms. Harris?" He turned back to Aiden. "Mr. Tate, what's your decision?"
Aiden remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Fine. I won't take your lives, but you won't escape punishment."
"Understood." Winslow's tone was cold as he raised his hand slightly and gave the order. "Strip their pants. Cut their d*cks off!"
Moments later, agonized screams echoed by the lakeside.
***
Aiden sat in a car, heading toward the auction venue.
Meanwhile, Emily and James were already trembling with fear.
"J-James, didn't you just... just send a message?" Emily asked nervously, her voice shaking.
James nodded, his face pale. "Yes."
Emily pressed, "What did they say?"
Although it was April and not particularly hot, beads of cold sweat were forming on James's forehead. "They... They still haven't answered..."
Emily's anxiety grew. "We're doomed! If Aiden comes back and finds out it was our people, we're finished!"
Just as she finished speaking, a pungent smell of urine wafted in from the entrance. At the same time, Aiden slowly walked into the auction venue.
- Writer
