“Condition? Is your love conditional? I'm sad to hear that.”

“There's no free lunch, baby. I just want you to warm my body, you understand?”

Laura smiled playfully; of course, she understood the man's intention. Unfortunately, she wasn't interested in any intimate involvement with him.

“Honey, so many disappointments today. Are you sure you can enjoy it? What if we do it when we're on vacation? What do you think? Good idea, right? I belong to you alone; don't doubt that.” Laura tried to charm Roger with sweet words.

It seemed like they were a perfect match, both cunning. Roger fell into Laura's trap, and the man had already given her a $2 million check.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Dan appeared busy with many documents in front of him. He was examining the financial reports from the past six months to find out who was cheating in his company.

For almost two hours, he checked every number and finally found a suspicious transaction. A purchase transaction that seemed fictitious, as it appeared three times with the same amount on almost the same date every month.

“Chyntia, to my office now.”

The secretary promptly arrived, asking Dan what assistance he needed.

Dan asked her to call the financial manager, and five minutes later, Julian Bronx arrived.

Julian was surprised to see Dan sitting in the CEO's chair; usually, he knew Ed was there.

“Did you call me, sir?”

“Yes, Julian. Can you explain to me where the $32 million flow went? It has been showing up for several months with different item purchases.”

Julian was nervous; he coughed repeatedly and shifted in his seat. Dan stared sharply, folding his hands on the table.

Five minutes, seven minutes passed without an answer from Julian. Dan's patience was wearing thin; he sent a text message to Ed.

“Mr. Bronx, I'm waiting for your answer.”

“Ummm, that… That was a request for project items; the field supervisor submitted it every month.” Julian began to come up with a lie.

“Oh, alright. Thank you for your kind answer; see you later, Mr. Bronx.”

Julian left the office with relief, returning to his room. Just as he was about to sit down, two men came in and glared at him.

“Walk; don't try to act suspicious.”

A man with brown hair pointed a gun at his waist. Julian was scared and did as he was told.

Arriving at the parking lot, Julian's eyes were covered with a black cloth, then he was put into a car and quickly driven away.

“Hey, what's happening? What do you want? Where are you taking me?”

“Quiet!”

A man tied Julian's hands and gagged him. Soon, they arrived at an old warehouse near the dock, where the river met the sea. The city was strategically located for businessmen, as the port access only took about forty minutes.

The warehouse was made of wood, old but well-maintained. There was no rotting wood or leaky roof because it was full of large rats deliberately released by Dan's men. The light inside the spacious warehouse wasn't too bright; there was only one lamp lit, right in the middle of the room.

Julian was seated in a corner of the room, his body tied to a wooden chair with his eyes covered. The gag was removed from his mouth. The squeaking sound of rats could be heard, making Julian feel nauseous; he was disgusted by the sound of rats.

“Hey, help! Let me go!” Julian shouted in desperation as he felt the rats passing around the chair.

The slightly dark place made the rats happy to run around. Julian became more frightened.

“Take off his shoes and socks,” Dan ordered Ed's men.

One of the eight men removed Julian's shoes and socks. The cold floor beneath his feet made Julian lift his legs.

Dan uncovered Julian's eyes, then placed his foot on Julian's thigh.

“Alright, how does deceiving me feel? Does the money from my company taste sweet to you?”

“I… I don't understand what you're talking about.”

“Oh, alright. I'll make you understand.”

Dan punched Julian's face hard with his fist. Thick red fluid flowed from the corner of his lips and nose.

Julian groaned in pain; Dan punched his face again, then punched his stomach.

Receiving seven attacks without resistance, Julian was in pain. His face was slightly bruised and starting to swell; Dan forced him to reveal who was behind his deception.

“Uncle Joe asked me to do it; it's his fault, not mine.” Julian quickly said.

Once again, Joe, it seems he deliberately seeks trouble with me. “You guys, break both his legs and his left hand.”

“Alright, Sir.”

The sound of bones breaking and Julian's cries were heard, Dan smiled and approached the man.

“How beautiful is the sound of broken bones, isn't it? A lovely melody to me. Do you want to hear it again? I enjoy it.”

“No, oh God. Stop!”

“Corner him and let the rats bite him. Leave him alone here.”

Julian screamed hysterically, he was terrified and kept pleading for them not to do it. Dan ignored the screams and walked out, leaving the place to return to his office.

The six people in the warehouse were annoyed by Julian's noise; one of them hit the back of his neck, and the screams finally stopped.

The six men drove all the rats into traps, then disposed of them in the trash bin. Dan's words were just to scare Julian and warn Joe.

Arriving at Dan's office, he contacted Ed, saying he would settle the score with Joe.

“You should be careful, Sir. He's a cunning man; he's good at twisting facts. Don't be hasty, and let's finalize the plan. We'll discuss it later tonight, Sir.”

“Alright, I agree. Rushing things leads to bad results.”

Dan thought hard about how to teach Joe a lesson. The man had caused trouble twice.

An idea crossed his mind, making him smile wickedly.

“Alright, Joe. We'll have a little fun with my way; you surely won't expect this, right?”