Chapter 223: Cornered In France

A bucket of icy water clearly wasn’t enough to bring Quincy Patel back to his senses.

Luca could still see the hatred burning in his eyes.

"Continue."

His voice was calm and emotionless.

This was no longer about helping Quincy cool off.

The next instant, the room echoed with a relentless series of slaps and punches.

Each sharp crack was followed by Quincy’s agonized screams.

The beating lasted for nearly half a minute before Luca finally spoke up.

"That’s enough."

By then, Quincy’s face was swollen beyond recognition. Blood trickled from his nose, his lips were split open, and he looked utterly miserable.

It was the first time in his life he’d ever been beaten so brutally.

At first, he’d assumed these people were only trying to intimidate him.

Instead, they skipped the threats altogether and went straight to violence.

Now, when he looked at Luca again, every trace of defiance had disappeared.

He forced his swollen eyes open, not daring to show even the slightest resistance.

Seeing that change, Luca nodded with quiet satisfaction.

’If you’d cooperated from the beginning, none of this would’ve happened.’

"Talk," He said calmly.

"Tell me exactly what kind of deal you made with Theodore Fark."

The moment he heard Theodore’s name, Quincy’s pupils visibly contracted.

Until now, he’d been wondering why these people had targeted him.

He’d never imagined it was because of that incident.

He knew exactly how Jermaine Fark had died.

And he also knew that if he confessed...

He’d spend at least the next decade behind bars.

That thought terrified him.

If he were alone, perhaps he could endure prison.

But he wasn’t.

His mother was still lying in a hospital bed, relying entirely on him.

If he disappeared...

Who would look after her?

After only a brief moment of hesitation, Quincy made his decision.

He looked up with a confused expression.

"...I don’t know what you’re talking about."

If Luca hadn’t caught the flash of panic that crossed his face earlier...

He might actually have believed him.

’I have to admit...’

’He’s a pretty convincing actor.’

’A shame he didn’t become one.’

Luca couldn’t be bothered arguing with him.

"Hernandez."

"Understood."

Hernandez Farce gave a slight nod before signaling one of the burliest men in the room.

The man stepped forward, grabbed Quincy’s arm, and twisted.

Crack!

The sound of a shoulder joint dislocating echoed throughout the living room.

"AAAAAH!!"

Quincy’s scream was so shrill it almost pierced everyone’s ears.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.

Blood mixed with mucus as he gasped for air.

His teeth clenched so tightly it looked as though they might shatter.

Every muscle in his body trembled violently from the unbearable pain.

Luca remained completely unmoved.

His gaze was icy.

"Mr. Patel..."

"Can you understand me now?"

Quincy had only ever seen forced confessions in movies and television.

Today...

He was experiencing one firsthand.

Yet even now...

He still couldn’t tell the truth.

Because he knew exactly what awaited him afterward.

Prison.

Years of it.

Compared to that...

Physical pain suddenly seemed easier to endure.

"I..."

"I really don’t know..."

He gasped between breaths.

"I know Theodore..."

"But we’re only acquaintances..."

"There’s nothing between us..."

Suddenly...

His voice stopped.

His mouth remained open.

Not another word came out.

Because Luca had calmly stepped to one side.

Behind him, the half-open hospital room door came into view.

Through the narrow opening, Quincy could make out several familiar figures.

Two men quietly sat beside the hospital bed.

An elderly woman leaned weakly against the raised pillow.

The moment Quincy recognized her...

His face turned deathly pale.

His mother.

Everything suddenly made sense.

If these people had been able to find him...

How could they possibly overlook the person he cared about most?

Luca smiled faintly.

"Mr. Patel."

"Can you tell the truth now?"

Quincy stared at the screen for several seconds.

His face twisted in agony.

Finally...

He slowly closed his eyes.

"...Please..."

"Don’t hurt my mother..."

The last of his resistance crumbled.

Over the next several minutes, Quincy confessed everything.

He described how Theodore had approached him.

How he’d been offered money.

How he’d tampered with Jermaine Fark’s vehicle.

And perhaps because he’d never fully trusted Theodore...

He’d secretly recorded their entire conversation during the transaction.

The audio recording still existed.

That revelation surprised even Luca.

Truthfully, he no longer needed evidence to convince himself.

The investigation had already confirmed enough.

He only needed to know one thing.

That Patricia and Theodore were exactly as guilty as he’d suspected.

Now...

He had his answer.

After giving Hernandez a few quiet instructions, Luca ended the video call.

...

Returning to the hospital room, the coldness on his face vanished.

A warm smile replaced it.

He walked over and gently tucked the blanket around Quincy’s mother.

"Ma’am."

"I’m afraid I have to head back to the company."

"I’ve got something urgent to deal with."

The elderly woman smiled kindly.

"Go ahead."

"You young people should focus on your careers."

"Don’t worry about me."

She had absolutely no idea what had just happened outside the room.

As far as she knew...

Her son’s good friend had simply stopped by for a visit.

After saying goodbye, Luca left the ward with Mason and Hernandez.

...

Back inside the car, Mason finally spoke.

"Luca."

"What are you planning to do with Quincy?"

He already knew the full story.

Sending Quincy to prison now would almost certainly devastate his mother.

Given her condition...

The emotional shock alone might finish her.

Luca remained silent for a while.

Then he finally spoke.

"Once Theodore and Patricia have successfully fled overseas..."

"We’ll hand Quincy over."

He looked toward Hernandez.

"In the meantime, keep people watching him."

"I don’t want him disappearing."

"Understood."

Mason quietly let out a breath.

Quincy had committed a crime.

He deserved punishment.

But compared to Theodore and Patricia...

His guilt wasn’t even close.

Those two had orchestrated everything from the beginning.

Prison would be far too merciful.

Some people...

Deserved to suffer far more than a prison sentence.

...

One week later...

Theodore and Patricia were practically glowing with excitement.

The insurance payout had finally arrived.

Jermaine’s remaining assets had also been sold.

Combined with Theodore’s savings from years of doing business out of town...

The pair now possessed nearly a million dollars.

More than enough to start over comfortably somewhere overseas.

They drove to a hotel near the airport and checked into an expensive suite.

Originally in-laws...

The two soon ended up tangled together in the same bed.

Judging by how naturally it happened...

It was obvious this wasn’t the first time.

Three years earlier, Deborah had been suddenly dumped by Theodore.

The breakup had devastated her.

She’d spent months grieving without ever understanding why.

Then, six months ago, she accidentally spotted Theodore and Patricia holding hands while leaving a movie theater.

Only then did she finally realize the truth.

Seeking revenge, Deborah deliberately seduced Patricia’s husband, Jermaine.

She believed she was striking back.

What she never knew...

Was that Theodore and Patricia had already decided to murder Jermaine for the insurance money.

In the end...

Deborah died in the very accident they’d engineered.

Yet the cruelest victims of all were Daisy’s parents.

An innocent family had been shattered overnight.

And a little girl who’d done nothing wrong...

Lost everything.

...

The following morning, Theodore and Patricia passed through airport security without incident.

The two exchanged relieved smiles.

"We actually did it," Patricia whispered excitedly.

"The worst is behind us."

Theodore wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"No one suspects a thing."

"From now on..."

"We can finally start over."

Hours later, their flight landed in France.

The moment they stepped out of the airport, both of them felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

They’d escaped.

No one had uncovered the truth behind the crash.

No one would ever connect them to Jermaine’s death.

Hand in hand, they walked toward the airport exit, already imagining the luxurious new life waiting ahead.

Then they stopped.

An elderly foreign gentleman stood near the entrance, leaning calmly on an ornate cane.

Behind him...

Several dozen bodyguards dressed in black suits stood in perfectly straight lines.

Dark sunglasses concealed every expression.

The sheer sight of them was enough to make passersby instinctively keep their distance.

Patricia slowed.

"...Are they waiting for someone important?"

She stared curiously while dragging her suitcase.

Theodore shrugged.

"Looks like it."

"But it has nothing to do with us."

They began walking around the group.

Before they could take more than a few steps...

The old man suddenly slammed his cane against the ground.

Thud!

His voice echoed across the entrance.

"Those are the two."

"They’re the people Mr. Vanderbilt wants."

A cold smile spread across his weathered face.

"Take them."

"Tie them up."

"And bring them back alive."