Chapter 224: The Boss Behind The Curtain

"Who are you people? Why are you arresting us?"

Theodore Fark and Patricia had only just arrived in a foreign country, yet they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a group of strangers.

Panic instantly took over.

Patricia was the first to lose control.

She screamed hysterically, waving her arms as she tried to attract the attention of passing travelers.

"Help! Somebody help us!"

Before anyone could even look their way, a bodyguard stepped forward and slapped her across the face.

Smack!

The force spun her halfway around.

A burning pain spread across her cheek, instantly silencing her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she covered her face, no longer daring to make another sound.

Patricia’s fear didn’t mean Theodore intended to stay quiet.

If he still couldn’t figure out these foreigners had been waiting specifically for the two of them, then he truly deserved to die.

More importantly...

A terrifying suspicion had begun to grow inside him.

The young man he’d offended a few days earlier.

Luca Hale.

For some reason, Theodore couldn’t shake the feeling that all of this was connected to him.

If that really was the case...

Following these people would almost certainly end in death.

After calming himself down, Theodore forced himself to speak.

"I want to talk to your leader."

Whether he had to offer money...

Or negotiate...

Or beg...

He had to find some way out.

Unfortunately...

He was already too late.

The elderly foreign gentleman had received Mr. Vanderbilt’s orders the previous day.

Bring them back.

At any cost.

As long as they remained alive, it didn’t matter whether they arrived with broken arms or broken legs.

When the translator relayed Theodore’s request, the old man merely let out a contemptuous chuckle.

He didn’t even spare Theodore a glance.

Leaning on his cane, he calmly turned around and walked toward the parking lot.

Moments later...

Nearly twenty black vans started their engines almost simultaneously.

The convoy pulled away beneath the watchful eyes of countless travelers.

The instant Theodore and Patricia were shoved into separate vehicles, black hoods were pulled over their heads.

Their mouths were stuffed with cloth before they could even scream.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

They struggled desperately.

No one paid them any attention.

When their muffled cries became too irritating, one of the guards casually drove a fist into Theodore’s stomach.

Bang!

The air exploded from his lungs.

Patricia received similar treatment only moments later.

After several punches...

Neither dared make another sound.

The remainder of the journey passed in complete silence.

...

No one knew how much time had passed before the convoy finally came to a stop.

Unable to see anything beneath the black hoods, Theodore and Patricia had completely lost their sense of direction.

They were dragged from the vehicles.

Up several flights of stairs.

Through winding corridors.

Into an elevator.

Back down another hallway.

Only then were the hoods finally removed.

The sudden light forced both of them to squint.

Once their vision adjusted, they slowly looked around.

They were inside a completely enclosed room.

There were no windows.

Only several ventilation ducts near the ceiling quietly hummed.

The place resembled an underground facility.

Heavy.

Silent.

Oppressive.

The only steel door slowly opened.

An elderly man with white hair entered first.

Beside him walked a blonde woman with striking blue eyes.

The old gentleman carrying the cane followed respectfully behind them.

More than a dozen bodyguards dressed in identical black suits entered after them.

Every single one stood perfectly still.

The atmosphere became suffocating.

Theodore finally broke.

"Please..."

"We don’t know what we’ve done!"

"We’re begging you!"

Patricia completely collapsed.

She crawled forward on her knees, crying uncontrollably.

"Please let us go..."

"We’ll do anything..."

The journey here had completely shattered their confidence.

If they’d known things would end like this...

They would’ve surrendered to the police instead.

At least prison would’ve been better than this unknown nightmare.

Unfortunately...

There was no medicine for regret.

The foreigners remained completely expressionless.

Their eyes were as cold as ice.

Not a single person pitied them.

After everyone had taken their seats, the blonde woman calmly stepped forward.

She spoke fluent English.

"My name is Alice."

"I serve as executive secretary to the president of Vanderbilt Global Maritime Group."

She respectfully gestured toward the elderly gentleman beside her.

"This is President George Vanderbilt."

Theodore frowned.

Vanderbilt Global Maritime Group?

He’d never heard the name before.

Patricia was even more confused.

Still...

Neither of them was stupid.

The scale of this operation alone told them one thing.

This company was unimaginably powerful.

Otherwise...

How could they have been abducted directly from an international airport without anyone daring to interfere?

A disturbing thought suddenly crossed Theodore’s mind.

’Did they grab the wrong people?’

Over the years, he’d offended plenty of people.

But they were all ordinary businessmen and small-time acquaintances.

None possessed influence anywhere near this level.

As for Patricia...

She’d hardly ever left Ashford.

There was no possible connection between her and an overseas corporate giant.

Even Luca...

No matter how rich he was...

Could someone like him really order the president of an international corporation around?

It sounded ridiculous.

The more Theodore thought about it...

The more convinced he became they had made a mistake.

Gathering every bit of courage he had left, he cautiously spoke.

"Mr. Vanderbilt..."

"Ms. Alice..."

"I think there’s been some misunderstanding."

"We’re ordinary people."

"We’ve never even heard of your company."

"I believe you’ve arrested the wrong people."

Patricia nodded frantically beside him.

Combined, their entire fortune wasn’t even worth a million dollars.

The luxury cars these people drove probably cost several times that amount.

They weren’t even living in the same world.

How could their paths possibly have crossed?

Alice simply smiled.

It wasn’t a warm smile.

It was one filled with quiet ridicule.

"No mistake."

"Our boss specifically requested the two of you."

Boss?

Theodore froze.

He instinctively looked toward President Vanderbilt.

If the company president wasn’t the boss Alice referred to...

Then who was?

Without another word, Alice raised her hand.

The projector mounted on the wall slowly descended.

A huge screen lit up.

Moments later...

A video call connected.

The instant the image appeared...

President Vanderbilt immediately stood.

Every executive and bodyguard in the room followed.

They lowered their heads respectfully.

"Good afternoon, Boss."

Their English wasn’t perfect.

But the respect in their voices couldn’t have been more obvious.

Theodore and Patricia stared blankly.

Only moments ago...

These people had looked down on them as though they were insects.

Yet now...

Every single one of them bowed respectfully before someone else.

Just who...

Could command people like this?

Unable to suppress their curiosity, both slowly turned toward the screen.

The moment they saw the face displayed there...

Their blood ran cold.

Patricia’s mind went completely blank.

She stood frozen in place, unable to blink.

Her lips trembled uncontrollably.

"...Luca..."

Theodore’s reaction was even more dramatic.

His legs instantly gave out beneath him.

He stumbled backward two steps before collapsing onto the floor with a loud thud.

Cold sweat poured from every pore on his body.

Every strand of hair stood on end.

’Impossible...’

’This can’t be real...’

The man he’d dismissed as nothing more than a wealthy young heir from Ashford...

Was actually the person commanding one of Europe’s largest corporate empires?

How...

How was that even possible?

His thoughts spiraled wildly.

Was all this happening simply because they’d harassed Daisy and Sophie?

Or...

Had Luca already uncovered everything about the car accident?

If so...

Why hadn’t he simply called the police?

Why go through all of this?

Then...

A horrifying possibility suddenly flashed through Theodore’s mind.

His breathing became ragged.

Slowly...

He raised his head.

Across the screen, Luca calmly looked back at him.

Their eyes met.

There was no anger in Luca’s expression.

Only a faint smile.

A smile that made Theodore feel colder than any threat ever could.

For the first time since this nightmare began...

He wondered whether every single step that had led them here...

Had been planned from the very beginning.