Chapter 445 - 441: Daring to Pull This Stunt on Her Turf?

「That night. Sugar Bar.」

The thumping music from the dance floor below made the floor of the upstairs office vibrate. Cecilia Sterling, dressed in a sexy black tube top and denim hot pants, sat on the central sofa.

Her black punk-rock boots were casually propped on the edge of the coffee table, her gorgeous legs fair and straight.

Yet the men in black standing in the room all kept their heads lowered, none daring to meet her gaze.

The atmosphere was relatively quiet, with only the faint thrum of music from downstairs. Cecilia Sterling flipped through the bar’s report from the last quarter. She’d never studied accounting, so she struggled a bit with the technical documents.

After a moment, she looked up at the man in the lead and called out, "Ben!"

"Yes, Cecilia." The man called Ben hurried forward. "What is it?"

He was nearly six-foot-three, his muscles bulging under his suit. Standing before Cecilia Sterling, he looked like a mountain, but his reverent attitude made the entire scene somewhat comical.

Cecilia handed him the file. "Make a copy of this financial report for me," she ordered casually. "From now on, I’ll need an extra copy each quarter."

Although Ben didn’t understand what Cecilia wanted it for, he nodded obediently. "Alright, I’ll go do it now."

Cecilia slowly rose to her feet and rolled her neck. "I’m going downstairs for a drink."

Downstairs, the bar hadn’t hit its peak yet. Cecilia went straight to the counter, sat down, and waved at the cute, handsome bartender. "A Long Island for me. Make it strong, thanks."

Her outfit was incredibly sexy, and combined with a face that radiated authority, it was no surprise that men were sidling up to her the moment she sat down.

"All alone, beautiful? Let me buy you a drink!"

The man flashed what he thought was a charming smile and raised his arm to drape it over Cecilia’s shoulder. ’Why else would she dress like that in a bar if she didn’t want to be hit on?’ he thought.

But before his hand could land, a large, firm hand seized his wrist.

Startled, the man turned his head and saw a fierce-looking, bearded man glaring at him. "Get lost!"

With a slight squeeze of his hand, the man sent the guy stumbling back several feet. Terrified, he quickly scurried into the crowd.

"Cecilia, you okay?" the burly man asked, turning to her with concern. "This place draws all sorts. You’re bound to run into a few idiots. I’ll keep an eye out from over here."

Cecilia’s lips curved into a smile. "Thanks."

She really hadn’t come looking for a fling. A recent string of good fortune had simply put her in a great mood, so she felt like having a drink.

And so, the bearded giant stood by the bar like a sentinel. Any man with ulterior motives who tried to get within three feet of Cecilia was immediately driven back by his menacing glare.

Free from harassment, Cecilia drank in peace and ordered another round.

After two Long Islands, she was starting to feel the buzz. The tipsy feeling was wonderful, and she no longer found the surroundings noisy.

Just then, Ben hurried over, leaned in, and whispered something in Cecilia’s ear. Her mind instantly cleared.

Her brow furrowed. "Where are they?"

Ben jerked his chin upward, signaling that they were in the office.

Her expression grim, Cecilia stood and headed back to the office.

"AARGH—"

Before she even opened the door, she heard a pained cry from inside.

Ben rushed ahead to open the door for her. Inside, two men were sprawled on the floor, surrounded by a circle of her men.

"Cecilia!"

Her men greeted her in unison, but Cecilia simply stared at the two on the floor, her expression dark.

One of the younger guys brought a tray to Cecilia. "We found this on them."

Cecilia took a closer look. While she wasn’t an expert on drugs, she could still recognize the items on the tray at a glance.

Ben cursed. "Shit, selling this stuff in our territory? They must have a fucking death wish!"

"Boss, please, spare us! We know we were wrong! We’ll never do it again! Just give us one chance!"

"Chance my ass!" Ben snarled, striding forward and landing a kick.

The man who was kicked fell backward, while the other trembled in fear, not daring to make a sound.

Watching the two men, Cecilia’s anger surged. ’My brother laid down a strict rule against ever touching this stuff, and yet someone dared to sneak in and sell it.’

"How much did you sell?" Cecilia asked coldly.

The two men knelt on the ground, covering their heads, neither daring to answer.

"Cecilia is asking you a question! Fucking answer her!" one of the men barked, slapping one of the dealers. "How much did you sell?"

"N-Not much."

"How fucking much is ’not much’? You want another beating, is that it?"

The man flinched in fear and blurted out, "We only sold two ecstasy pills..."

"Where did you sell them? What time?" Cecilia pressed.

This time the man was compliant, answering truthfully, "Right at the entrance to the bar. Around nine o’clock."

Upon hearing this, Cecilia turned to one of her men and ordered, "Pull up the surveillance footage from the entrance right now. Find me the two people who bought the pills."

"Yes, Cecilia!"

Ben frowned. "Cecilia, what about these two? What do you want to do with them?"

The two men looked at Cecilia with pleading eyes, finally realizing that she was the one calling the shots here.

"Cecilia, we know we were wrong. Please give us a chance, we beg you. We’ll never do it again."

The two of them were a crying mess of snot and tears; they knew nothing good came from messing with this stuff.

But Cecilia felt not a shred of sympathy for people like them.

"Call the police," she said, her voice ice-cold.

Hearing this, the two men became frantic, kowtowing and apologizing profusely, but Cecilia couldn’t be bothered to spare them another glance.

"Ben, let the managers of the other bars know about this," Cecilia instructed. "Today might not be an isolated incident. Tell them to keep a close watch. We can’t afford any mistakes like this."

Ben nodded in understanding. "Don’t worry, Cecilia."

After the call was made, the police arrived quickly.

Several men in black marched the two dealers downstairs. Ben personally handed the tray to the police and explained, "They said they sold two ecstasy pills. Our guys are checking the surveillance footage to confirm."

Unable to find a parking spot out front, a Jeep turned into the dark alley beside the bar. A moment later, Saul Thorne emerged at a brisk pace.

"What’s the situation?" Saul Thorne asked.

Because the case involved narcotics, it had been immediately transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division.

A colleague handed him the tray. Saul Thorne took one look and understood the situation. He looked up at Ben and asked, "Who’s in charge of this bar?"