Chapter 603:
“That man raised my father,” I said. “He is my family. If they touch a single hair on his head, I will burn their entire lineage to the ground. I am going.”
Elias looked at the gun, then at my face. He nodded once. “Then put on a vest.”
Meanwhile, across the city, the air in the factory was heavy with dust and malice.
The smell of the place was the first thing that hit him—acrid, chemical, like burning rubber and old bleach. It was the smell of industry left to rot.
Uncle Wei gasped, sputtering as a bucket of freezing water hit him in the face. He shook his head, water dripping from his white hair, his vision clearing slowly.
He was in a warehouse. High ceilings, broken windows letting in shafts of dusty light. He tried to move, but his arms were zip-tied to the back of a heavy, rusted iron chair.
“Wakey, wakey,” a deep voice rumbled.
Luke Strong stood before him, looking immaculate in his suit, a stark contrast to the grime of the factory. He held a document in his hand—the land transfer agreement.
“You took a nice nap, old timer,” Luke said, tapping the paper against his palm. “Now, we have a problem. You can’t sign this. You don’t own the land. But your mistress does.”
Wei spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the concrete floor. He looked up at Luke, his eyes defiant. “Miss Aurora will never sign. She knows what you are.”
Luke sighed, a theatrical sound of disappointment. Without warning, he backhanded Wei across the face. The sound was a wet crack. Wei’s head snapped to the side.
“You’re making this difficult,” Luke said. “I don’t like difficult. I’m going to video call her. And you are going to scream. Loudly.”
From the shadows, a woman emerged. Bella. She was wearing heels that clicked ominously on the concrete. In her hand, she held a surgical scalpel, twirling it between her fingers like a toy.
“Oh, honey,” Bella cooed, stepping into the light. “Don’t waste your energy hitting him. Old bones break too easily. We need him alive enough to beg.”
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She leaned in close to Wei, the scent of her expensive, cloying perfume mixing with the chemical stench. “You know, I’ve always wondered how much pain a person can take before they prioritize survival over loyalty.”
Wei looked at her. He didn’t see a monster; he saw a bully. He had faced men with bayonets in the trenches of his youth. He had faced the death of his master, Sebastian.
“I’ve seen scarier things than you in my nightmares, little girl,” Wei rasped. “You’re just a child playing with sharp objects.”
Bella’s eyes flashed with fury. The mask of sophistication slipped. She pressed the tip of the scalpel against the back of Wei’s hand, right over a vein.
“Let’s see if you’re still brave when I start peeling,” she hissed.
Back at the factory, Bella drew the blade across the back of Wei’s hand. A thin red line appeared, beads of blood welling up. Wei clenched his jaw, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a scream. He stared straight ahead, focusing on a crack in the wall.
“Still silent?” Bella laughed, a high, brittle sound. “Luke, he’s boring.”
Luke looked at his watch. “Wrap it up, Bella. Get the camera ready. We need the leverage.”
“Fine,” Bella pouted. She walked over to her bag. “If pain won’t work, maybe fear will.”
She pulled out a metal case. It had a biohazard symbol on it.
.
.
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