Chapter 317

Juan sat across from Stanley, his face shrouded in the dim, flickering lights of the abandoned factory. The atmosphere was thick with danger and unease; the silence broken only by Stanley's muffled pleas, his words stifled by the tape across his mouth. Juan gave Joe a nod, and the latter stepped forward, ripping the tape from Stanley's mouth.

“Help! Help!” Stanley screamed, but there was no response, only the cold echo of his own desperation. Joe reminded him, “We’re out in the suburbs, and it’s midnight. No one will come to your rescue, and no one will hear you.”

“What do you want? Juan, I helped you. How can you turn on me like this?” Stanley snapped.

Juan ignored his childish outburst. Joe swiftly took Stanley’s phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Juan. Juan scrolled through the photos in the album, his gaze growing colder with each passing second. Finally, he reached over, opened a nearby shredder, and tossed the phone inside. The shredder roared to life, the sound of grinding metal filling the air as the phone was reduced to shattered remnants.

His voice icy, he issued his command: “Throw him down.”

“Yes, sir.”

Terror gripped Stanley. “Are you insane? This is murder! The CEO of Nichols Group wants to kill me.”

Juan remained unperturbed. It had been a while since he’d dealt with anyone in person. In Seamar City, where corruption and intrigue were the norm, Stanley was nothing compared to the struggles and conflicts he was familiar with.

Quick and efficient, Joe hoisted Stanley before turning to Juan.

“Now?”

“Now.”

Just as Joe prepared to let go of the rope, a sudden echo of applause filled the factory. Juan turned to see Marion striding in, his subordinates flanking him. Their movements were precise and coordinated. Juan hadn’t expected Marion to find this place so quickly. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Marion, are you trying to stop me?”

Marion remained composed. “Stanley still has some use. Debra said not to kill him.”

Juan’s voice dripped with cruelty. “A thankless wretch like him is useless. Better to get rid of him.”

“Debra said not to kill him,” Marion repeated.

His men immediately closed in, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure. Joe was quickly subdued, and the shredder ground to a halt. Stanley, terrified, clung desperately to Marion’s leg and cried, “Save me!”

Marion frowned, his expression one of disgust as he kicked Stanley away. His men swiftly pinned Stanley to the ground.

“It looks like I can’t deal with him today. Mr. Houston, we’ll meet again,” Juan said.

Marion stepped aside, allowing Juan and Joe to leave the abandoned factory unimpeded.

Stanley, relieved to have escaped death, babbled incoherently, “Hurry, take me back! I want to go back!”

Marion raised an eyebrow, his voice laced with mockery. “Debra said not to kill you, but she didn’t say anything about not beating you.”