Chapter 6
SaiTu followed the man, feeling uneasy. That hotel was Barola’s territory.
The two families had been locked in open and covert battles for years and had never gotten along. Barging into the rival's turf to make an arrest was bound to cause trouble.
Besides, SaiTu had long suspected that the woman might be tied to the Barola family.
Those erased messages? They might have been theirs. Otherwise, who else could possess such capability?
Seeing the man's determined expression, however, made SaiTu swallow the words on the tip of his tongue.
The boss was in the thick of it now. He didn't want to be beaten for no reason.
Yet, when their men arrived at the hotel room, it was empty.
Audrey was already at the airport. She had bought the earliest flight back home, and boarding time was approaching fast.
She paced restlessly in the departure lounge, constantly checking the time on her phone while scanning the area warily for pursuers. She had a strong premonition that the man would find her there soon.
Only boarding the plane would guarantee her safety. With each passing second, her heart tightened.
Finally, the intercom announced her flight's boarding call. She immediately sprang up and dashed toward the security checkpoint.
After clearing security and boarding the plane, she collapsed into her seat and exhaled a long breath. Only then did she truly feel that she had escaped danger.
Recalling her harrowing escape just moments ago, Audrey felt a chill run down her spine.
This trip had yielded nothing: no reunion with her biological father and no trace of Rylee. All she had left was this enormous mess. She had no idea what to do upon returning home.
Suddenly, exhaustion washed over her body and mind.
As departure time drew nearer, an inexplicable unease welled up inside her.
A woman's intuition can sometimes be frighteningly accurate.
The intercom crackled to life. The flight attendant announced: "Due to thunderstorms over cities along the route, the flight will be delayed."
This was it.
Such setbacks were often just the beginning of greater misfortune.
Audrey’s nerves began to fray again. She repeatedly asked the flight attendant about the departure time, only to be told, "It's still undetermined. We’re awaiting takeoff clearance.”
Feeling helpless, she could only sit in her seat and wait.
She quietly turned on her phone's data and checked if she had received any replies to her messages. Suddenly, a video message from an unknown number popped up.
It was a surveillance clip lasting several dozen seconds. In the footage, a girl frantically charged into a crowded dance floor, wielding a knife and knocking over several people before falling to the ground herself.
A man approached to help her up, only to be stabbed in a reflexive attack.
The girl in the video was terrified, but she didn't pause. She snatched the phone from the fallen man's pocket and continued running toward the exit.
Security guards began chasing her. She spoke urgently into the phone while scrambling frantically through the crowd.
Just as she was about to escape the camera's view, she seemed to collide with someone. The video abruptly ended.
The girl in the footage was Rylee.
This footage, clearly from the club's surveillance system, sent a thunderous roar through Audrey's mind, leaving her dazed for a moment.
Only when her phone buzzed again did she flinch, her pent-up emotions finally breaking through. Tears splattered onto the screen.
Seeing the familiar number, she could no longer control her trembling. Her fingers beat her brain to the call button.
"What have you done to her?!"
Was Rylee still alive? She needed to know immediately.
A low chuckle came from the other end.
"Want to know? Then do as I say."
Roy had just stepped into the airport terminal and was striding forward. Hearing the girl's trembling voice on the phone, he curved his lips in amusement.
"Look up. Are there police on your flight?"
Audrey snapped back to reality and noticed several officers had appeared in the cabin. They were questioning passengers one by one, seemingly searching for something.
When no response came, the man frowned and his tone turned cold. “Go to them,” he said.
"Say what...?" she blurted out instinctively.
Roy heard the tremor in her voice and smiled as he slowly said a few words.
"Say you're carrying drugs."
The words fell, and the silence on the other end became absolute; even the sound of nervous breathing vanished.
“Refusing to cooperate? Your friend is quite pretty, though. Maybe she's more sensible than you are. Once I've had my fun, I'll sell her to a rich guy as a pet. Keep running, and she'll pay the price for you."
Moments later, a woman's trembling voice finally came through the phone. Roy hung up with satisfaction and casually found a seat.
About ten minutes later, a slender figure appeared at the boarding gate.
Several local police officers flanked her. She kept her head down, her long hair pulled back, revealing only her youthful profile—fragile and helpless.
Audrey feared that Rylee had truly fallen into his hands. He was absolutely capable of carrying out every threat he’d made.
Rylee had saved her life. Even if it meant sacrificing her own life, she would agree.
Roy leaned back on a bench in the departure lounge, watching the scene from afar. A wicked smile spread across his lips.
SaiTu stood behind the man, watching the girl be led away by police. He looked regretful.
Why pick on the boss?
When he goes berserk, humanity goes out the window. One fabricated accusation was enough to send a woman straight in.
While certain Middle Eastern countries tacitly allow underground deals for profit, they publicly adhere to religious doctrine that strictly prohibits drugs.
Even if no evidence is found, she'd still face a grueling ordeal before release.
A man descended the nearby escalator. SaiTu caught sight of him and rolled his eyes in annoyance.
George Carter strode over, gave the seated man a slight nod, and respectfully reported, "Rodell is dead."
"What?!" SaiTu blurted out in shock.
George glanced at him and continued his report with a hint of disdain, "An entire family wiped out. Only Billy is missing. No survivors.”
News of Rodell's death in a plane crash quickly spread through the circles. That same night, the Barola family's villa was engulfed in flames, leaving only the heir, Billy, missing and no survivors.
Barola was the Middle East's largest arms dealer. Suddenly facing such a tragedy, rumors began to swirl. Undercurrents churned in the surrounding region as various factions grew restless.
With such a horrific tragedy occurring at this critical juncture—an arms titan and his entire family wiped out—even a fool could see a conspiracy lurking behind it.
George had investigated Barola's final transaction, a Russian business line overseen by Billy.
By the time Rodell met his end, Billy had already vanished without a trace. To this day, his fate remained unknown and his whereabouts were a mystery.
He pulled several photographs from his pocket and handed them to the deep-in-thought man: "Taken at the crash site."
Roy flipped through them one by one, his gaze indifferent as it swept over the charred ruins. His gaze finally settled on a photograph half-destroyed by debris.
It was a group photo burned to half its original size, yet the face within remained distinctly recognizable.
"Isn't that the woman?"
