Mason’s sedan ca to a stop outside the Chen Family’s Manor with a screech of tires. He stepped out of the car the mont Jas pulled up at the entrance.
The evening air was cold, but it was nothing compared to the ice in Mason’s veins.
Jas quickly got out and opened the back door wider, but Mason had already gotten down from the other side and was walking toward the front door. His footsteps on the gravel driveway sounded like gunshots in the quiet night.
The front door of the manor was slightly open, and he could see light coming from inside. Without bothering to knock, he pushed the door open and stepped into the foyer.
"Elliot Chen!" Mason’s voice bood through the house.
The sound of hurried footsteps ca from upstairs, followed by the crash of sothing falling over. Mason stood in the center of the foyer, his hands clasped behind his back, waiting.
Elliot appeared at the top of the stairs, his face pale and his hair ssy. He was wearing a wrinkled shirt and black office pants, looking nothing like the successful businessman he once was. When he saw Mason standing in his foyer, Elliot’s face went completely white.
"Mr... Mr. Liu?" Elliot stamred, gripping the banister so hard his knuckles turned white. "What... what are you doing here?"
Mason looked up at him with cold eyes. "Co down here."
Elliot hesitated for a mont, then slowly made his way down the stairs. His legs were shaking so badly he had to hold onto the railing to keep from falling. When he reached the bottom, he stood about ten feet away from Mason, not daring to co closer.
"Mr. Liu," Elliot said, his voice trembling. "I... I wasn’t expecting you. What brings you to my small ho? Is everything okay?" Did Mason really co for Sarah? Was the news really true? He was together with Sarah?
Just thinking about it made Elliot’s head spin.
Mason studied him for a long mont. He could see the sweat beading on the man’s forehead, the way his hands were shaking, the fear in his eyes.
"You’re scared," Mason observed calmly.
"No, no, I’m not scared," Elliot lied, wiping his palms on his pants. "I’m just... surprised. I an, Mason Liu, THE Mason Liu of Wuhan city, in my house. This is... this is an honor."
Mason’s expression didn’t change. "You know who I am."
"Of course I know who you are!" Elliot said, his voice getting higher. "Everyone knows who you are. You’re the most powerful man in the city. Your family... the Liu family... they control everything."
"Then you know what I’m capable of."
Elliot swallowed hard. "Yes, sir."
"Good." Mason took a step closer, and Elliot automatically stepped back. "Now, where is my wife?"
"Your wife?" Elliot’s voice cracked. "Sarah? She... she’s not here."
Mason’s eyes narrowed. The temperature in the room seed to drop several degrees.
"I know she ca here," Mason said quietly. "She received a phone call from you. You told her you were dying. She ca to see you."
"I... I..." Elliot was fumbling for words, his face getting redder. "Yes, she ca here, but she left. She’s not here anymore."
"Where did she go?"
"I don’t know!" Elliot said quickly. "She just... she left!"
Mason studied him for another long mont. He could see the lies written all over Elliot’s face. The man was terrified, but he was still trying to hide sothing.
"Mr. Chen," Mason said, his voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. "I’m going to ask you one more ti. Where is Sarah?"
"I told you, I don’t know—"
"STOP LYING TO !" Mason’s voice exploded through the house like thunder.
Elliot jumped backward, almost falling over a chair. His face was now completely white, and his whole body was shaking.
"You think I’m stupid?" Mason continued, his voice returning to that dangerous quiet tone. "You think I don’t know what kind of man you are? You’re in debt up to your eyeballs. Your wife gambles away every penny you make. You’re desperate."
"Mr. Liu, please—"
"Don’t lie to again," Mason warned. "Tell the truth, or I will destroy you."
Elliot was now backed against the wall, trembling like a leaf. "What... what do you an?"
Mason’s smile was colder than winter. "I an I will make sure you never work again. I will make sure no one in this city will even look at you. I will make sure your family loses everything – this house, your cars, your bank accounts. I will make sure you end up living on the streets, begging for food."
Elliot’s knees gave out, and he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Tears were streaming down his face.
"But that’s not all," Mason continued. "I will make sure everyone knows what you did. I will make sure everyone knows that you sold your own daughter to loan sharks because you couldn’t pay back. Do you know what happens to n like you in prison, Mr. Chen?"
"Please," Elliot whispered. "Please don’t—"
"Tell where Sarah is," Mason said. "Now."
Elliot broke down completely. "The loan sharks took her!" he sobbed. "They said if I didn’t pay them back, they would kill my whole family. They said they would take Sarah since I couldn’t provide the money."
Mason felt his blood turn to ice. "What loan sharks?"
"Wang and his n," Elliot said, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "They’ve been after for months. I owe them so much money, and I couldn’t pay it back."
"How much?" Mason asked.
"Eight....Eight million yuan," Elliot whispered.
"Where did they take her?"
"I don’t know exactly," Elliot said quickly. "They just said they were taking her to their place. It’s sowhere near a seaport in Haifeng."
Mason had never heard of Haifeng, but he would find it. "Where exactly in Haifeng?"
"I don’t know the exact address," Elliot said. "But when I went to et them to get the loan, it was at a hotel near the seaport. A big hotel with red roof tiles."
Mason pulled out his phone and dialed Derek’s number. "Derek, I need you to find everything about a place called Haifeng. There’s a hotel near the seaport with red roof tiles. That’s where they took Sarah."
"Yes, sir," Derek replied imdiately.
Mason hung up and looked down at Elliot, who was still sitting on the floor crying.
"If Sarah is hurt," Mason said quietly, "I will personally make sure you suffer for the rest of your very short life."
"Mr. Liu, please," Elliot begged. "I never wanted this to happen. I love Sarah. She’s my daughter."
"You sold your daughter to criminals," Mason said. "You don’t love her. You love yourself."
"I was desperate....They were going to kill ..."
Mason stared at him for a long mont. Then, sothing unexpected happened. Mason’s expression softened slightly.
"If I rescue Sarah," Mason said, "I will pay off your debt."
Elliot’s eyes widened. "You... you will?"
"All eight million yuan," Mason confird. "And I will invest in your company. Ten million yuan investnt."
Elliot couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Ten million yuan total. It would solve all his problems and help him bounce back. Yes he had wanted to help Sarah earlier to fix her career, but he couldn’t even do it. He disliked his daughter because she didn’t listen to him when he told her to venture into business that could help their family grow.
Only Hannah listened. But in ti of trouble, he abandoned him and ran away. Both she and Alia.
"But," Mason continued, "you have to tell everything you know about where they took her. Every detail."
Greed lit up Elliot’s eyes. This was his chance to not just survive, but to bounce back.
"The hotel is called the Seaside Grand Hotel," Elliot said quickly. "It’s right on the waterfront in Haifeng. Mr. Wang told he has a permanent suite there, on the top floor. He said it’s where he takes people who owe him money."
"What floor?"
"The fifteenth floor. The penthouse suite."
"How many n does he have?"
"I saw at least six n with him when I went there. Big n, all of them ard."
"What kind of weapons?"
"Guns. Knives. One of them had a baseball bat."
Mason nodded. "Anything else?"
"The hotel has security caras everywhere, but Mr. Wang said he owns the security guards. They won’t help anyone who cos looking for trouble."
"Good," Mason said. "You did well."
Elliot looked hopeful. "So you’ll really pay off my debt? And invest in my company?"
"If Sarah is safe," Mason said. "If she’s hurt, our deal is off, and you’ll wish the loan sharks had killed you instead of ."
Mason turned to leave, then paused at the door. He pulled out his phone and made another call.
"Derek, I need you to send soone to babysit Elliot Chen. Make sure he doesn’t leave his house or contact anyone until I get Sarah back."
"Yes, sir. Should I send Nicollette? She just arrived."
"Send her over. And Derek?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Make sure she understands that if Mr. Chen tries to run or contact the loan sharks, she has my permission to break his legs."
Mason hung up and looked back at Elliot one more ti. "Soone will be here soon to keep you company. Don’t try to leave. Don’t try to call anyone. Just wait."
"Yes, sir," Elliot said quickly. "I’ll wait right here."
Mason walked out of the house and got back into the car. As Jas started the engine, Mason’s phone rang.
"Sir," Derek’s voice ca through the speaker. "I found the hotel. The Seaside Grand Hotel in Haifeng. It’s about two hours away by car."
"Good. Get our security team ready. I want them ard and ready to move in one hour."
"How many n, sir?"
"All of them," Mason said. "Do we need help from the governnt?"
"No sir."
"Alright." Mason ended the call and looked up.
"Jas,"
"Yes, sir?"
"Take ho. I need to get ready for a war. It’s been such a long ti."
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