The men and women kept speaking, informing Scott about the business and operations that had taken place while he was away, as well as how Kael had handled things on his own. Scott listened attentively. Deep down, he doubted most of their words. He knew they were only trying to make him believe that Kael was a good guy—but he said nothing.All he did was listen.They spoke for several minutes until they were finally done, and the hall went dead silent.Scott just sat there in silence, digesting everything, his hands resting on the golden table, his eyes glancing at the people sitting around him.After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke up, “Thank you all for your hard work and dedication. You managed to cooperate and work diligently while I was away. I appreciate that.”They all nodded collectively.“But boss, don’t you think Kael should be part of this meeting?” a man among the group questioned. The man was known as Gabriel Veratti.“And why should he be part of the meeting?”

The room fell into a tense silence after Mohammed finished speaking. Scott remained seated, his dark eyes locked onto his adversary with a cold, unreadable expression. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, and he leaned back slightly in his chair, unmoved.After a long, loaded pause, Mohammed finally broke the silence.“You should always be prepared, Scott. I must admit, I’m not impressed with your security. The way I walked in here—it was easy… too easy.”Scott’s eyes narrowed. “And what makes you think leaving will be just as easy as coming in?” he replied icily. “You walked into the den of your enemy for what? To introduce yourself and issue a threat? You came without an army, just a pistol. What made you believe I’d let you walk out of here alive?”Mohammed smirked. Without a word, he reached for the pistol tucked into his belt and slowly drew it. He raised it, aiming directly at Scott’s head, his finger resting firmly on the trigger.“Because if you try anything foolish,

"So what exactly happened?" Scott demanded, his voice sharp and filled with urgency, his curiosity piqued by the sudden revelations."Months ago, Mr. Nicola Lombardi—the owner of the biggest petroleum company in this city—tried to take over your Western lands," Aunt Kelly began, her tone grave. "He claimed the land doesn't legally belong to you. He said it belongs to the government, and since he had been in contact with government officials, he intended to assume full control over it.""Sandro was desperately trying to reach you, but his calls weren’t going through. We were on the brink of losing the case—Mr. Nicola was winning at every turn. He almost took complete control of the land... but then Kael stepped forward and offered to help. He reached out to some of the top businessmen in the city, seeking allies to counter Nicola’s influence. Eventually, one of them agreed to assist us... it was Mr. Marco. He had connections within the government and claimed he could easily sway the ca

"Am I hallucinating right now, or is Lorenzo standing right in front of me?" Matteo Montanari exclaimed as he approached Scott."Hello, Matteo. It's been a while." Scott said with a slight smile, and his gaze fixated on Matteo."It's been a while? Dude, we haven't seen in forever." Matteo blurted, and when he was directly in front of Scott he wrapped his arms around him. They hugged for a few seconds before Scott finally pulled away. "Where have you been, man?""Around. I've been traveling the world." Scott responded casually."I see. You look different. Fiercer..like a man who's been through hell." Matteo Montanari stated. "Are you sure all you she was travel around the world for adventure and vacation?" "Well, I never said I traveled around for a vacation or adventure...I had to take care of stuffs in different countries." Scott responded."What kind of stuffs?" Matteo inquired."Dangerous stuffs. War, killing, and other dangerous stuffs. But now's not the time to talk about that."

The woman’s eyes widened in terror the moment she caught sight of the gun in the man’s hand. Her heart pounded violently within her chest, each thump echoing like a war drum in her ears.“Tell me where the room is,” Mohammed said, his voice calm yet filled with threat, “and I will spare your life... and the lives of every worker here. Refuse, and there will be a massacre. Every single one of you will die. So start talking.”Cold sweat trickled down her temples as his words sank in. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, fear twisting her stomach into knots.“T-The elevator... over there,” she stammered, her voice shaky and drenched in terror. “Use it to get to the top floor. You’ll find Edward and his mother in the last room.”“Are they alone?” Mohammed pressed. “Or do they have company?”“There are guards up there with them,” she confessed quickly. “They arrived just moments ago.”“Guards, eh?” he murmured. “Are they armed?”She nodded frantically.“How many?”“I... I counted just