As Dane finally reached the ship, he stopped his bike and got off. Standing outside the ship was Gary, arms crossed, watching him approach. Dane tried to walk past without acknowledging him, but Gary stepped in his way and shoved him back.“Tell me what’s going on,” Gary snapped. “I’m the one in charge here. Are you up to something you’re not telling me? Are you trying to betray the boss?”Dane met his glare. “I don’t have time for this. I’m busy, as you can see.”Gary’s eyes drifted down and locked onto the bloodstains on Dane’s jacket. It wasn’t Dane’s blood—that much was clear. He must’ve just returned from a mission. But Gary still couldn’t let it go. Dane had been too distant lately. He wasn’t reporting like he used to. Even Jane and the others weren’t following Gary’s orders anymore.Dane brushed past him without another word.Gary called after him, voice rising. “Don’t worry. Next time you leave this ship, I don’t care if the boss himself sends you. If you leave without telling

As Dane woke up, he immediately stood from his bed and grabbed his phone to check the time.“What? It’s already 4 a.m.? I slept at 9 p.m… it’s 4 already?” Dane muttered.He knew Butcher would soon arrive, so he headed straight to take a proper shower. After bathing, he dressed in decent clothes, carefully pulling them on over his injuries. The jacket and trousers he’d worn during the mission—once soaked in blood—had been soaking in the bucket. The stains had mostly faded.He poured the bloody water out of the bucket, then placed the jacket back in to soak again.That’s when he heard the sound of a car pulling up.From inside the ship, he looked through the small glass pane near the window—just enough space to peek through. He spotted a Range Rover and another vehicle pulling up near the ship.It had to be Butcher.Immediately, he walked out of his room—and that’s when he saw Gary.Gary had noticed too.Butcher was back.Gary and Dane both saw each other, but neither acknowledged the o

“Boss, I spoke to David,” Dane said. “He also told me someone was a traitor. He didn’t give me a clear reason. I think Jane already told you, right?”“Yeah, maybe she did,” Butcher replied. “Or maybe I knew before David even told you.”He leaned forward. “Not from here. It started back when my hoarder warehouse was being looted. The goods in it were disappearing—that was why I sent you to handle it, remember? To take care of the man responsible. But even before you stepped in, I already suspected someone. Someone I work with. And eventually, we all knew.”Dane asked, “But can we actually find the person who did it?”Butcher let out a small breath. “The chances? Three out of ten. You know how many people I have working under me. Some of them aren’t even officially mafia—they only do specific tasks. But they know just enough about how I operate to become a problem.”He sat back and folded his leg. “For now, the traitor can keep playing games, catfishing us. That’s not the real problem.

Butcher shouted at his men, ordering them to put out the fires still burning across parts of the ship. Smoke rose into the early morning sky, and the aftermath of the attack was clear—several men were bleeding, some already dead. The ship’s external security had been completely wiped out.Without hesitation, Butcher commanded, “Dispose of the bodies. Now.”“Yes, sir!” they all replied.He turned and walked back into the ship, heading straight for his office.“Where is Jane? I didn’t see her come out,” Butcher muttered as he stepped inside, pacing. “What do I have to do—go get her myself?” His jaw tightened. “Was Richard behind this? It looked like a direct attack… I only focused on defending, but maybe the real reason for the assault was to capture Dane.”His face hardened in thought.What could they possibly want with Jane?Just then, the door opened. Jane stepped inside, her face tight with anger. She locked eyes with Butcher.“Where were you, Jane?!” Butcher barked.“Sir, I was out

Richard stared at Dane’s face as he spoke, his words sharp and unshaken. And in that moment, Richard saw it—Dane wasn’t bluffing. There was no fear in his eyes. Only fire.The look said it all.The eyes of someone who had survived too much.The eyes of someone who wanted to be king.Richard kept staring, slowly leaning in, and the more he looked, the more it unsettled him. Dane wasn’t even close to power yet, but his eyes—those eyes—looked like someone who might one day surpass him. They held hunger, ambition, rage. The kind of look Richard had seen before… in the mirror, when he was younger.And it pissed him off.He snapped. Without thinking, he stood up and drove his foot into Dane’s face—full force.Blood sprayed from Dane’s mouth, hitting the dirty floor as his head snapped to the side. His breathing turned rapid, chest heaving.“How dare you,” Richard shouted. “You nobody! Who the hell do you think you are challenging me like that? Talking to me like that?”He leaned over Dane,