Connor and the security officer walked slowly through the last hallway of the building. Their footsteps echoed softly on the tiled floor as they moved from one end to the other. The place felt quiet, too quiet, and the silence made Connor’s heart beat faster. He rubbed his face tiredly and then placed both hands on his head in frustration.“Damn it,” he muttered angrily.They had searched everywhere in the building. They had checked the lobby, the restaurant area, the storage rooms, the basement, the stairways, and even the parking lot. There was no sign of Iris and no trace of anyone from the Black Lotus. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.The security officer wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath.“Sir, we have checked every corner of the building,” he said carefully. “There is nothing unusual anywhere.”Connor turned sharply to face him.“Nothing?” Connor repeated with anger in his voice. “Do you think she just disappeared like magic?”“No, sir,” the ma

Iris sat on the cold floor of the warehouse, her hands still tied behind her back. Her whole body was shaking, not only from fear but also from the rough way the masked men had handled her. The dim light hanging from the ceiling flickered.She took a deep breath and gathered the little courage she had left.“Why are you doing this?” she asked with a trembling voice. “What do you want from Connor?”One of the masked men standing nearby crossed his arms.“You really don’t know?” he asked mockingly.“I don’t,” Iris replied quickly. “I don’t even understand how I’m involved in any of this.”Another masked man stepped forward.“From the moment you agreed to go on a date with our enemy,” he said coldly, “you became part of this.”“Enemy?” Iris repeated in shock. “Connor is your enemy?”“Yes,” the man replied. “A very stubborn one.”“What exactly do you want from him?” Iris asked desperately.The man laughed lightly.“What we want is simple,” he said. “We asked him nicely to hand over eighty

Inside the dark warehouse, Li Feng stood calmly with his hands behind his back. His eyes were cold as he looked at Iris, who was sitting on the floor with her hands tied. Her face was swollen slightly from where he had slapped her earlier, and tears continued to fall down her cheeks.Li Feng turned to his men.“Get the car ready,” he ordered in a relaxed voice.One of the masked men hesitated.“Boss, where are we going?” he asked.Li Feng smiled faintly.“Since Connor has refused to cooperate,” he replied slowly, “and since we have not been able to break him to meet our demands, we’ll move to the next plan.”“Next plan?” another man asked.Li Feng nodded.“There’s an underground auction downtown tonight,” he said. “A place where wealthy men gather to buy anything they desire.”“Anything?” the man repeated.“Yes,” Li Feng replied smoothly. “Beautiful women included.”The men exchanged looks.“You mean…” one of them started.“I mean exactly what you’re thinking,” Li Feng said calmly. “W

The moment Iris shouted that she would never belong to any of them, the auction hall exploded with laughter.“Hahaha!”“This girl is funny!”“She must be dreaming!”One man leaned back in his chair and shouted, “You’re already standing on an auction stage, sweetheart. You think we won’t buy you?”Another added loudly, “By the time tonight ends, you’ll be begging to belong to someone!”Iris clenched her fists, her eyes burning with anger and fear, but she refused to bow her head.“You can laugh all you want,” she said loudly. “But none of you owns me.”The laughter only grew louder.The auctioneer stepped forward, raising his hand for silence. Slowly, the noise reduced, though smirks and hungry stares remained.“Gentlemen,” the auctioneer said smoothly, “let’s not waste time. We all know why we’re here.”He turned toward Iris briefly, then back to the crowd.“We’ll begin the bidding at one hundred thousand dollars.”The moment the words left his mouth, a man in the front row raised his

Diego Spears’ voice suddenly rose on the phone.“What?” he said sharply. “How did the kidnappers even get into the building?”Connor tightened his grip on the phone as he answered, forcing himself to stay calm.“They came in through the back,” Connor explained. “While there was chaos at the main entrance.” “The Montgomery family was making a scene at the front. Security was distracted. That was when three masked men slipped in through the back door and took her.”There was a brief silence on the line.“Three men?” Diego repeated. “Masked?”“Yes,” Connor said. “They moved fast. Professional. They knew exactly what they were doing.”Diego exhaled slowly.“This is bad,” Diego muttered. “Very bad.”Connor leaned against the wall, his shoulders tense.“You see,” Diego continued, “I’m connected to many underground groups. If something like this happens in this city, one way or another, I usually hear about it.”“Then help me,” Connor said immediately. “Tell me what I should do.”Diego paus