FOUR

Chapter 4

The Previous Evening.

Antonio observed the petite and agile woman lying in front of him with her eyes closed. His purpose in coming here was to trap Elliot and kill him as revenge for Matt's death. However, when Antonio set foot here, he unexpectedly encountered Rose wearing a low-cut nightgown that accentuated her curves. To be honest, he couldn't consider this girl in front of him as unattractive. He was still a normal man with a burning desire. The firm and challenging pair of breasts caught Antonio's attention from the moment he saw Rose in this room.

Nevertheless, above all, Antonio's common sense and logic still functioned as usual. Because nothing was more suspicious than a woman placed as bait against a mortal enemy. He immediately reached for his phone and called someone.

"Nath, have you gone mad, huh?" Antonio became instantly emotional as soon as their call connected and he heard Nathan's voice.

"What? Is there something wrong, Boss? Do you have a problem?" Nathan panicked upon hearing Antonio's emotional voice. "Are you facing any issues there?"

"I don't know." Antonio's sigh sounded resigned. "It could be her, an obstacle, or even a trap."

"What? How?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, you really don't know anything. Come here!" Antonio clicked his tongue and snorted simultaneously. "Don't take too long."

"All right, all right. I'll come right away."

Antonio's eyes once again coldly and sharply stared at the unconscious Rose. His mind pondered over all the complex possibilities, and he never imagined that this unfortunate woman might have already fallen into a trap. In fact, the most plausible explanation to Antonio regarding the unconscious woman in front of him was... she must be Elliot's trap.

As the night grew late, Antonio's tired breaths became longer as Nathan still hadn't arrived. Failing to find the target, unable to seek revenge, now compounded by the presence of an ambiguous woman who was possibly a tool to trap him.

"Where on earth is Nath, actually?" he complained again after waiting for an hour and a half.

Antonio glanced again at the sister who was closing her eyes and admired the long and lustrous eyelashes of the girl. It wasn't just that; the man was also fascinated by the smooth, fair skin of the unconscious woman. Antonio felt an intense desire to touch, caress, and provide erotic touches to that seductive body.

"Damn it!" he cursed suddenly.

The more he thought about it, the more Antonio desired the woman. Yet, the woman had done nothing except collide with him, gasping for breath, and faint. Moreover, this was not the time to think about an intimate relationship with this woman. Antonio was more concerned about what kind of trap Elliot was setting up to drag him into trouble. The man impatiently tapped his fingers on the table for several minutes until Nathan finally arrived and knocked on the door.

"Boss... it's me, Nathan."

"Come in."

Once inside, Nathan was surprised to find a beautiful woman dressed in red unconscious on the bed.

"Boss?" Nathan looked at Antonio with a bewildered expression.

"Are you sure the information you provided was about Arnoldar?" Antonio stared sharply at his subordinate.

Nathan nodded immediately and replied firmly, "I would never give you mediocre information, Boss!"

Nathan then joined Antonio in gazing at the unconscious Rose, alternately glancing at Antonio, who had been sighing as if the world was about to end.

"So... Elliot left this girl here?"

"Yes."

"Why, Boss?"

"How would I know!" Antonio's patience ran out, and he turned around, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "That's why you need to find out everything about Elliot and his connection to this woman!"

"But, Boss, she doesn't seem like a night girl or a paid woman at all. Are you sure this is a trap?" Nathan took a deep breath. "She appears more like a good woman who never goes out at night."

"That's precisely it. You just don't know how skilled Elliot is at manipulating emotions, logic, and even your own common sense." Antonio sighed in annoyance. "If he weren't that kind of person, how could he betray me and get Matt killed?"

Nathan looked at Rose once again. "What if we search around here? Maybe he's hiding and waiting for his bait to be captured before he pulls the trigger."

"Fine, let's check." Antonio immediately stood up and prepared to leave.

"What about this girl?" Nathan asked.

Antonio glanced at her disinterestedly. "I'll tell Jean to take care of her."

He left the room, and shortly after, Nathan followed suit to search around the nightclub.

"Search within a five-meter radius. Got it?" Antonio put on his black hat and mask.

"Understood. Be careful, Boss. The police are still looking for you everywhere." Nathan reminded him.

"Enough with the noise!"

They parted ways, leaving Rose unconscious in the room that was originally meant for executing a purchased night woman. If it were other men, they might have ravished Rose by now. Undressing the seductive woman with the slender body, fondling her breasts to their heart's content, teasing the protruding pink tips. Then they would exchange kisses, stimulating each other's sensitive areas before finally engaging in the core activities. Uniting their bodies and racing with unbeatable desire. Satisfying each other. Moaning and swaying until dawn approaches.

But no.

Marquez Antonioander would never do that. At least not when he was on an ambush mission. These critical moments should be used wisely to target the enemy, trap Elliot, and kill him in one strike to avenge Matt's unjust death. Of course, he, as the one seeking revenge and executing the mission,

 couldn't indulge in a sexual relationship with an innocent and naive woman like the one lying unconscious. However, in reality, Antonio had to admit that her body was incredibly beautiful and tempting. Ah, to hell with it! It was more important for Antonioander to find Elliot now than to imagine himself entering that woman and making her tremble with rough and intense thrusts during intercourse. But damn it! Antonio Arnoldar couldn't completely erase the thought of having sex with that woman from his mind!

Antonio ventured through the seedy outskirts pub on the city's outskirts. He passed by several people freely smoking, both inside the pub and on the dance floor. The stench of cheap alcohol permeated the air, assaulting his senses. People crowded around each other, and gaudily dressed prostitutes with heavy makeup and attention-grabbing hairstyles tempted him as he walked by.

Antonio continued walking, exploring every corner. He checked the restrooms and even peeked into other occupied VIP rooms, prying open a thin makeshift barrier to take a glimpse, ensuring it wasn't Elliot.

Meanwhile, Nathan was already outside in the dimly lit streets, far less glamorous than the city center. Many streetlights were out, and trash littered the area, disregarded by sanitation workers. Drunk men gathered at every bright streetlight, while gamblers tossed cards. Nathan observed each of them one by one, then entered narrow alleyways, squeezed between two dilapidated high-rise buildings. The structures were so old they could hardly be called buildings anymore. Don't imagine towering skyscrapers that stood grand and majestic in the city center. The buildings here were aged, with peeling and yellowing paint. Only a few prostitutes openly sold themselves, offering their services, and occasionally engaging in immediate activities right there on the streets.

No matter how far Nathan walked, he found nothing suspicious, let alone anything related to Elliot. Finally, after circling around twice and confirming once more, Nathan returned to Jean's place. He went straight into the VIP room he had rented for Antonio and sat down on a wide sofa, leaning back his weary body. Inside the refrigerator, there were several bottles of mineral water and alcoholic beverages. Nathan grabbed a drink and finished it in one gulp.

"She's quite beautiful," he commented when he saw Rose's peaceful sleeping face.

Shortly after, the door opened, revealing Antonio with a frustrated expression. Ah, his boss surely hadn't found anything either. Nathan grabbed another bottle of mineral water and threw it at Antonio. He caught it, then slammed his backside onto the sofa in front of Nathan. His disappointed and unsatisfied expression was clearly visible.

"Damn Elliot!" he cursed angrily. "Damn it!"

"It seems like he only left this woman here, Boss," Nathan suggested after Antonio calmed down a bit.

"Damn it, that means she's our only lead." Antonio glanced at Rose, who appeared tranquil due to being unconscious.

"Could she know something?" Nathan wasn't sure. "Boss, I'm sure you've also been around this area, right? You must have noticed that the quality here is clearly different from the other cheap women."

"That's what makes it more suspicious." Antonio let out a harsh breath. "Do you think it's logical for that bastard, who's been in hiding for so long, to suddenly reveal himself and sell a woman to Jean?"

Nathan fell silent.

"Especially when it's not just any woman. Meanwhile, he must know that I will chase after him!" Antonio exclaimed again. He was truly frustrated now. "Do you think that makes sense?!"

"In my opinion, we've fallen for the wrong bait, Boss," Nathan tried to convey his thoughts. "It's possible that this woman is also being set up. She deliberately misled us with this woman to"

"Well, that means this woman is connected to Elliot!" Antonio interrupted, and Nathan could only sigh in exhaustion.

Nathan knew how stubborn Marquez Antonio could be when it came to Elliot. Yes, Nath knew it might be because Antonio held a grudge over Matt's death, but the way he went about it was too impulsive and rushed. Nathan even wondered why Antonio was so obsessed with Elliot. If only Antonio could be a

 little more patient... Nath was certain they could easily track down Elliot's whereabouts. Because all this time, Antonio always wanted a massive search, they couldn't even capture any signs of Elliot's presence so close.

"I think we need some rest," Nathan finally said.

"No, we can't!"

"Boss, you're just forcing your own will and being blinded by that damn grudge, acting too recklessly!" Nathan exclaimed loudly. "We're tired, especially you. Just look at yourself."

Antonio fell silent, his cold gaze shifting to Rose, who remained oblivious. And Nathan glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

"For God's sake, it's already three in the morning!" Nathan scratched his non-itchy head. "I think it's best to end it now. I'll talk to Madam Jean so that we can take this woman with us. We can't stay here any longer and force ourselves to search. It's likely Elliot has already escaped, and the more you let your emotions take over, the more you'll lose against that man. Realize it, Boss!"

Antonio fell silent. He realized that what Nathan Arnoldar had said was true. Horald was like a slippery eel, extremely difficult to catch, so it would be futile for him to undertake a massive search, especially with limited resources. However, on behalf of his male ego, Antonio felt deeply humiliated and extremely annoyed to be manipulated by someone like Elliot.

Now, the only remaining clue was the unconscious woman. It would be pointless and a waste of time for him to continue insisting on staying here without any clear solution to this problem. Meanwhile, Antonio himself had many other things to take care of. Especially since his cartel was raided by the police and all his businesses were destroyed, resulting in millions of dollars in losses. Now, Antonio was in the process of rebuilding his business and was just starting to regain ground. It would be unthinkable for him to solely focus on Elliot and let go of the newly established cartel.

Nathan looked at him with desperation, hoping that this time the man would listen to his words. "Please, Boss... just this time. Please listen to your struggling subordinates."

Antonio remained silent.

"You have meetings with several suppliers tomorrow, as well as signing agreements with clients. In addition, we still need to find a suitable location for a temporary warehouse, a safer distribution route, and recruit more people who can support the operation of this business." Nathan looked at Antonio with concern. The man truly hoped that his boss would yield this time.

"All right." Finally, after a long period of silence and contemplation, the words of agreement came out of Antonio's mouth.

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Antonio's response.

"Tell Jean that I will pay as much as Elliot's head was worth to bring this woman back." Antonio sighed, finally giving in.

Nathan then stepped out briefly to meet Jean and explain the situation and brought the unconscious woman, whom he had previously hired on behalf of someone else for Antonio. The man asked Jean for some information about Elliot that Jean might know, as she could possibly be the last person Elliot met before leaving this place. However, it seemed that Jean couldn't provide any information. She initially did not allow Rose to be taken because she believed that the beautiful woman would become her gold mine.

However, Jean was helpless when she learned who the person was who wanted Rose. Because when the name Marquez Antonio was mentioned, everyone knew how dangerous and deadly that man was.

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