Free Web NovelChapter 282: Chapter 285: Betrayal
"Charles Collins!"
"Charles Collins!"
Ethan Lockwood put down his phone and impatiently bellowed Charles Collins’s name.
"Mr. Lock... Mr. Lockwood!"
Charles Collins pushed open the door to Ethan Lockwood’s office and rushed in, flustered.
"Mr. Lockwood, what’s wrong?"
Ethan Lockwood slammed his hands on the edge of his desk, his brows furrowed as he stared irritably at Charles Collins. "Where is the man I told you to find? Have you found him?"
Charles Collins stood before him, fidgeting, and shook his head in terror. "N-No... Not yet."
"Why not?!" Ethan Lockwood’s temper was already on the verge of snapping. His face flushed red after just a few words.
Charles Collins lowered his head guiltily. Despite his apprehension, he reported honestly, "It was the same as the other times. Our men spotted Robert Ford and gave chase immediately, but after a short while, he vanished into thin air. No matter how hard we looked, we couldn’t find any trace of him."
"Can’t find him?" Ethan Lockwood’s eyes narrowed coldly. He slammed his fist on the desk—
BANG!
The massive sound made Charles Collins’s body tremble.
"How can you not find a grown man like Robert Ford? He’s appeared right under your noses time and time again, and you still can’t catch him!"
"I’m sorry, Mr. Lockwood!" Charles Collins didn’t know how to explain, so he could only bow his head and apologize to Ethan Lockwood.
Ethan Lockwood was about to explode with rage and had no patience to listen to his endless apologies. He grabbed the mouse in front of him and hurled it straight at Charles Collins’s head!
Charles Collins didn’t dare to look at him, so he naturally didn’t notice the mouse flying toward his head.
With a sharp CRACK, a piercing pain shot through Charles Collins’s temple. A moment later, the black mouse fell at his feet.
His temple throbbed with pain, but he didn’t dare reach up to touch it. He could only clench his fists, digging his nails deep into his palms to dull the physical pain and the surging hatred in his heart.
"Sorry, sorry, what’s the use of just saying sorry? Can you find Robert Ford by apologizing a thousand times?"
"..." Charles Collins hunched over, not daring to speak.
Ethan Lockwood shot him a vicious glare, his voice laced with exasperation. "I pay you all such high salaries to get things done, not to just sit around like useless statues!"
"You can’t even find one person. What’s the use of having you here?"
...
Charles Collins didn’t dare to refute him.
Ethan Lockwood: "Robert Ford is with Felix Preston. If you just have someone tail Felix Preston relentlessly, you’ll definitely find out where Robert Ford is hidden!"
Charles Collins pressed his lips together and spoke cautiously. "To answer you, Mr. Lockwood, we assigned people to monitor Felix Preston and his close confidants a long time ago."
"And has the surveillance turned up anything?" Ethan Lockwood asked coldly.
Charles Collins shook his head. "...Not yet."
"..." Ethan Lockwood rolled his eyes at him. "Useless! All of you are useless!"
Charles Collins: "You’re right to say so, Mr. Lockwood."
Ethan Lockwood: "If you can’t find him, then add more men! The only reason Robert Ford dares to show his face to us is because Felix Preston has made him feel completely safe!"
"He’s provoked me time and time again. Even if I have to die trying, I’ll drag him out and send him to hell!"
"Yes!" Charles Collins obediently replied. "I’ll issue the order for more manpower immediately. I’ll make sure Robert Ford is dragged before you, Mr. Lockwood!"
"...Hmph." Only then was Ethan Lockwood slightly satisfied, and the tone of his voice softened a little.
"Although Felix Preston has agreed to my demands, he’s an extremely cunning man. As long as we don’t have the item, this situation is full of variables. We absolutely cannot just sit back and wait. We have to find a way to locate Robert Ford’s hiding place while Felix is ’considering’ it."
"Once Robert Ford is dead, and I’ve tricked those things out of Felix Preston’s hands, I’ll never have to be at anyone’s mercy again."
Charles Collins: "You’re absolutely right, Mr. Lockwood!"
Ethan Lockwood glanced at him, his face dark, and waved a dismissive hand. "Alright, you can go now."
He’d vented most of his anger, and the frustration in his heart was barely suppressed. There was no more use for Charles Collins to be standing here.
"Get the things I’ve assigned you done, one by one. No more mistakes! Understand?"
Charles Collins kept his head bowed. "Understood. Please rest assured, Mr. Lockwood."
"Get out." Ethan Lockwood slumped weakly into his chair and closed his eyes, exhausted.
"Yes." Charles Collins bowed, backed away, and quietly left Ethan Lockwood’s office, closing the door behind him.
To the right of the main office was a wide, bright room with three workstations. It was the shared office for the three secretaries.
But ever since Simon Abbott had quit, only Charles Collins and Silas Lawrence remained in this office.
Silas Lawrence was out on an errand and hadn’t returned, leaving Charles Collins alone inside.
He sat numbly at his desk, staring blankly at the reflection of his own deadened face on the computer screen. Ethan Lockwood had put all his strength into that throw, and the right side of his temple was now clearly red and swollen.
He looked at his own wound with detachment, feeling no sympathy for himself, only a sense of pathetic, miserable sorrow.
He had followed Ethan Lockwood for nearly seven years and done countless dirty deeds for him, only to end up like this. ’I don’t even know if I’m pitiful or if I just deserve this.’
BZZZT—
BZZZT—
The phone on his desk suddenly started vibrating. Charles Collins glanced up and saw it was a call from Evan Yates.
He didn’t hesitate, grabbing the phone and answering the call.
"Hello, Mr. Yates. I was just about to call you."
"What’s wrong?"
Evan Yates’s voice was soft, a world apart from Ethan Lockwood’s hoarse shrieking. Charles Collins’s frayed nerves instantly calmed.
"Haaaah..." He let out a weary sigh and recounted everything that had just happened in the office to Evan Yates, down to the last detail.
The surveillance camera in this office had broken three days ago. Because of all the trouble Ethan Lockwood was causing, they hadn’t gotten around to replacing it. This was why Charles Collins dared to call Evan Yates so openly.
After hearing his report, Evan Yates let out a surprised, "Holy shit."
"Ethan Lockwood is really ruthless, to be able to lay such a heavy hand on his own right-hand man."
"Hmph..." Charles Collins gave a scornful laugh. "This isn’t the first time for Mr. Lockwood. Silas Lawrence, Simon Abbott, and I... we’ve all taken our share of his beatings and verbal abuse over the years. It would be more accurate to say we’re his three pet dogs than his secretaries."
"When he’s in a good mood, he’ll patiently play with us for a bit. When he’s in a bad mood, he’ll lash out at any moment. It’s just a routine occurrence."
As he spoke, Charles Collins glanced up slightly, watching the sudden appearance of Silas Lawrence in the reflection of his computer screen.
