Free Web NovelChapter 380: We have him
His driver should have been waiting outside by now. The security guard who normally lingered near the gate was nowhere to be seen. Even the faint hum of activity from neighboring properties felt distant.
He paused.
A faint unease crawled up his spine.
Stepping closer to the front door, he peered through the side window toward the gate.
Several unfamiliar figures stood there.
They were not in uniform.
They were not police.
They were simply... there.
Still.
Watching.
His heartbeat skipped.
Instinctively, he stepped back and reached for his phone to make a call—perhaps to his driver, perhaps to one of his contacts who still owed him a favor.
But before he could unlock the screen, the device was snatched from his hand.
He spun around in shock.
Two men stood behind him.
He had not heard the door open.
He had not heard footsteps.
They had entered with such quiet precision that it was as if they had materialized from thin air.
"Who are—" he began, but the sentence never finished.
A sharp blow struck him across the jaw, snapping his head sideways. The impact sent him stumbling backward before he collapsed onto the polished floor. His vision blurred, ears ringing.
Strong hands gripped his arms.
He tried to struggle, but another strike landed against his ribs, driving the air from his lungs. Pain radiated outward in a dull, crushing wave.
A dark cloth was pulled over his eyes before he could fully process what was happening.
"Wait—listen—" he tried again, panic seeping into his voice.
The blindfold tightened.
His wrists were restrained.
In seconds, he was lifted from the ground as though he weighed nothing. His suitcase lay abandoned near the doorway.
As he was carried outside, he caught only fragments of sensation—the cooler air brushing his face, the faint scent of engine exhaust, the muted sound of a car door opening.
He was shoved inside.
The door shut firmly.
Footsteps moved around him with quiet coordination.
One of the men retrieved Mao Li’s fallen phone from the floor inside the villa. He scrolled briefly, selected a contact, and pressed call.
The line connected quickly.
"It is done," the man said calmly. "We have him."
...
When Hua Ling regained consciousness, it was not abrupt.
It was slow.
Pain returned first—a dull, lingering throb at the base of her skull where she had been struck. Then came awareness of cold air brushing against her skin, followed by the faint hum of something mechanical—perhaps ventilation—whispering through the darkness.
Her eyelids fluttered.
The room was dimly lit, illuminated by a single overhead bulb that cast more shadow than clarity. The light swayed slightly, as if disturbed by unseen air currents, causing the walls to stretch and contract in distorted silhouettes. The space felt enclosed but not small. Bare concrete. No visible windows. No decorations. No sound beyond the soft mechanical hum.
An eerie stillness wrapped around her.
She realized she was seated on a chair.
She was not restrained and she could move her arms and feet very well.
It was as if someone had simply placed her there and walked away.
For a moment, that unsettled her more than chains would have.
Slowly, she lifted her head.
There was a shape across from her—another chair positioned directly opposite. A figure sat there, slumped forward, unmoving.
Her vision adjusted.
And when clarity finally settled over her sight, her breath caught.
Mao Li.
He sat with his head bowed, shoulders slightly hunched. His usually meticulous appearance was disheveled—hair out of place, collar torn slightly at the seam, a faint bruise darkening along his jawline. There were no visible restraints on him either, but his posture suggested he was still unconscious.
For several seconds, Hua Ling simply stared.
This was impossible.
After their arrangement had been executed, Mao Li had assured her he would leave the country. Norway, he had said. Everything had been calculated. Funds transferred. Exit secured.
So what was he doing here?
A ripple of suspicion slid through her mind.
Had he betrayed her? ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
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The thought ignited her temper instantly.
She stood abruptly, the chair scraping harshly against the concrete floor. The sharp sound echoed in the room like a crack of thunder.
She crossed the short distance between them and, without hesitation, struck him across the face.
The slap rang out loudly in the enclosed space.
Mao Li jerked violently, his head snapping to the side. He inhaled sharply, disoriented, eyes flying open in confusion.
"Where am I?" he gasped, blinking against the dim light. "Where am I? Where am I?"
He tried to sit upright, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated. Panic crept into his voice as he turned his head rapidly, attempting to assess his surroundings.
Then his gaze landed on her.
"Hua Ling?" His expression twisted from confusion to shock. "What the hell are you doing here?"
She let out a harsh laugh.
"What am I doing here?" she shot back, anger rising like wildfire. "Aren’t you the one who brought me here?"
"What are you talking about?" he demanded, struggling to steady himself as he pushed up straighter in the chair.
She stepped closer, eyes blazing.
"This isn’t funny," she hissed. "We had a deal. You were supposed to leave the country. This wasn’t part of it. Is this your idea of tying up loose ends?"
Mao Li stared at her as though she had spoken nonsense.
"Are you insane?" he snapped. "I was on my way to the airport. Men came into my house and dragged me out. I didn’t bring you anywhere."
"Don’t lie to me!" she shouted, her voice reverberating off the concrete walls. "Who else would do this? You think I’m stupid? After everything we did, you suddenly grow a conscience? Or are you trying to silence me before I speak?"
His jaw tightened.
"Silence you?" he barked. "If I wanted to silence you, I wouldn’t be sitting here like this!"
She folded her arms tightly across her chest, though her fingers trembled faintly.
"You expect me to believe that this is some coincidence?" she pressed. "You vanish, then I get taken, and suddenly we both wake up in some underground dungeon together? Do you take me for a fool?"
Mao Li ran a hand through his hair, frustration bleeding into his expression.
"You’re the one who dragged me into this mess," he shot back. "You came to me with your vendetta. You insisted we move now before things slipped out of your control. I warned you this was risky!"
"Don’t you dare try to shift this onto me," she snarled. "You agreed. You benefited. Don’t pretend you were some unwilling participant."
He let out a bitter laugh.
"Benefited?" he repeated sharply. "Blue Entertainment is destroyed. My reputation is gone. I had to liquidate everything just to survive. And you think I benefited?"
