Chapter 185

Deep in the shadows of an old, forgotten warehouse on the city's edge, agonized screams bounced off rusted walls.

Erick watched the battered truck driver with cool detachment, not a flicker of emotion crossing his face. Two hulking guards kept the man upright,though he looked ready to collapse.

Slowly, Erick closed the distance, casting a long shadow over the trembling driver. "Let's make this easy for both of us. Give up the name of the person who hired you, or I promise you'll wish you hadn't kept quiet."

Blood dripped from the driver's mouth as he forced a crooked smile. "I'm not a snitch. The job's done, and I keep my word. Go ahead, do your worst." If law enforcement had him in their hands, he might have talked for a chance at parole.

But the way these people operated, they were taking justice into their own hands and dishing it out as they saw fit.

If he told the truth, he might as well dig his own grave.

Just as the questioning hit a dead end, the thick iron door of the factory burst open with a loud kick from the other side.

With a violent bang, the heavy door slammed open,sending a shockwave of fear through everyone in the room.

Nolan stepped inside, his silhouette framed by the harsh light behind him, radiating cold authority.

He paused to loosen his tie, every movement deliberate and menacing.

Nobody expected him to show up in person. Erick's heart skipped a beat as he rushed forward. "Mr.

Stewart, I was just about to-"

Still, Nolan acted as if he hadn't heard a word he said.

He moved past Erick without a word, his face set in a hard line, eyes locking onto the driver who, bruised and bloodied, still held his head high with defiance.

A look of pure contempt flickered across Nolan's face before he issued his chilling command. "Bring his family in. Now."

Without delay, Erick nodded and hurried to obey.

Sudden panic drained the color from the driver's cheeks.

He started thrashing against his captors, wild with fear,but there was no escaping their grip.

Desperation took hold as he pleaded, voice cracking,"Leave my family out of this! Please, they've done nothing wrong! My wife's sick, and my son's just a little kid!" Nolan closed the distance, leaning in until his presence was impossible to ignore.

There was something cold and unreadable in his eyes, and beneath it all burned a clear hunger for blood.

"What has my girlfriend done to deserve this? She never laid a hand on anyone. Doesn't that make her innocent?"

Eleanor, who used to light up every room,now lay trapped in pain, struggling just to breathe without wincing.

Yet this man had the gall to hide behind his loved ones,hoping for mercy.

Nolan's tone dropped lower, colder than before."Give me a name. You don't get another chance."

Panic twisted the driver's face. His eyes darted desperately, sweat and blood mixing on his brow as his resolve crumbled.

Fear clawed at him. Either his own life would end here, or everything he loved would be destroyed.

Finally, defeat hollowed out his features. His shoulders slumped. The fight was gone from him.

"It was Emma Todd," he whispered.

Every trace of warmth vanished from Nolan's face."That's all I needed," he said, voice like ice.

Without waiting for another word, he spun around and strode for the door, as if the man before him wasn't worth another second of his time.

Erick stared after him, caught off guard, then scrambled to follow.

He rushed after his boss, trying to keep pace as he asked, "Mr. Stewart, what should we do about the driver?"

Nolan didn't slow down, his answer cutting through the gloom.

"Don't kill him. Make sure he's breathing, then drop him at the nearest police station." There would be no mercy tonight. His mind was already moving to the next target.

A storm gathered in his gaze. "As for the Todd Group,wipe them out. Emma's gotten away with too much for far too long."

Not a single member of that Todd family could claim innocence.

Nolan had once snapped up a hefty portion of Todd Group shares, thinking he might hand the whole business over to Eleanor someday. But he had changed his mind.

The Todd family wouldn't escape what was coming.

He paused and shot Erick a look so cold, it made the man's skin crawl.

"Track down Emma. I don't care if she's breathing when you find her. Check every person she's spoken to, every place she's been. I want to find out who put this plan in her head."

Erick swallowed hard, nerves prickling at the finality in his boss's tone.

There would be no second chances for Emma now.

He answered with careful respect, not daring to slip in the slightest, "Understood,sir."

Erick stood there, his eyes following the black Bentley as it tore off into the distance.

The night breeze swept past, but the cold that crept over him came from deep within.

This time, Nolan's fury was real, a force that wouldn't be held back.

It looked as though Elepdon was about to face a storm.