Chapter 8

Ryan Hackett, the manager of Cypress Club, was immediately alerted to the huge commotion. He jogged over. A cold sweat had broken across his forehead. "Mr. Ford, what's —" Callum gave him a piercing look. "My friend is missing." His tone was flat but authoritative. "Get everyone out of the club now." "But…" Ryan's insides trembled. The club would incur a huge loss if he vacated the premises, but he was fearful of Callum, a man who ruled the business world. He could not say no to Callum, so he nodded ingratiatingly. "Of course, Mr. Ford. I'll get to it right now!" Wiping away cold sweat, Ryan opened the door to Nadia's private room. He ran into a rather intriguing scene of Samuel holding a wine glass and staring at Wyatt with amusement. They looked like they were in a discussion. He announced with an apologetic smile and a shaky voice, "Excuse me for interrupting, ladies and gentlemen. A sudden incident occurred in the club. We need to vacate the premises due to unforeseen circumstances. Please…" After a pause, Ryan added, "Your dinner is on us. We hope for your understanding." The guests, who were enjoying their dinner, seemed upset about the order to vacate. A few of Samuel's guests appeared unhappy. As for Wyatt, his expression fell when he was told to leave. What was Callum planning to do? He knew no one except for Callum had the authority to vacate the premises. Samuel, who was in the host seat, looked exceptionally gloomy. He slowly set his wine glass on the table, letting out a light clink while he did so. He snorted. He could guess the person who gave that order. It was such an underhanded move, though. "Callum, you certainly have some guts." Head tilted, he ordered Milo, "Go. Buy Cypress Club." He spoke in such a careless yet intimidating manner, "From now on, Cypress Club will be turned into the staff cafeteria of Langner Group." He had obviously issued a challenge for Callum. Ryan was so frightened that his tone shifted. "M-Mr. Langner, don't be angry when you hear this! Just now… Mr. Ford… He's incorporated the restaurant into Ford Group…" The air seemed to freeze at that moment. Samuel's gaze sharpened. Frowning deeply, Wyatt got up and excused himself, "Sorry, Mr. Langner. I'll check out what's happening." He wanted to know what was up Callum's sleeve. Before leaving, he warned Ryan, "No one shall mess with the guests at this table." Ryan immediately agreed. The door then closed. Nadia gripped her glass of water with pale fingertips. What was Callum doing? That psycho wanted to vacate the premises and even buy the restaurant! She was so unlucky to have run into Callum and faced his tantrum when all she did was dining out. Her chest tightened. … Meanwhile, Callum kicked apart the door to the staff private room. What greeted him was a terrifying, heart-stopping scene. A man in a staff uniform had grabbed Brittany by her neck and pressed her against the wall. He even held a fruit knife in his hand. He had a manic and perverted look in his eyes as he chanted. He was a stalker fan! Color drained from Callum's face. In the next second, he was overcome by rage. He made a dash to the man and kicked him hard without hesitation. The man was flung out like a ragdoll and thrown against the wall. He slid down the wall and writhed on the floor, dropping the fruit knife. Brittany had collapsed to the floor, her legs turning into jelly. She burst into tears when she spotted Callum. Crawling over, she threw herself into his arms and held him tightly while crying breathlessly. "Callum… I was so scared… I thought I was going to…" Brittany was shaking all over. Her face paled. She had no strength left in her to stand up. Callum hugged her tightly. He could tell she was trembling, which pained him. Patting her on the back gently, he spoke to her in an unusually gentle and comforting voice, "It's fine, Brittany. You're safe. I'm here." He dared not imagine the consequences if he were late to the rescue. A hostile look flashed in his eyes. He carefully scooped Brittany into his arms and lifted her. Like a frightened kitten, she curled up in his arms and pressed her face against his chest in search of safety. He carried her out of the staff room and immediately ran into Wyatt, who had hurried over by then. Wyatt seemed shocked to see Brittany in such a state. "What happened?" Callum continued walking. He replied icily, "Someone took Brittany. She got a good scare." He carelessly swept his gaze past the landscapes in Cypress Club with disgust and ruthlessness. "Make that bastard vanish from Seora. And there's no need for Cypress Club to stay." With that, he left in great strides with Brittany in his arms, never looking back. Nadia happened to witness the scene from the door of her private room. She watched as Callum carefully held Brittany in his arms like a precious item as he hurried away. His jaw was tense, and he exuded a strong protectiveness. She didn't know what to make of that scene. She felt a little bitter, but more than anything, she felt helpless. Callum definitely doted on Brittany too much. … After leaving Cypress Club, Samuel brought Nadia to a new building. She had to crane her neck really hard to gaze at it. "48 floors…" she mumbled to herself. That was indeed a tall building. Smiling, Samuel gestured at her to go in. "Let's check it out." They rode the elevator to the top floor. When the doors slid open, they found themselves in a spacious area with unbeatable views. They could see almost the entire city from the vantage point. The decor was modern and minimalistic and leaned toward quiet luxury. "Samuel, you splurged!" Nadia clicked her tongue. "Did you buy the building? I thought you rented a place because you'd leave after the summit. This is quite outrageous!" Samuel walked over to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Hands in his pocket, he stood tall. His jaw tensed as he peered into the distance—a similarly majestic building with the massive signage spelling out "Ford Group" entered his vision. He smirked. "Rent a place? That's no fun," he said in a flat and unbothered voice. Nadia studied his perfect silhouette under the sunlight, feeling her heart fluttering because of his powerful presence and control. "How much did this cost you?" she asked teasingly. "Is Langner Group planning to stay in Seora long-term?" Samuel turned around and fixed his deep, dark eyes on her face. "Since we've decided to fight the battle here, we need to be prepared." His voice wasn't too loud, but he expressed himself very clearly. After a pause, his gaze drifted toward Ford Group's building with the keenness of a hunter who had picked his prey. "That's how we can take down our enemy at the first try." Nadia laughed without thinking at his seriousness. "But you've just arrived in Seora. What enemies could you possibly have?" He looked at her tenderly. "I have an enemy, and he is powerful." Nadia smiled again but said nothing. Her eyes wandered to the tallest building in Seora that was right across from them. The signage read "Ford Group". … Callum stood before the window with an unlit cigarette between his fingers in his office. He wore a deep frown with the same troubles on his mind. Why did Samuel, the business magnate from Falveria and the head of Langner Group, pick Seora out of all places for a Global Medical Summit? Why did he publicly announce Nior's comeback? What was Samuel planning to do? Wyatt knocked on the door and let himself in. He asked Callum, "Are you still worrying about Samuel?" Callum grunted and placed his cigarette on the table. He explained, "Langner Group's main business isn't even here. Samuel's move to Seora is too deliberate." Wyatt walked over to Callum's side, and they looked out of the window together. "That reminds me of something." Wyatt seemed to be deep in thought. "Samuel once brought this up. He said he had an old friend in Seora." Callum's head snapped toward Wyatt. He could feel his heartbeat quickening. "What old friend? Is it related to Nior?" Wyatt grew serious. "I can't be sure, but it's too much of a coincidence. Nior hasn't been seen in public for a while now, but Samuel arrived in Seora and publicly announced Nior's comeback at Global Medical Summit." A rather ridiculous but probable idea struck Callum. His eyes wavered in shock. Could Nior be… in Seora? The possibility shook him to the core.