Chapter 551:

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Lucas spoke up, his tone steady as he edged toward the exit.

But before he could get far, the masked man stepped in front of him, blocking the way.

Twirling a pistol still curling with smoke, the masked man regarded Lucas with an unreadable expression.

“What’s the hurry? Our boss has nothing but respect for partners like you.”

Lucas let out a sharp, humorless laugh.

“After everything I’ve been through, you think I’m so easy to intimidate? Business is built on trust and transparency. If this is how you treat your partners, don’t expect me to come back—because I’m not!”

𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“My apologies for my team’s earlier behavior,” the masked man said, his voice silky but cold. “Still, our deal is too important to walk away from now.”

With a subtle tilt of his head, he signaled to his men. One of them stepped forward, hefting a heavy briefcase and setting it down in front of Lucas.

The latches clicked open, revealing neat bundles of crisp bills stacked inside.

Lucas blinked in disbelief, unable to hide his shock.

“What is this supposed to mean? This amount is way more than what we settled on.”

The masked man seemed to have anticipated the reaction. His cold smile never wavered.

“Our boss is thrilled with your latest shipment. Consider this a bonus. In exchange, we want exclusive rights to every batch you produce going forward.”

Then his gaze shifted abruptly to Dayna.

“And our boss is especially impressed with your talents,” he continued, tone sharpened with calculation. “We’re hoping you’ll both work together and bring us even greater surprises.”

Dayna’s expression flickered, but she stepped closer, her voice dropping low.

“We’ve come up with a new explosive—twice the power, same size,” she said, each word measured and urgent. “But it requires rare materials, and they don’t come cheap. I need to speak directly with your boss. This isn’t something I can sign off on alone.”

It was a desperate bluff, improvised on the spot. She couldn’t afford to let this chance to reach Quentin slip through her fingers.

The masked man gave a slow, deliberate shake of his head.

“Our boss is tied up with higher-priority matters. For something like this, you have full discretion.”

She tried again, leaning forward, her frustration carefully hidden.

“These costs are—”

Astronomical. If your boss hesitates at the price in the end, who do we unload this on? Someone has to approve it.”

The masked man waved off her concern as if it were nothing. “We have standing orders. If Mr. Winters makes a bomb, we’ll buy it. Price doesn’t matter.”

Dayna opened her mouth to argue, but Kristopher caught her eye and gave her sleeve a gentle, cautioning tug. The masked man’s posture made it clear—pressing the issue would only breed trouble. For now, escape was the wisest move. There would be other opportunities to cross paths with Quentin.

Dayna knew retreat was their smartest choice, yet she couldn’t shake the frustration of having an enemy so close but out of reach. Logic kicked in, and she buried her anger. She shifted her gaze to Kristopher, reminding herself that vengeance was hers alone to bear. Dayna had always drawn the line at dragging innocents into her vendetta, and she wouldn’t break that rule now.

She offered the masked man a measured smile, her eyes cold. “I look forward to meeting your boss in person one day. I’m curious to see what kind of man inspires such loyalty.”

His lips curled in a knowing, almost taunting smirk. “That meeting will come sooner than you expect.”

Dayna didn’t dignify him with a response. Instead, she pivoted, her grip steady on Kristopher’s wheelchair handles, and guided him out of the room, her heart pounding with determination for the next encounter.

Lucas hurried after them, clutching the briefcase so tightly his knuckles turned white. Only when they were far from danger did he finally allow himself to breathe, shoulders sagging as the tension drained from his body. He thumped his chest, shaking his head in disbelief. “That was way too close. I honestly thought we were one twitch away from getting shot. That’s it—no more in-person deals for me. Next time, I’m sending someone else.”

Dayna flashed him a mischievous grin, laughter dancing in her eyes. “You? Afraid? That’s not what it looked like back there. You were practically breathing fire—especially when you said you weren’t easily intimidated.”

She dropped her voice in a dramatic imitation of his earlier bravado, earning a long-suffering eye roll from Lucas.

“I didn’t have a choice,” he admitted, his voice unsteady. “Even though I was terrified, I had to hold myself together. My job is just making bombs—I never wanted to get dragged into this kind of chaos. After today, I swear I’ll never risk it again.”

Dayna nodded, struggling not to laugh at his misery. She couldn’t help but notice the sweat plastering Lucas’ shirt to his back—he was truly shaken.

If the masked man hadn’t stepped in when he did, their chances of walking out alive would have been slim to none.

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