Around five o’clock, Leo arrived by the roadside near Sunshine Convenience Store. To his confusion, the store remained closed today, giving rise to an ominous feeling that something might have happened to the store owner, Bob Abe.
It was somewhat amusing that despite being acquainted, Leo and the store owner had never exchanged phone numbers, so he couldn’t even make a call to inquire.
Picking up Sophia at the parking lot, Leo could tell from her expression that the family meeting earlier today probably unfolded as he had anticipated.
“Sophia, how did Grandma handle the situation with Bruno being exposed?” Leo inquired.
Sophia huffed, “Grandma is being outrageous and biased! Bruno was only stripped of his position as the vice general manager of Breeze Cosmetics, and he’s being forced to ‘reflect’ for a month!”
Leo smirked inwardly. If the old lady was playing favorites like this, he might as well ensure Bruno received a fair punishment. Reflecting for a month, huh? It might be even better to do that lying in bed.
Noting Leo’s contemplation, Sophia questioned with a slightly accusing tone, “Leo, tell me honestly, why was Scar present at the family meeting, and why did he bring Philip as a witness?”
Explaining this matter was indeed tricky. After a moment of thought, Leo replied, “I paid Scar to help out. You know how these streetwise guys are – if you’ve got money, they’ll do anything.”
“How much did you pay?” Sophia gazed into Leo’s eyes.
Leo tried not to avert his gaze and responded, “Two hundred thousand.”
“Two hundred thousand!?” Sophia exclaimed softly, seemingly forgetting that Leo had spent three million buying out the entire clothing store.
Although he had spent a considerable sum, Sophia was deeply grateful to Leo. If it weren’t for Scar bringing Philip as a witness today, her reputation would have been irreparably tarnished by Bruno and Fanny’s accusations.
Back home after dinner, Leo made a phone call to Scar.
There were two tasks – one was to have someone break Bruno’s leg, and the other was to investigate the convenience store owner.
Within twenty-four hours of Leo’s phone call, Bruno found himself leaving a club with a broken leg by a group of masked people. He ended up spending over a month lying in a hospital bed.
The next day was Saturday.
After lunch, Leo went out to meet Scar. Scar had information on the convenience store owner, Bob Abe.
In the office of Immaculate Home, Scar handed over a dossier to Leo, saying, “Mr. Bloomer, the owner of the Sunshine Convenience Store you asked me to look into has quite a background.”
“Oh, how so?” Leo glanced through the information in his hands.
“The owner is named Bob Abe. He used to be a big shot in the Langstel underworld. Oddly enough, about four years ago, he disappeared out of the blue, as if he evaporated from the face of the earth,” Scar explained.
Leo’s dossier contained only a rough profile of Bob Abe. Scar’s words piqued Leo’s curiosity.
Ironically, he had some connection to Bob Abe. Four years ago, around the same time Leo had become part of the Henley family, Bob Abe had suddenly vanished from the streets.
Since the first time Leo laid eyes on Bob Abe, he felt that there was more to the man than just a convenience store owner. Now his suspicions seemed confirmed.
A thought struck Leo’s mind. He recalled a statement Bob Abe had made during their conversation, “For a woman.”
Thinking about this statement, Leo’s insight seemed to deepen.
“Did you find out where he is?” Leo inquired.
Bob Abe was the first person Leo had known since he joined the family. Though they weren’t particularly close, Leo had smoked more than a few good cigars from him over the years. If Bob was in trouble, Leo figured he could offer some assistance.
Scar nodded, “Yes, he was spotted at an underground boxing arena.”
“An underground boxing arena?” Leo was taken aback. What was Bob Abe doing there – participating in illegal fights?
“Mr. Bloomer, this underground arena is under Noah Louis’s jurisdiction. Rumor has it that Noah Louis used to be Bob Abe’s underling. After Bob Abe vanished, Noah took his place. Not only did he consolidate Bob Abe’s former forces, but he also expanded his influence from Langstel to neighboring cities. Backed by the Flying Dragon Business Association, Noah Louis is now the recognized kingpin of Langstel’s gray area,” Scar elaborated.
Leo pondered for a moment before standing up. “Scar, take me to this underground arena.”
The underground arena, owned by Noah Louis, was hidden in the basement of a hotel. It was highly secretive and required membership or an invitation to enter.
With Scar’s guidance, Leo entered the basement and was momentarily awed by the scene inside.
Covering around two thousand square feet, the area held three large boxing rings. Crowds surrounded each ring, placing bets and cheering on their chosen fighters.
Since he was here, Leo thought he might as well have some fun. He asked Scar to get him a fighter’s number from the service desk.
Over the next hour, Leo almost defeated all the fighters in the underground arena.
However, his remarkable victories drew the attention of the arena’s management.
An anxious-looking staff member walked into Noah Louis’s office. Startled by the scene, he stammered, “Mr. Louis, we have a big problem!”
Noah Louis had a cigarette in his mouth and a leather whip in his hand. In front of him, a massive iron frame held a person in place. The person’s clothes were shredded, and his body was covered in bruises, barely clinging to life.
Despite the situation, Noah Louis was having quite a pleasant day. He had only played these games with women before. Surprisingly, they were just as thrilling with a man.
Hearing the staff member’s words, Noah Louis dropped the whip and turned around, his brow furrowing. “What’s the big problem?”
The staff member nervously handed over a tablet displaying a video clip. The clip showed a guy relentlessly knocking out the fighters in the arena.
“He’s quite skilled. Who is he?” Noah Louis’s interest was piqued. If he could bring this guy into the arena and make him popular, and then have him fight rigged matches, it could turn quite the profit.