In a spacious private room, several middle-aged men dressed in suits sat on the sofa, each accompanied by one or two beautiful women.
Elisa’s appearance was well-known in Bankshire. As soon as she entered, she felt that the lights in the private room dimmed slightly, making the other accompanying women pale in comparison.
Elisa glanced around the room, and her gaze finally settled on the man sitting in the middle. She finally understood why his voice on the phone sounded familiar.
Although it was her first time visiting the underground casino, she had some knowledge about its background and the name of the person behind its establishment.
Lukas Bell casually waved at her and said, “Miss Powell, please have a seat.”
Elisa’s main purpose for coming this time was to take Ivan away. However, after scanning the room, she didn’t see Ivan anywhere. Standing still, she asked, “Where is Ivan?”
“Go and bring him here,” Lukas instructed the person next to him.
A waiter brought in some newly ordered drinks and left. The door was left slightly ajar. Elisa stood in the middle of the private room, facing the gaze of everyone. She showed no signs of fear and remained calm.
After a while, she heard some commotion outside. The bodyguard forcefully pushed Ivan inside.
Ivan fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, his hands bound and unable to move. His panicked eyes darted around, but when he saw Elisa, his eyes brightened. He crawled forward on his knees and reached Elisa’s feet, saying, “Elisa, please take me away.”
Elisa frowned, a hint of annoyance in her eyes. She took out a card from her bag and said, “This card contains 4. 5 million. The remaining 5. 5 million will have an extended deadline.”
Lukas raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. He always liked people who acted decisively, but it was rare to come across someone as efficient as Elisa, who gave him money without even asking any questions.
Lukas lit a cigarette, holding it in his mouth, his eyes half-closed. “Miss Powell, it’s rare for you to trust me so much.”
“If it were other people owing ten million, I might have to consider the problem, but as for him…” Elisa cast a fleeting glance at Ivan on the ground. “Losing a million is a common occurrence for him. I believe Mr. Bell wouldn’t deceive me.”
Lukas flicked the ash from his cigarette and gestured to his subordinate. He took the card from Elisa’s hand and used the POS machine to check the balance.
“It’s 4. 5 million, indeed.”
Lukas asked, “What about the remaining 5. 5 million, Miss Powell? When do you plan to give it?”
They had initially agreed on a week over the phone, but for Elisa, it was impossible to come up with that much money in such a short time.
Elisa spoke honestly, “A week is too rushed. I can’t come up with that much money. Can we extend it to one month?”
“One month is acceptable, but the interest will increase. I won’t charge you too much. At that time, you’ll have to give an additional 7 million.”
The original 5. 5 million would have an additional 1. 5 million in interest for a month. Even if it was considered a high-interest loan, it wasn’t supposed to increase like this. It seemed that Lukas was confident about her situation.
“Can’t come up with that much money, Miss Powell?” Lukas’s face showed a hint of malice.
Elisa stood her ground, her pupils narrowing.
“So what if I can’t?”
“As we discussed on the phone, we’ll cut off his hand and send him to prison. With such a large sum of money, Ivan can spend a few years behind bars. Lukas wasn’t a good person, and when Ivan was imprisoned, he would arrange for a few people to ‘take care’ of him. No one would know how he died.”
Elisa’s hand tightened slightly, her face growing serious as she looked at the crowd of onlookers.
After a moment, she smiled lightly. Standing in front of Ivan, she suddenly lifted her leg and kicked him hard, right in the stomach!
Elisa put all her strength into that kick. Ivan curled up on the ground, trembling in pain, swearing and complaining.
No one had expected such an action from Elisa.
Lukas’s sharp eyes showed curiosity, and his smile froze on his lips.
“To be honest, apart from our blood relationship, I don’t have any feelings for him. Mr. Bell may have overestimated his usefulness in threatening me. Give me one month to repay the ten million, or else there’s no point in talking.”
Dealing with people like Lukas required being even moreruthless and cold-blooded than him. It was impossible for her to let him take advantage of her. Even if everything fell apart, she would rather go down fighting.
Lukas asked, “Since you and your brother don’t have any emotional ties, why did you come today?”
Elisa’s foot was still on Ivan’s body. She smiled at Lukas’s question, then sighed helplessly. “Consider the ten million as buying off the bond between siblings. But if it exceeds my capacity to bear, then whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me. I can’t sacrifice myself to save him, right? Besides, he’s not really worth ten million.”