Sean raised the wood, his eyes flashing with anger. He lunged towards Daniel, the wood aimed at his body. A deafening thud echoed through the room as the wood connected with Daniel, sending him crashing to the floor. Daniel’s vision swam, the world around him blurring. Pain ripped through his ribs, making him tremble.
“Sean, stop! Please, don’t do this!” Emily screamed, her voice breaking with desperation.
“Silence!” the black-clad man’s roar echoed through the room. His gleaming, cold blade pressed closer to Emily’s neck, forcing her to silence. Her body trembled, cold sweat slicked her skin, and her breath hitched.
Anthony smirked, his eyes glinting with malice. “Hit him again!” he yelled, his voice cold and menacing.
Following Anthony’s command, Sean swung the wood at Daniel again, striking him repeatedly. As Emily’s tears flowed freely down her cheeks, her body shook with fear and sorrow. She wanted to scream, to stop the violence, but she knew it was futile. Each blow of the wood grew stronger, harsher, more devastating, leaving Emily feeling like her heart would burst.
Anthony’s lips curled into a cruel smile as he observed the pathetic Daniel, a dark satisfaction igniting within him at witnessing Daniel’s weakness. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Sean. “You can do this, can’t you?” he asked, his voice dripping with malice. “Finish him.”
Sean released the wood in his hand and hesitantly accepted the gun. The gun felt heavy in his grip. Anthony’s cold smile contrasted sharply with the fear etched on Emily’s face. Emily’s tears flowed freely, a silent plea against the unfolding tragedy.
“Do it!” Anthony commanded, his voice cold. “Finish him.”
The weight of the gun pressed against Sean’s palm, his gaze shifting from Emily, whose face was a canvas of despair, to Anthony, whose eyes radiated a cruel glint.
“You hesitate?” Anthony asked, his voice cold and piercing.
Sean swallowed, his grip on the gun tightening. “No,” he replied, his voice barely audible.
Sophia frowned, her eyes fixed on the scene before her. “Sean, remember your reputation at W Company. You can’t do this,” she said, her voice trembling with concern.
“Mom, is reputation all you can be proud of about me?” Sean asked, his voice shaking, his eyes still fixed on Daniel lying on the floor. Sophia fell silent at Sean’s words, her eyes welling up with tears. The weight of his question silenced her.
“I hope you can become a good mother for Noah and Violet’s future,” Sean continued, his voice hoarse. “That’s my only hope for you. To be a good mother.”
Sean gripped the gun tightly, his fingers turning white with pressure. He pointed the gun at Daniel, who coughed on the floor, feeling the pain throughout his body.
“Don’t hesitate and finish him!” Anthony commanded, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
Sean paused for a moment, his eyes blazing with anger. With a swift movement, he turned his body and pointed the gun at Anthony.
“You think you can easily manipulate me? I’m not stupid, and I won’t let a bastard like you succeed in controlling me,” Sean hissed, his voice trembling with rage. The gun remained pointed at Anthony.
Anthony was stunned. His face frozen in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Sean dare to turn the tables, to defy his authority.
“Release all three of them, or you’ll die by my hand,” Sean threatened.
Anthony fell silent for a moment, his eyes flickering, as if considering his options. Finally, reluctantly, he gestured for his men to release Sophia, Emily, and Daniel. Emily immediately ran to Daniel, who lay weak on the floor, and hugged him tightly. Her tears flowed freely, washing over Daniel’s pale face.
“Get out of here!” Sean commanded the three of them, his voice trembling but firm. “Now!”
Hearing Sean’s words, Anthony erupted into loud, mocking laughter. He stepped closer to Sean, a sinister smile etched on his face. Sean, without hesitation, immediately aimed the gun at Anthony, his fingers tensed, ready to fire. But the gun remained silent, freezing Sean in disbelief.
“You think you can defeat me? I knew you’d betray me,” Anthony said, his voice cold and triumphant. “That’s why I didn’t load the gun.”
“I despise someone who deceives and betrays me,” Anthony said, his voice filled with anger, and threw a powerful punch at Sean’s face, sending him crashing to the floor with a thud. Sean winced in pain, blood trickling from the corner of his lip. Anthony then gestured to his men, “Capture them!”
Sophia yelled, “Let us go, you bastard! I’ll make sure you pay for all your vile deeds!”
Anthony laughed mockingly, “You’re no different from me, my beautiful sister. Even though you have a husband and children, your slutty soul still clings to you,” Anthony said.
Suddenly, the sound of sirens echoed closer and louder, piercing their eardrums and startling everyone in the warehouse.
One of his men shouted, “Police, sir!”
Several fully armed policemen rushed out of their patrol car, surrounding the abandoned warehouse.
Anthony’s eyes turned sharply towards Daniel, who suddenly burst into discordant, eerie laughter amidst the tense atmosphere. Daniel, who already looked weak and battered, stared at Anthony with a cruel smirk, his eyes glinting with a satisfaction.
“Damn it!” Anthony growled, his eyes blazing with anger. “Is this your doing again?”
Daniel shrugged, his smirk widening.
Anthony didn’t break his cold gaze on Daniel. “Don’t let them catch us!” he ordered his men, his voice a cold, authoritative whisper.
[Flashback]
Years ago, Daniel completely lost track of Anthony. Rumors of his death spread like wildfire, but Daniel never truly believed it. He followed every clue, eyewitness, and digital trace. But Anthony always stayed one step ahead. He was like a ghost, disappearing without a trace.
Until finally, a whisper from the underworld reached Daniel’s ears. Anthony was back. But he no longer used his real name. He disguised himself as ‘The Shadow’, a name that instilled fear in the underworld.
Daniel knew he couldn’t approach Anthony directly. So, he decided to use a different approach. He needed to find someone who could pretend to be a buyer, someone who could gain Anthony’s trust.
“I need you to find someone who can make a deal with ‘The Shadow’,” Daniel said to his trusted henchman, pushing a stack of cash across the table. “Make it look like a big deal, something that will catch him off guard. I need the location of his hideout.”
Daniel’s henchman, an underworld operator, managed to find someone willing to play the role. They carefully approached Anthony, slowly building trust. Even though many of Anthony’s men had been captured in the past, he seemed to still have hidden resources, enough to rebuild his network. He was like a cockroach, always surviving. Daniel wanted to make sure that Anthony could never return to power again.
A few days later, while Daniel was accompanying Emily at the hospital, he finally received news from his henchman.
“Is there any latest news from that person?” Daniel asked, his voice cold, but hidden beneath was deep concern.
“The Shadow is Anthony,” the voice on the other end replied, his voice calm and professional. “That person is still alive. We managed to get his hideout.”
“Where is he now?” Daniel asked, his voice becoming even colder.
Soon, a message notification sound echoed, revealing the current location of Anthony’s hideout, a surge of adrenaline coursing through Daniel.
The next morning, Daniel called Richard to a small cafe near the hospital where Emily was being treated. They sat facing each other, a warm cup of coffee in front of them, but the atmosphere between them felt cold and tense.
“Anthony is still alive,” Daniel said, his voice low. “My contact confirmed it. We have his location, and some information about his operation. We need to report this to the authorities immediately. We can’t let him get away again.”
[Back to the Present]
“Anthony! We know you’re in there! Come out and surrender yourself!” a policeman yelled, his voice echoing through the warehouse.