Ryan’s face didn’t change as he stared coldly at the body in front of him. His sharp, emotionless gaze made Echo think he wasn’t looking at a beautiful body at all, but a corpse-nothing more than a lifeless object.
Seeing Ryan hadn’t touched the food, Dean forced a smile and added, “Mr. Ryan, these girls are all triple-cleaned, completely pure. Virgins, untouched by anyone. You should try it; the local flavor is really something.”
Ryan glanced coldly at Dean, then slowly scanned the woman’s body.
As Echo watched, she noticed the woman’s slight trembling under Ryan’s icy gaze. Her skin, previously cool and dry, suddenly glistened with sweat. Echo raised her eyebrows-could Ryan really have that effect, causing such fear with just a glance?
“Dean, is this what you call an invitation? This is disgusting filth,” Panther’s face darkened, and his eyes radiated murderous intent as he glared at Dean.
Although Dean was the boss of the Archer family, his actual power was still not on par with Ryan’s men like Panther.
Despite Panther’s disrespectful tone, Dean could only swallow his pride, offering an apologetic smile as he said, “My apologies, my apologies, I’ll have it taken care of immediately, Mr. Ryan. Please don’t take offense.” He signaled to his men.
Without hesitation, Dean’s people came forward, wrapped the woman in a cloth, and tossed her out. In no time, the table was cleared, and regular dishes replaced the bizarre banquet.
“Mr. Ryan, the Archer family is here to survive like everyone else. If there’s anything we can do to help, just say the word. We’ll do whatever it takes,” Dean said with a grin, raising his glass toward Ryan.
Ryan let out a cold, mocking laugh, glancing at Dean with disdain. Ryan ruled over Southeast Asia; the idea that he would need help from a small-time player like the Archer family was a joke.
Dean was really overstepping, trying to put himself on Ryan’s level.
Hawk picked up where Ryan left off, speaking coolly, “Dean, you’ve got it backward.”
Dean let out a hearty laugh and said, “Just a slip of the tongue, just a slip. I was merely trying to show Mr. Ryan where we stand. After all, we’re all outsiders here, and we’ve got to look out for each other. Mr. Ryan, you are powerful, and the Archer family isn’t completely useless. You never know, there might come a time when we’re of some help.”
Ryan suddenly gave a bloodthirsty smile and said, “There will come a time.”
Dean’s face lit up immediately. “Exactly.”
Dean waved his hand, and several stunning women, who had been kneeling in the room, crawled over. Some were the innocent type, others more seductive, but all were absolute knockouts.
These women, dressed provocatively, knelt beside Ryan and Dean, serving them food with sweet, almost sickening smiles on their faces.
Echo couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to have some handsome guys serving her like that-she wasn’t into women, after all.
“Get lost.”
Just as she was admiring Ryan’s luxurious treatment, she saw his face darken. In a flash, Ryan backhanded the woman serving him, and with a sickening crack, her wrist bent at an unnatural angle.
Accompanied by his cold, merciless “Get lost,” the woman finally realized what had happened. She screamed and collapsed to the ground, dragging her broken wrist as she sobbed.
Echo was stunned for a moment. If she hadn’t seen wrong, the woman had barely brushed Ryan’s arm while serving him food. And that had made him so angry? What was going on?
Dean’s face changed instantly. He barked angrily, “What the hell are you doing? No basic manners, and you think you can serve my guest? Get them out of here and deal with them properly! How dare they touch my honored guest. Out!”
The terrified women, along with the injured one, were quickly dragged and kicked out by Dean’s men, who showed no mercy. They struck hard, ignoring their pleas for help.
Echo frowned at the harsh scene.
Ryan didn’t even flinch, not showing a single hint of emotion. His face was full of disgust as he swiftly took off his jacket and wiped his hand where the woman had touched him. Then he tossed the jacket far away and shot a cold glare at Dean. “Your people.”
Cobra, who had been silent until now, suddenly exuded a deadly aura, glaring at Dean and snarling, “You’ve got a death wish.”
Sweat immediately appeared on Dean’s forehead as he quickly stood and addressed Ryan, “Mr. Ryan, please don’t take offense. It’s just that my people didn’t do their job well. I would never dare to break your rules. I’ve only recently taken over Pensax, and most of these staff are from the previous management. I even specifically told them about your rules, Mr. Ryan. These useless idiots just didn’t listen, but I’ll make sure to give you a proper explanation.”
Dean nervously glanced at Echo, who had remained quiet the whole time.
Echo looked at Ryan in surprise, wondering what was going on. Ryan hated being touched by women? Then why was he holding her in his arms every night to sleep? There wasn’t any hatred there.
Ryan’s face was filled with anger as he coldly stared at Dean. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Dean nodded quickly. “No, no, no one in our world would dare violate your rules. Mr. Ryan, no one is allowed to touch you. I will make sure you’re fully satisfied with how this is handled.”
Ryan’s face darkened slightly, but he didn’t say anything.
Dean and the others immediately let out a sigh of relief.
Ryan’s temper was unpredictable, and he had never shown interest in women, which had become an unspoken rule in their circles. No one ever arranged women for him at these gatherings. But recently, a woman had appeared by his side, and he had even brought her along today. They figured maybe the rule had been broken, but they had no idea it would provoke such anger.
Seeing Dean and the others relax, Ryan scoffed and said to Echo, “Go, get me a change of clothes.”
Echo quickly responded, glad for the chance to slip away. She had been looking for an excuse to leave, and Ryan had just handed her one. She hurried out of the room.
Once outside, Echo swiftly walked to the car and retrieved Ryan’s spare clothes. As she approached the entrance of the hall on her way back, the doors opened before she even reached them. The guards inside bowed as she walked in, which made Echo frown slightly. There had to be surveillance cameras in the building; otherwise, they couldn’t have opened the door so quickly or known she was coming.
Echo entered the hall with a smile, noticing that many of the guests had already left, leaving behind only a few people who seemed to be lower-level staff. She raised an eyebrow and casually made her way toward the staircase that led to the second floor, where she had noticed the main fire extinguisher control panel when she first arrived.
Pretending to stroll by, Echo reached out with a sharp motion as she passed the panel. Her fingernail, now equipped with a thin, sharp blade, sliced through the wires hidden beneath the wall.
Immediately, the fire alarms blared, and smoke began pouring down from every hidden fire suppression system in the building. The hallways were quickly filled with a thick, smoky haze.