Echo frowned, turning to the screen. She could see only pain on the man’s face-nothing that hinted he enjoyed any of this.
She looked back at Bill, who let a cold, silent smirk play on his lips as he said, “This is his kind of game. He’s killed countless people this way, making them suffer before they died. Now, he gets to taste the same. It’s the kind of thing I like. Antonio’s approach suits me just fine.”
Hearing Bill’s explanation, a glint of coldness flashed in Echo’s eyes. Any hint of sympathy she’d had for the screaming man below was gone. She’d never had much sympathy in the first place, and for people like him, she had even less.
She’d initially thought this treatment lacked the Dark family’s usual style and class. But knowing it was a branch of the Edward family behind this, with a reason like that, her sympathy vanished entirely.
“Still, this guy’s been kept in decent shape. A bargain for whoever’s into this sort of thing,” Cobra said beside her, raising an eyebrow with a chilly smile, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather.
Pedophilia, abuse, fetishism, or homosexuality-some forms of sexuality were accepted in the modern world. But for people here, it wasn’t about love; it was about fashion, thrill-seeking, or the pleasure of humiliating others. Especially in the underworld, there was no shortage of twisted pursuits.
“Hundred thousand dollars.”
“One hundred thirty thousand dollars.”
After what could only be called an “S&M performance,” Bertram didn’t have much left on. The handler’s skill was impeccable, revealing nothing inappropriate, but Edward’s bare chest, arms, and thighs were all marked with red whip lines, adding an extreme allure to the scene.
As the bidding continued, Echo observed Bertram, now exuding a strange mix of allure, vulnerability, strength, and something almost seductive. He looked entirely different from before, and she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, impressed by the handler’s skill.
“Five hundred thousand dollars.”
The auction concluded.
Echo watched a man with a fat, fleshy face step forward, lecherously groping Bertram as he half-carried, half-dragged him offstage. Bertram’s eyes held only shame and defeat.
“He’ll never be a true leader,” Echo murmured with a shake of her head.
Her meaning was clear-if Ryan had been in Antonio’s position, he’d have handled things completely differently.
A leader’s decisions, focus, character, and mindset determine his future.
If Ryan had been dealing with an obstacle, he’d have eliminated it cleanly and efficiently, without resorting to this kind of drawn-out torture. For him, such methods would’ve been beneath him. A true leader is ruthless and decisive but also carries a certain strength and dignity. Such tactics wouldn’t interest Ryan; the comparison made the difference clear.
Yet, the collateral branch of the Ford family doing this had, in a way, bolstered the Dark family’s intimidation factor. It showed everyone the consequence of defying the Dark family.
The Ford family lost some dignity, but the Dark family gained an advantage. No one in the Dark family opposed it; they saw no downside in letting others do their dirty work for them.
“You think if he makes it, we’ll still be standing here?” Cobra sneered, clearly not giving much weight to the Ford family.
His voice was low, just loud enough for the three of them to hear, and the sound from the screen covered everything else, ensuring no one else could catch the conversation.
Just as they were talking, a massive cage was lifted onto the stage, and to everyone’s surprise, a tiger was inside. On the other side, a small man was screaming as he was shoved into the cage with the tiger.
The tiger had its claws and fangs removed, but its sheer size and presence still terrified the man, who turned pale and frantically scrambled up the cage, trying to escape. It was useless. The tiger, already agitated, swiped at him with a powerful paw, sending the man tumbling to the side.
“Is that small man from the Ford family?” Echo asked, frowning.
Bill smiled slightly. “Just a stray. But Antonio’s got skills-he really does find every last one.”
It was clear from his words that these people were minor figures within the Ford family, but to be able to carry out such a ruthless act within the same family… it was impressive.
Family ties really meant nothing in the underworld.
Echo frowned and muttered, “What’s the point of watching this? It’s boring.”
Cobra chuckled. “This was your idea. Boss only agreed because of you. We’re just lucky to see such a ‘show,’ thanks to you.”
His eyes didn’t reflect any real excitement or enjoyment, though.
Echo fell silent. She hadn’t expected the “animal show” to be like this. If she had known, she wouldn’t have bothered coming. She knew that relationships between men in this world weren’t anything unusual, but this purely vengeful display made her uncomfortable.
She didn’t feel sorry for these people; she knew they were getting exactly what they deserved. Still, knowing they’d be killed after being used up made her uneasy, even though she wasn’t sympathetic.
The underworld had its own rules, its own ways of doing things.
Ryan didn’t say much about it, and she didn’t either. But that didn’t mean it had to be all about cruelty and mercilessness to rise to the top. She didn’t like it, and she didn’t have to.
“Since it’s thanks to me, should I help you buy a couple of them?” Echo said after a brief pause, a small smirk curling her lips as she looked at Cobra and Bill.
Bill immediately replied, “Has nothing to do with me. Don’t drag me into this.”
Cobra raised an eyebrow. “If there’s a woman, I wouldn’t mind.” His words didn’t match the lack of enthusiasm in his eyes.
Echo glanced down at the stage. The people up there had changed a few times, and they were all handsome men-not necessarily stunning, but definitely easy on the eyes. There wasn’t a single woman in sight. She raised an eyebrow.
“There won’t be any women today,” Bill said, his voice a mix of amusement and something unreadable.
Echo looked up and met Bill’s eyes, and after a brief moment of thought, she quickly figured it out. Ryan didn’t like women-everyone knew that. He’d made a name for himself in the underworld, and who would dare try to use women to please him? That definitely wasn’t the right approach.
Besides, the Ford family was here to align with Ryan, so the gifts they brought would never include women.
Once she realized this, Echo shot a glare at Cobra, clearly figuring he’d already suspected as much.
“Idiots,” Cobra sneered, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the Ford family members trying to suck up. “Did they really think Boss would like this?”
“Well, at least they didn’t bring a shemale out. They must still have some sense left,” Bill said with a quiet laugh, making a sarcastic comment that showed his lack of respect.
Echo couldn’t help but chuckle.
Ryan was hard to please, but the Ford family was really pathetic. They thought they could win his favor with this? Did they actually expect him to be interested in one of them?
Echo coughed to hide her laughter, thinking how stupid it was. Even if Ryan liked men, he definitely wouldn’t want any of these Ford family members.
It was clear-they were still just the offshoot of the family, never quite making it to the main line for a reason.
“Stupid, but in a good way,” Echo said, forcing back her laughter and nodding.
Ryan didn’t need an assistant-Adolph was all he needed, and he probably only trusted Adolph.
The Ford family was past its prime. Even if Antonio replaced the main line’s position, he’d just be a low-level pawn under Ryan.
Stupid people were always easier to control-that was an age-old truth.
As Echo thought about it, she turned her head to look at Ryan. With his power, even though he used to be the right-hand man of the Street family, he didn’t need to meet with them personally. This wasn’t about giving the Ford family a face-it was all because of her, allowing her a little relaxation and freedom from fear.
She saw Ryan was looking at a paper in his hands. Maybe he felt her gaze, because he looked up and met her eyes. His expression was cold, with a hint of annoyance, but he didn’t say anything.
Echo kept her eyes locked on his, noticing the deep darkness in his gaze. Without a sound, she casually mouthed, “Should I buy one?”