Paradise Island had been disintegrated. A mysterious organization had found several of their hideouts and information on some of their essential personnel. Each of them was arrested one after another. Even though the big boss, who usually remained behind the scene, managed to escape, he would never regain his foothold in Bentson again.
Everyone had correctly guessed that Michael was the mastermind behind that action. However, he would never be able to admit that publicly. The security service company that he founded seemed to fit the timeline well. They had skilled employees, and many wealthy people wanted to employ them. The incident with Paradise Island definitely had something to do with Eldest Young Master Williams, and everyone could make that guess themselves.
However, the information that Henry had was not something that other people would have the privilege to know. Henry did not tell her more about it, and Elena did not ask either. They knew what had happened; there was no use with more questions. Elena was relieved that Michael had exceeded his usual position as a businessman. He had become so powerful that none would dare to mess with him. That man had achieved what he had not been able to do in his previous life, and he had done that in a month.
“But you said that they had not caught the boss from Paradise Island yet?” Elena was worried about that.
“It’s okay. Even though they had not caught him, Paradise Island had lost control of their strength. They won’t be able to do much now.”
Elena was relieved, but she held onto the phone. She had more questions, but she did not know if she should ask them. Henry waited for her with patience. For a few moments, he could only hear the sounds of her breath on the phone.
He bit his lower lip and said, “He was injured…”
“How bad was it?” Elena immediately asked and held her breath in anticipation.
When she hesitated, Henry knew she wanted to know if Michael was injured in the process. The days had gone by as usual for the ordinary folks in Bentson. However, a war had begun in some remote places around Bentson and some uninhabited islands.
Everyone had guessed that Michael’s newly established Wolfland Security Group had significantly contributed to the siege on Paradise Island. Of course, that was classified information, so it was not circulated to the public. The operation ended pretty quickly, and by the time the network got wind of it, the forces of Paradise Island had been destroyed.
“It was nothing serious. I heard that he only stayed overnight in the hospital, and then he was discharged early this morning.”
Elena did not say anything else. She held the phone tightly to her ears, and she was not willing to hang up.
“Elena, are there things that you wanted to tell me?” It was not like her to hesitate on the phone.
“Do you want to explain things to him? Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. I’ll give it a couple of days, and I’ll—”
“He said that after Paradise Island, he would deal with us next.” Elena calmly interrupted him.
Henry was shocked for two seconds. After that, he said, “That’s because he didn’t know…”
“No, we can no longer go back to where we were.”
Elena lowered her gaze to look at her flat belly. The child was gone. No matter the misunderstanding, it was a fact that no one could change. Furthermore, without Paradise Island, Michael’s elevated status in Bentson would invite even more jealous eyes. He must choose a powerful and tough woman to stand by his side, and it was not something she could do for him.
“I don’t want to go back to him.” Without Paradise Island, thousands of people would target him; they would want to harm him. Henry was right. She was a terrible burden; if she were to stay with him, it would only invite more trouble.
“Henry, I am a little uneasy with what he had said—”
“Are you afraid that he could come for me next?” Henry smiled. “There’s no need to worry. I might not have seen him for a while, but we are still brothers.”
No matter their arguments or fights, brothers would always be brothers. They would never harm each other. Elena had been restless about it, but Henry’s words brought peace into her mind.
When she returned to their private dining room, Caleb and Luacs had already arrived. Rufus and Aryan also appeared shortly after that. They had a small celebration party at a rather luxurious hotel. Lois, who took care of their company’s finances, looked at the menu and took out her mobile phone to use the calculator app.
“Oh, dear! I was looking through their list of cold dishes, and they were free of charge. I thought this place was a bargain!”
They had been discussing the ratings of their talent shows when they arrived at the restaurant, and they forgot to check the menu. Why were the prices so high?
“It costs more than 200 dollars for a vegetable dish? That’s daylight robbery!” Layla was also taken aback. Stir-fried vegetables should cost around 30 dollars, so even 60 to 70 dollars for a dish was extravagant, but 288 for a plate of stir-fried vegetables? It would be hard to keep the food down in the stomach!
“The vegetables are stir-fried in XO sauce, so of course, it is different.”
Caleb waved his hand and smiled. “One of you is the head of the Finance Department for September Media, and another is the general manager of our Marketing and Planning Department. You are all big shots now. Can’t you afford even a plate of vegetables?”
“Even if we are head of departments now, it doesn’t mean that we can spend money so mindlessly. It’s our hard-earned money, you know?”
They had to save costs, so they did not draw large salaries from their company. Even their most talented employee, Aryan, did not want to accept a high salary. In the end, Elena decided to divide the company shares among them so that they could become co-owners. Since the company had not made any profits yet, they could only endure it. Even though they did not make a lot of money, their situation was better than before they started their company. They could even afford better meals!
“It’s okay, it’s my treat.” Elena put away her phone and smiled at her friends.
“Do you think that you are richer than us? You get even less pay than us.”
Lois was the head of their Finance Department, she knew about everyone’s income.
“Even though my salary is not high, I can easily afford this meal.”
Elena poured herself a drink and raised her glass. “Come on, don’t worry about money. Today is to celebrate our achievement. Let’s relax, and eat and drink as we like.”
However, Layla was still reluctant when she thought of the prices of the food. After a few moments of consideration, she quietly took out her phone to send a message to someone…