A Call That Changed Her Entire Life

Despite his aggressiveness, Bill didn't take him seriously. To Bill, Shane was just a mere bargaining chip that he could use to
threaten Ethan.
“Wow! You're pretty arrogant now. Did you forget that you used to be just a dog of mine?“ Bill said with a smirk and stepped hard
on Shane's hand.
With a stone-cold glare, Shane spat on Bill's face. Bill was famous and powerful in the world of underground businesses. Nobody
dared to go against him, let alone spit on his face. Naturally, he was livid. He had no tolerance for blatant disrespect.
Angrily, he kicked Shane in retaliation. “You bastard! How dare you! Do you have a death wish? Do you want to die?!“ Bill
screamed at Shane with a nasty scowl plastered on his face.
It was a good thing that Shane was pretty good at tolerating pain. Bill kicked him quite hard. If it was someone else, they
probably would have been knocked down by the force of the kick. Since Shane was shackled, he could only think of childish
ways to annoy Bill. His movements were limited, so spitting on Bill was the best that Shane could do under the circumstances.
“No one in our group is scared of death! If you want to kill me, then do it! I won't tell you anything!“ As they glared at each other,
Shane's eyes darkened. He couldn't stand the sight of the man who had once humiliated him to the core.
Still angry at being spat on, Bill stepped on Shane's hand again. With a condescending sneer, he said, “Those are big words for
a mere blacksmith. I'm not planning on killing you. I had you brought to me because I wanted to teach you a lesson. I am the one
that you should be following, not Ethan!“
It was clear that Bill just wanted to win over Ethan's subordinates and make them his allies. That way, Ethan wouldn't have
enough subordinates to do anything. He would be spread too thin.
“You wish! You'll never make us do anything! You don't deserve our service or our loyalty!“ one of the prisoners shouted.
However, Bill didn't pay him any attention. “Well, I certainly didn't expect all of you to be so chatty under Ethan's leadership.
However, I doubt that you learned much from him. If you pledge your loyalty to me, I assure you that you will learn a lot...“
Before Bill could finish, one of the captives spat at him. As a powerful member of the underground business, he couldn't stand
people spitting at him again and again. He couldn't allow them to disrespect him like that!
“Damon, teach these scoundrels a lesson! It seemed that Ethan has spoiled all of you to the point that you don't know how to
respect others at all.“ Bill was seething with anger.

Damon moved quickly. It was as if he had just been eagerly waiting for Bill to give the orders. Gritting his teeth, Damon ordered a
few men to help him, and together, they beat up Ethan's subordinates. They didn't stop until all of them were bleeding.
With another lit cigar in his hand, Bill casually lay down on the chair and showed Shane a contemptuous smile. “So tell me, how
are you feeling right now? Would you like me to continue treating you this way? Or are you going to pledge your loyalty to me?“
Bill asked menacingly.
Instead of saying anything, Shane and the others just continued to glare at Bill.
“Oh? I guess you still want more, huh? Damon! Keep beating them. Don't stop until they give me an answer,“ Bill ordered with a
serious expression. Then, he took another long drag on his cigarette.
Ethan asked Marc to call Shane several times, but nobody answered. After a few more tries, he realized that something wasn't
right.
“Boss, Shane didn't show up the whole afternoon. We tried to call him several times, but he isn't answering his phone,“ Marc
reported to Ethan in a worried tone.
Ethan's eyebrows furrowed as he frowned. “It looks like he couldn't wait any longer...“
“Do you mean Bill?“ Marc asked in a soft murmur. He tilted his head curiously.
Much to Marc's disappointment, Ethan remained quiet. Instead, he turned on his phone and sent a message to somebody.
Afterward, Ethan turned to him and said, “Quick, get everything ready. Then, follow me. Bill has already started to take action.“
Confused, Marc asked, “Boss, what are you planning to do?“
Looking at his clueless subordinate, he smiled encouragingly and explained, “I already expected that Bill would try to steal my
men and make them defect to him. So, I hired some people to work in his shops. Once he lays his hands on any of my men, then
we will surprise him with an attack. Maybe he'll finally give in without a fuss.“
Marc listened intently to Ethan's explanation and stared at him in awe. He said, “Wow, boss! That's a really good plan. You're
truly a smart leader. So we are going to...“
“Get the car ready first, so we can go and find Bill,“ Ethan replied sternly.

Back at the warehouse, Shane and his comrades were beaten almost to death. Their faces had turned to varying shades of blue
from all the punches they took. Fortunately, they were Ethan's confidants and wouldn't give up so easily.
To say that Bill was irritated by their resilience was an understatement. Bill was absolutely furious.
So, he turned to Damon again and said, “Do as we planned!“
With a malicious grin, Damon took a knife from his suitcase and walked over to them. “So, which one of you wants to go first? Do
you want me to break your arms first or your legs? Take your pick.“
Without warning, he suddenly cut one of the men with his knife. The man groaned in pain as he felt the blade go deeper and
deeper into his body. He cried out, “I...I... I surrender! Please!“
Witnessing him admit defeat so easily, Shane was livid. “Boss has always treated you well. How dare you surrender so easily?
What about your pride? Your loyalty?“ He glanced at the man and continued, “Guys, just hold on. I am confident that our boss
won't just sit idly and do nothing. He will come and save us.“
A wicked smile appeared on Bill's face as he watched the scene in front of him. “You are nothing but a submissive dog. I can see
why Ethan kept you as his subordinate.“ Then, he signaled for his men to continue beating up Shane.
“Do it! I'm not scared of any of you!“ Shane yelled angrily.
Just as the knife was about to cut Shane's wrist, Ethan suddenly burst into the warehouse together with Marc.
“Stop!“ It was like a scene from a movie. Everyone held their breath as they turned to the direction of the voice that had just
yelled out. A beam of hope appeared in Shane's and his companions' eyes when they saw Ethan.
Bill, who was comfortably lying on the chair, seemed unfazed when he saw Ethan. Instead, he smirked and his eyes darkened.
“Ah, Ethan. I'm glad you're here.“ Bill stubbed out the cigar in his hand and slowly walked towards Ethan.
Ethan glanced at his men and his heart sank. They had been beaten to a pulp and were covered in their own blood. Ethan fought
the urge to just attack Bill and punch him repeatedly without mercy.
Pretending to be calm, he asked, “Bill, what do you think you're doing? Talk to me if you want, but my men did nothing. Leave
them alone.“

With a cold stare, Bill said, “Is that so? You should already know what I want, right? If you were smart enough, then your men
wouldn't have ended up here.“
Of course, Ethan knew exactly what he meant. However, he still pretended to be oblivious and waited to see what Bill would do
next.
Ethan shrugged innocently and told him, “I really have no clue what you're talking about. Could you please tell me?“
Bill snorted, obviously not believing Ethan. Bill knew that he was just feigning ignorance. “If you keep beating around the bush
like that, then I can't promise that your men will get out of here alive tonight.“
The atmosphere around them was growing more intense. It was only a matter of time before they wouldn't be able to stop
themselves from tearing each other apart.
“I don't know if we can leave or not. All I know is that some of your merchants were arranged by me,“ Ethan said in a threatening
manner and raised his eyebrows.
Truth be told, Bill hadn't expected that Ethan would use his own merchants against him. Bill knew he couldn't do anything if he
didn't secure his relationship with his merchants first.
Thus, he faked an amused smile and muttered, “Why do you have to do this? I was only joking around. Don't take it too
seriously.“ As he spoke, he motioned for Damon and his men to let go of Shane and his comrades.
“Well, since you let go of my men, we won't stay here for a long time. I wouldn't want to ruin whatever you're going to do next.
Bye,“ Ethan said coldly and left hastily with his injured men.
It wouldn't be a surprise if Ethan's men decided that they didn't want to work for him anymore. After all, they were all beaten
badly by Bill's lackeys.
“Boss... I want you to know that I will remain loyal to you! No matter what happens, I will always be at your side,“ one of his men
declared.
Then, the rest of them followed and echoed, “Me too! Me too!“
However, Ethan didn't pay attention to them. He just stared ahead, lost in thought.