777米奇影

Chapter 677 - 677: George

The terror of what Ailan had just experienced was fresh in his mind. He had even contemplated suicide during those five minutes but ultimately refrained. He knew Charlie’s methods; if he had already subjected him to torture, there was no way he would let him die so easily.

“I really don’t know what you want me to say. All I ever wanted was to honestly do some antique business. Even if I work at your Cosmic Tower, that shouldn’t stop me from having a side job, should it? Are you going to interfere with that too?” Ailan was still defiant, a hard nut to crack for anyone else.

However, the person he was dealing with was no average joe, it was Charlie.

Facing such a stubborn Ailan, Charlie didn’t utter a single word. He simply waited there for five minutes. Ailan tried every trick in the book, but to no avail.

Once the time was up, Charlie waved his hand, and Ailan was taken away yet again.

Even Luo Feng, who was watching, thought Charlie’s methods were a bit

extreme. It was sheer brute force, designed to make the other side bow down. And didn’t Charlie worry about torturing the man to death? Judging by Ailan’s condition, Luo Feng suspected he wouldn’t last much longer with this treatment.

Sure enough, when Ailan was brought back in, he was unconscious. His body bore various signs of medical treatment; it seemed he had been resuscitated.

Facing a nearly lifeless Ailan, Charlie felt no pity. He splashed a cup of water on Ireland’s face, jolting him back to consciousness.

“You have another five minutes,” Charlie said, his words sounding like a death sentence. Ailan felt a chilling dread just hearing them.

At this point, he could no longer concern himself with any deals or money he had received. He wanted to get it all out, to free himself.

“I was just paid by someone to stall Luo Feng, that’s all. I know nothing else. He gave me the Portrait of Past Emperors, but I returned it after use. I’ve done nothing else; I know nothing else. Please, spare me!”

Ailan pleaded loudly, but an impatient Charlie continued, “Who told you to do this?”

When it came to the crux of the matter, Ireland hesitated. It seemed that the person who had ordered him posed an even greater threat than Charlie.

“Your five minutes are almost up,” Charlie reminded him, nearly causing Ailan to faint from fear.

Left with no choice, Ailan spilled the beans. “It was Boss George. George told me to do it.”

George was not an American. Like Luo Feng, he was from the same homeland but had changed his citizenship to American after making his fortune. He was doing fairly well in the States, and unlike others, he was extremely low-key.

Hearing George’s name, even Charlie was surprised. But the surprise lasted only half a second.

For Charlie, no one was worthy of absolute trust. Even past comrades could betray him for personal gain, just as past loyal subordinates could turn against him.

“If your company were smaller, perhaps relationships could maintain stability, but we’re Cosmic Tower,” he thought. “Once money reaches a certain amount, sentiments become meaningless.”

“What else did George tell you? Or what else do you know?” Charlie was now giving Ailan a chance to live.

Ailan thought long and hard but couldn’t come up with anything more. “George is very shrewd. He never told me anything else. Everything I know, I’ve already told you.”

“In that case, consider this your reward: a painless death.”

Charlie ordered his bodyguards to take Ailan away. As the threat of death loomed, Ailan frantically recalled every interaction he had with George, every detail.

Finally, just as he was being dragged to the door, he remembered something crucial.

“Wait! Boss, I remembered something!” Ailan yelled. “Once, when George and I were drinking, he got drunk and said that his goal was never to be a sales director. What he wanted was to be the most powerful man in Atlanta, or even in all of America!”

The room fell silent. Charlie’s eyes narrowed. In a world where trust was a rare commodity and ambitions hid behind every corner, this piece of information could be the thread that unraveled an entire tapestry of deceit.