"Where are you going?" asked the woman who was now lying with a limp body. Lizzy really looked powerless after having a hot romance with Zach. Since receiving the call from Rafferty, his expression and demeanor had made a complete one-hundred-eighty-degree turn. Zach abruptly dominated her roughly, leaving Lizzy overwhelmed and unable to match his intensity. The man had even rendered her completely helpless, and she eventually surrendered until their actions came to an end.
Zach, busy fixing his appearance, glanced at Lizzy lying on the sofa in a disheveled state. "I have an important matter to attend to, and it seems I won't be returning to the office. It's okay if I don't accompany you home, right?"
Lizzy sat up, perching on the sofa with a weary body. "I can go home by myself. Go ahead and deal with your issues."
Zach approached her, passionately kissing her lips before saying, "I love you. Be careful on your way home."
"Yeah." Lizzy smiled faintly as she looked at him.
After tidying up his appearance, Zach left Lizzy, who was still trying to gather her strength. He also took a moment to inform his secretary that he wouldn't be able to return to the office because of some issues that needed his attention.
*
"Actually, Theo is still alive, master."
Those words echoed in his mind. Rafferty's statement truly surprised him to the point where he couldn't utter a word. He never expected Theo to still be alive, especially since he had instructed his subordinates to kill the man.
On the night when Theo caught him fucked Lizzy, Theo beat him mercilessly to the point where he had to be rushed to the hospital. Zach had to undergo treatment for almost a week due to Theo's blows that night, which turned out to cause severe injuries to his body. Just a few hours after Zach regained consciousness in the hospital, he called Dante to kill Theo. Zach got Theo's address from Lizzy, and on that very night, Dante immediately carried out his task. Zach even received word that they successfully killed Theo.
However, what baffles him is why Theo is still alive until now? The question continues to echo in his mind. Then, the last sentence that Rafferty uttered resurfaces in his thoughts.
"If possible, I would like to meet with you, master. I will explain everything to you once we meet."
Zach rubbed his temples gently. He then asked the driver to speed up the car so that he could quickly arrive at the Bloodhound Cartel headquarters to discuss this matter.
Upon arrival, Zach stepped out of the car and entered the headquarters. Inside, he could see all the members of the Bloodhound Cartel immediately welcoming his just-arrived presence.
"Master!" everyone bowed as soon as they saw him, offering their greetings to their leader. Zach remained silent, staring at them with a serious expression. His gaze shifted to Rafferty, who was now standing not far from him.
"You! Come with me!" Zach pointed at Rafferty, then walked away from the others.
Rafferty followed Zach from behind. They entered the elevator until finally reaching Zach's private room on the top floor. Zach quickly asked the man to enter and explain everything to him.
"We also don't know what happened, master. But what's certain is that night, Theo wasn't actually dead at all. He's still alive, and it turns out he reported the Bloodhound Cartel to the police, making us fugitives."
"What? But didn't Dante say that the police were after you for a different reason?" Zach looked at him with a puzzled expression. He was furious, but trying to restrain himself.
"No, master. Dante forbade us from telling you the truth about what really happened. Besides, as you know, he went so far as to sacrifice other members of the Bloodhound Cartel to be scapegoats for that night's events. He sacrificed members by orchestrating an accident to make it look like a natural one. That way, we could escape police pursuit. However, after that night, we encountered Theo again. His appearance had changed, and we couldn't recognize him because he didn't look like before. He's no longer the overweight and ugly man, master. He has become stronger, and he even managed to defeat our members."
Zach remained silent, trying to digest every piece of information he had received. One thing he couldn't understand is why Theo could still be alive and even become stronger than before to the extent of defeating his subordinates.
Rafferty then went on to explain everything to Zach in detail. He mentioned that Dante had tried to kill Theo again but failed. Not only that, but Rafferty also described the events of last night when Dante finally met his demise at the hands of Theo, who had now joined Infero Ravens.
"So, he's now a part of Infero Ravens?"
"Yes, master," Rafferty nodded.
How did all this happen? What kind of coincidence is this? The group I should have destroyed is now merging with the person I should destroy. Interesting. Now it seems I have an even stronger reason to crush Infero Ravens. Since Theo is now a part of them, I guess I can also take the opportunity to kill that man. Zach smiled broadly. Just thinking about it was enough to trigger adrenaline rushing to his head.
"Then... there's something I want to tell you, master," Rafferty murmured. His spontaneous remark snapped Zach out of his reverie.
"This is about the new leader of the Bloodhound Cartel."
"You mean the person who's going to replace Dante?"
"Yeah. If I may suggest, I'd like you to pick 'that guy' who used to be one of your strongest subordinates as his replacement," Rafferty spoke with his head bowed. Despite being hesitant, afraid of making Zach angry, he had to say it. Rafferty just didn't want Zach to randomly choose the leader of the Bloodhound Cartel, fearing their new leader might turn out like Dante.
Zach fell silent. Just by mentioning it, Zach could immediately tell who Rafferty was referring to, as if the man could read his thoughts.
"Why do you want him as Dante's replacement?" The words slipped from his mouth after a moment of silence. "Why don't you step up as the new leader yourself?"
"My abilities aren't as great as 'that guy.' Besides, the other members of the Bloodhound Cartel have already agreed with the suggestion I've put forward, and I really hope you can grant our request. Make him our new leader."
"No. I can't grant that. I don't want 'him' to return to the Bloodhound Cartel."
"But, master, with his fighting abilities, the Bloodhound Cartel could become stronger, and we could become the feared mafia you envision. That way, it'll also be easier for us to get rid of Theo and Infero Ravens."
"I SAID, NO! JUST SO YOU KNOW, 'THAT GUY' HAS ALREADY TARNISHED THE GOOD NAME OF BLOODHOUND CARTEL, AND HE'S EVEN INVOLVED WITH THE POLICE TO THE POINT OF ALMOST EXPOSING OUR SYNDICATE. BRINGING HIM BACK WOULD ONLY MEAN BRINGING NEW TROUBLE!" Zach shouted in anger. He could no longer tolerate Rafferty's request.
"All of that happened in the past, master. What if he has changed? Shouldn't you give him a second chance?"
"Enough! Don't make me angrier. I'll kill you if you keep opposing my words! I've decided that I won't bring him back to the Bloodhound Cartel. As for the new leader, for now, let's leave it as it is. You better stay quiet and don't cause any trouble for a while. Just focus on the business you have to deal with Pandora!" Zach rose from the sofa where he was sitting and left, leaving Rafferty sitting in silence, his hands clenched tightly.
I knew it would end up like this, and I think there's no other choice but to proceed with the alternative plan I've prepared. If the master can't accept my suggestion, then I'll make the master himself ask 'that guy' to return to the Bloodhound Cartel.
*
Theo fell into a silent contemplation, his gaze fixed on the lights shining from the skyscrapers in the distance. His mind wandered, recalling his last conversation with Alessio and Zayn when he bid farewell to return home.
"Why did Kate leave without saying goodbye to me? She just left abruptly," Theo murmured softly. Since a while ago, that question had been echoing in his mind. Theo couldn't help but wonder why Kate rushed back to Neotopia when her condition wasn't fully stable after last night's battle. What's worse, she didn't say anything to him. She didn't even bid farewell.
"Though irritated, I now understand why Kate suddenly explained her request this morning. She asked me to take care of Zayn and find out who tried to poison him," Theo sighed deeply. He recalled another conversation he had with Kate before she left Sciencetopia.
After their talk on the rooftop, Kate invited Theo to discuss matters in the training room. There, she explained several things to help Theo seek revenge, teaching him to devise a perfect plan to achieve his goals.
"As Kate said, to execute my plan, I have to start by gathering information," Theo muttered, then shifted his attention to the cell phone in his hand. He opened one of the social networking apps he hadn't used in a while. Once in the app, Theo got busy searching for Lizzy's account, hoping to find information about Zach there. Theo was pretty sure that Lizzy would always post moments spent with Zach.
Upon finding her account, Theo immediately looked at one of her posts where she was posing with Zach. Theo fell silent, his face suddenly turning somber. He was reminded of the moments he had spent with the beautiful woman. A slight sense of longing mingled with sadness washed over him.
Theo snapped back to reality as the system notification popped up in front of him. Staring at Lizzy's photo almost involuntarily triggered his emotions.
"What am I thinking? Why do I feel sad seeing her happy with another man? You have to remember, Theo, that bitch's boyfriend made your life miserable, and you shouldn't dwell on memories with her!" Theo tried to shake himself out of it. He couldn't let his emotions take over. His efforts so far would be in vain if he couldn't erase Lizzy from his life.
That bitch means nothing to me anymore. And for the current Theo, there are no more fond memories with that bitch Lizzy!
***