"Ben Faulkner?" Wade repeated, his voice trembling with shock as he struggled to comprehend the presence of such a notorious criminal.
The atmosphere in the bar shifted palpably within seconds as no one from the Green Jade Merchant Group was smiling amiably anymore after hearing that name compared to their fake warm smiles when they entered.
Even Wade's initial confidence evaporated fast and was replaced by a cold sweat of anxiety as his carefully crafted plan to outmaneuver Shane and secure a deal with Leo suddenly felt in serious jeopardy with Ben around.
Leo, observing Wade's discomfort, couldn't help but find the situation amusing as the usually composed merchant was visibly unnerved in the presence of a notorious criminal.
While merchants were a class of people that were comfortable even around nobles and the ruling class, thugs and gangsters still caused merchants to pee their pants and Wade was no different.
