Looking at Patrick's serious expression, William realized that people in the underworld sold everything, and information was definitely part of their business. This piqued William's interest. "What information?"
"The Albanian leader Murad is searching for his missing sons Marco and Luke through his dark web contacts. The Albanians in Paris are already in chaos. Murad himself will arrive in Paris tomorrow afternoon to handle the situation personally. If I were you, I wouldn't miss the chance to take him out. Murad never leaves his tribe."
William understood Patrick's implication. This guy suspected that yesterday's events were related to William, and he had quickly gathered useful information to curry favor with William and strengthen their family's relationship.
William knew the importance of eliminating the roots of trouble. Now that Murad, the gang leader with a grudge against him, was coming to Paris, William wouldn't miss the opportunity.
As for whether to collaborate with someone as heartless as Patrick, William didn't even hesitate. The dark web had no quarrel with him, and he wasn't about to play the saint and tackle the underworld. That was the government's job, and he had no interest in meddling where he shouldn't.
Whether Patrick would be affected by this information, William cared even less. If Patrick dared to share it, he was confident it wouldn't backfire on him. He might even be using William to eliminate his own competition on the dark web.
Having figured this out, William immediately changed his attitude toward Patrick. Smiling, he extended his hand. "Thank you, Patrick. I accept your goodwill. Rest assured, my friendship with Sophie won't change," he thought, only Sophie, not your family.
Patrick finally showed a happy smile, shook William's hand firmly, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Devonshire. Here is Murad's photo. He will attend a party at 7 Belique Street tomorrow night. I'll notify you if I get more information. Also, would you like Miss Ginny to be sent to you, or should I have her sent directly back to the USA?"
"Send her away, of course," William replied. He had no interest in meeting Ginny. She was just an ordinary girl who didn't need to know that William was the one who saved her. It was enough that her father knew. "If it's not too much trouble, please send her back to the USA for me."
"No problem, Mr. Devonshire. Although I can't spend my own money to buy Miss Ginny according to the rules, once she leaves the underground auction, she becomes my client, not merchandise. I'll make arrangements for her return to the USA. I'll take my leave now and will inform you of any updates," Patrick said.
"Thank you, Patrick," William said, cheerfully seeing Patrick out. As they shook hands at the door, Patrick mysteriously reminded him, "Mr. Devonshire, I know Claude has many connections with Marco. I do a lot of business with him. If I were you, to prevent any leaks, I would..."
Patrick made a cutting motion across his throat, nodded slightly, and said, "Goodbye, Mr. Devonshire."
"Wait, I thought about it and decided to have Ginny sent to me instead. I'm worried she might encounter other problems. It's better if I personally send her back to the USA," William said.
Though William disliked Patrick for his scummy practice of treating people as commodities, he didn't want to complicate his relationship with the St. Clair family. However, Patrick's final words reminded William of something.
Patrick was puzzled by William's change of heart but agreed, as sending Ginny to William would save him a lot of trouble. "Alright, I'll call to have the money collected and Ginny sent over."
After Patrick made arrangements with his subordinates, the two of them sat on the couch, chatting and laughing about Sophie's recent antics at the Scottish manor. Patrick also shared some taboos of the underworld, making their conversation quite enjoyable. Laughter frequently echoed in the suite's living room.
Half an hour later, Patrick's men brought Ginny to a newly opened room. William, sitting on the couch, received the room key from Patrick's subordinate, thanked him, and saw a satisfied Patrick out.
Walking to the bar, William poured himself a glass of whiskey and stood by the suite's floor-to-ceiling window, watching Patrick descend the hotel steps. Raising his glass with a smile, he toasted, "Say hello to Satan for me when you see him. See you in hell, Mr. Patrick."
Patrick suddenly stumbled forward as if tripping over his own feet, rolling down twenty steps like a ball. His head struck the marble planter box hard.
The most terrifying sight for the guests in front of the hotel was a large flower pot on the planter box shaking before falling from over a meter high, hitting the back of Patrick's head with a loud thud.
Several women screamed in fright at the unexpected accident. Patrick's bodyguards and the hotel bellhops rushed down the steps to check on him. Many people took out their phones to call an ambulance.
Sensing Patrick's life force rapidly fading from dozens of meters away, William cheerfully sat on the couch and called Claude.
As soon as the call connected, Claude's muffled, angry voice came through, "Was it you at the quarry and Paradise Street last night?"
William remained silent, knowing that his actions last night had caused Claude significant trouble. If he hadn't met Patrick, William might have felt a bit guilty. But now, he had no sympathy for Claude.
Knowing where Ginny was but not telling William, and taking $200,000 for nothing, William would make him understand that money wasn't that easy to earn.
"God, I knew it was you. Do you know my boss is going crazy? He has ordered all the police in Paris to find you and put you on a plane back to the USA immediately."
It seemed Brian's connections in the USA had worked. Claude's boss only dared to expel him, not arrest or shoot him. But none of that mattered now. William decided to give Claude one more chance. "Tell me where Ginny is."
"How would I know? Didn't I tell you only my boss might know? I'll handle Ginny's situation. The White Palace incident already has all of Paris on edge, and now so many people died last night. You should think about hiding. Do you know how many of us took bribes from those dead men? Now that you've killed them all, cutting off many people's income, many are going to go mad."
William, timing the call, quickly said, "Understood. I'll wait for your news. But if anything happens to Ginny, Brian will come for you, Claude. Goodbye."
Checking his watch and seeing the call had lasted almost forty seconds, William hung up, pulled out the battery, and put it in his storage space. He had given Claude a chance, and if he didn't cherish it, then the $200,000 would be for his wife's retirement. After all, money isn't that easy to earn.
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