*Crash.* The sound of objects falling off the table echoed through the room. Evan angrily swept everything off his desk, hissing with rage. "HAN!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I WANT YOU TO KILL HER!" Hearing this, Han immediately entered Evan's office. He frowned at the chaotic scene, a stark contrast to his boss's calm demeanor just a few hours earlier.
"I'm going home! Now!" Evan screamed again, making Han shake his head.
"What happened? What could have made you this furious?"
"She hurt Lucia, she humiliated my girlfriend! She challenged me! I'm going to destroy her!" Evan's face turned red with emotion. He straightened his clothes and picked up his shattered phone from the floor. "Get the plane ready!"
"Evan, it's not time for us to leave yet. Our mission here isn't finished," Han said, only to receive a deadly glare from Evan.
"You trust that agency! They're just exploiting us, Han. You know what you have to do!"
"Of course, but rushing back to Singapore isn't a good decision. Let's finish our mission here so you can calmly handle your personal matters. It won't take long, Evan. You still trust me, right?"
"I want you to call the police and have Emily imprisoned. No one should be able to get her out until I return."
"She's just a girl in her twenties," Han responded, hinting that Evan's punishment was excessive.
Hearing this, Evan's blood boiled again. He approached Han with bulging eyes. "How old do you think Lucia is! Does she deserve to be humiliated! No, for what Emily did, she has to pay. I don't want anyone touching my woman without my permission!" Evan snarled, returning to his seat. He asked for Han's phone to call the police chief and, as he had said, ordered Emily's imprisonment. "Lock her up until I see her behind bars. No one is to help her! That's an order!"
Han could only shake his head, then handed Evan a laptop to discuss their work. But it was clear that Evan was too distracted, his mind fixated on Lucia.
"Han, can you handle this mission? I have to go home. I need to be with Lucia. She needs me by her side."
"But boss—"
"Han, you don't understand because you're single. Try to understand me. I'm not a heartless man like you. I want to protect my woman. Don't you get that? Of course, you don't. You like club women you can sleep with, but me, I can't sleep with anyone but my girl. That's why she's special."
Han cursed his boss silently but maintained his calm demeanor, smiling. "Boss, let's finish this first."
Not long after, there was a knock on the door. Five men with mafia-like faces entered, carrying a suitcase. Han stood behind Evan's desk, ready.
"Hello, I heard there's a great agent here for some business. Hohoho, I'd like to do business with you too," one of the men said, placing the suitcase on the table. He opened it to reveal it was filled with dollars and pushed it towards Evan and Han.
Evan stood up, looking calm. He asked, "What's this money for?"
"You know what I want. I've been sent to bribe you to stop investigating our mines in Southeast Asia. That's not too hard for you, right?"
Evan's eyes gleamed with contempt. He took a stack of dollars from the suitcase, as if counting the bills, making the man hopeful that the deal would succeed. But suddenly, Evan kicked the suitcase along with the table, causing the three mafia
Evan's eyes gleamed with contempt as he looked at his opponent. He took a bundle of dollars from the suitcase, pretending to count the bills, making the man hopeful that the transaction was far from failing. But a second later, Evan arrogantly kicked the suitcase and the table, sending the three mafia men sprawling to the floor.
Their arrogant attitude led to Evan and Han being surrounded, but in a flash, Evan leapt onto the table, spinning like a top with Han as his pivot. His agile feet took down the last two men, sending them to the corners of the room.
"Pah, tell your boss to wait his turn!" Evan said, lighting a cigarette before leaving the room, dollars raining down around him.
*****
Meanwhile, behind the cold, grim prison bars, Emily was still reeling from what had happened. She had never imagined ending up in a place like this. Trembling, she took a deep breath and gathered the courage to make one phone call.
"Dad, it's an emergency!" she cried, her panicked voice breaking the surrounding silence.
"What happened, Em?" he asked worriedly. "I thought that issue was resolved!"
"Listen, I need your help. I'm in jail. Lucia got me arrested. She committed the crime, but I'm the one being punished. It's not fair, it's not fair. She's the real criminal!" Emily explained, trying to convey the situation without admitting her own guilt.
The man on the other end swallowed hard. This was news he never expected. "Calm down. I'll find out what we can do. I still don't understand why Lucia has become so difficult to control, why she hates you so much, Emily. I'm very sorry. I'll get you out as soon as possible," he promised, trying to stay calm.
"She's jealous of me, afraid I'll take her place. That narcissist wants to control everyone, be the center of attention, and I'm her biggest rival, so she's out to destroy my character! I didn't know she would go this far. I didn't know she hated me this much. I'm so disappointed, so disappointed!" Emily cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Calm down, sweetheart. I'll do my best. I'll get the best lawyer for you. You won't be there for long."
Emily felt relieved knowing she wasn't alone in this. She tried to compose herself as she contacted someone who might be able to help her.
Meanwhile, the man, far away, called a respected lawyer in their city. He explained the situation.
"Sir, free Emily. She doesn't belong there," he pleaded, his voice deep and resonant.
Mr. David, a seasoned lawyer experienced with tough cases, listened attentively. He tried to see Emily's side of the story from what the mysterious man told him. "I'll see what I can do," he said calmly, trying to reassure the man.
*****
In the bleak prison visiting room, Emily sat with a vacant stare, processing the reality that she was in a place she had never imagined. Meanwhile, her mother, Miranda, with a stern face full of uncontrollable emotions, entered the room with heavy steps.
"Emily!" she cried, her voice filled with sorrow and anger, casting a sharp look at her daughter.
Emily turned and saw her mother, who looked devastated and furious. "Mom," she replied in a low voice, trying to hold back her tears.
Miranda looked at Emily with deep disappointment. "How did you end up here? And it's all because of Lucia!" she cried, her voice trembling with overwhelming emotion.
Adrian, who had just finished giving his testimony, tried to calm Miranda. "Mom, please. This isn't the time to blame anyone," he said gently.
"No, Adrian! They must pay for what they've done to Emily!" Miranda snapped, ignoring Adrian's words.
Emily felt increasingly trapped between two opposing forces. On one side, her hurt and angry mother, and on the other, Adrian, trying to maintain calm.
"Calm down, sweetheart. I'll call your father. He'll take legal action against Lucia. I promise we'll make her regret this and experience a hell worse than my daughter's. I promise. I'll call Anderson."
"Yes, Mom, Daddy has already contacted a top lawyer," Emily said weakly.
"What? So Anderson already knows? Who told him about this?"