Chapter 18
Silas stepped forward, pulling a heavy combat knife, and swiftly sliced through the ropes binding Michael to the steel pillar. Michael collapsed to his knees, rubbing his chafed wrists, tears of relief streaming down his face despite Emily's ominous words.
"Thank you, Emily. Thank you," Michael sobbed, trying to reach for the hem of her tailored trousers.
Emily took a deliberate step backward, refusing to let him touch her.
"You are a coward, Michael," Emily said, her voice echoing coldly in the cavernous warehouse. "You borrowed ten million dollars, forged my signature, and expected me to pay the price. You risked the lives of Olivia and Megan to fund your pathetic vanity."
"I'll make it right! I'll work for you! I'll do anything!" Michael begged, groveling on the filthy concrete.
Emily looked over at Volkov, who was watching the exchange while clutching his bleeding shoulder.
"Volkov," Emily addressed the syndicate boss, her tone calm and businesslike. "The forged lien on my properties is entirely null and void. However, I am a woman who believes in settling legitimate debts."
She pulled a sleek, encrypted tablet from her tactical vest and tossed it onto the crate next to Volkov.
"I have just transferred ten million dollars, completely untraceable, into your offshore accounts," Emily stated, ensuring every man in the room heard the transaction. "The principal of the debt is paid."
Michael gasped, looking at Emily with sheer, unadulterated shock. "You paid him? You paid my debt?!"
"Yes," Emily said, a fierce, predator's snarl distorting her elegant beauty. "I paid the principal. But I did not pay the interest."
She turned her back on Michael and walked toward the shattered warehouse doors.
"Wait! Emily, what does that mean?!" Michael screamed, scrambling to his feet, but two of Silas's massive security guards immediately blocked his path.
Emily stopped at the threshold and looked back over her shoulder, her piercing eyes locking onto the Russian syndicate boss. "He owes you for the trouble he caused. You can collect the interest however you see fit. He is entirely yours."
Volkov smiled, a bloody, terrifying grin, as his surviving men slowly surrounded Michael.
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"No! Emily, please! They'll kill me!" Michael shrieked, his arrogant posturing completely erased by pure, blinding terror.
Emily walked out into the cool night air, leaving Michael Carter to scream in the dark.
