Chapter 160 MATTEO'S PLAN

Chapter 160 MATTEO'S PLAN
Damien remained on his knees, his forehead pressed against the floor. The room was silent except for the sound of his uneven breathing.

Anton looked down at him for a long moment before quietly saying,

“Get up.”

Damien lifted his head. “...Boss?”

“I said get up.”

Slowly, Damien pushed himself to his feet.

The moment he was fully upright—

Thud!

Anton drove a firm fist into the center of Damien's chest.

The impact echoed through the room.

Damien's body tensed, but he neither stumbled nor stepped back.

Anton studied him for a second before a faint smile appeared.

“Yeah. You're still solid enough.”

A relieved smile spread across Damien's face.

“Thank you.”

Anton brushed an imaginary speck of dust from Damien's shoulder.

“Now toughen up enough to apologize to Eli.”

Damien lowered his eyes.

“He trusted you. You were his only friend.”

Shame washed over Damien's face. “I know. I'd let him shoot me in the leg if it'd make him feel better.”

Anton raised an eyebrow. “You know he can shoot?”

A tiny smile returned to Damien's lips. “I taught him. I still owe him a gun, I promised I'd gift him one once his aim improved.’

Anton chuckled softly. “You were a good friend then.”

Damien's smile faltered. “I was.”

Anton gave his shoulder one last reassuring pat before turning toward the door.

“Come on.”

The two men walked out together.

Outside, Julian was exactly where Anton had left him.

His arms were folded across his chest.

His expression was unreadable.

Anton spoke first.

"Matteo has Eli."

Julian's eyes immediately shifted to Damien.

Damien bowed deeply. “I'm sorry, Boss.”

Julian didn't answer.

Anton continued,

“It's just Matteo. Handling him will be lighter than a pre-workout warm-up.”

Before anyone could say another word, Julian's phone rang.

He glanced at the screen.

Unknown number.

He answered.

“What?’

A chuckle came from the other end. “Bring the documents transferring the company to me, if you want your little gay boy alive. Give me back my rights.”

Julian's expression didn't change. “Rights? You're Matteo Devon, Not Matteo Thorne. And even with the DNA test, you're barely even legitimate to the Devons. You have no rights. Go cry to your mother, she's the reason your life turned out like this.”

His voice dropped colder.

“And if you touch a single hair on Eli's head… I'll bury you beside your ambitions.”

Matteo laughed. “You're so used to having the upper hand, aren't you? Speaking like you've already won. Let's see how you like this.”

The call ended.

A second later—

Ping.

An email notification appeared. Julian opened it. There was only an address...

…and a video attachment.

He pressed play.

The screen showed a large transparent water tank.

Water trickled steadily from a pipe fixed above it.

Then the camera shifted, and Julian's breathing stopped.

It's Eli. His wrists were chained high above his head, his body hung awkwardly inside the tank, water had already reached the bottom of his neck and every few seconds he stretched onto the tips of his toes, desperately trying to keep his mouth above the rising water.
He coughed, gasped, and slipped, making water splash over his lips before he struggled upward again.

His breathing had already become frantic. His eyes searched desperately around the room.

The recording ended.

Julian's hand trembled around the phone.

Anton gently took it from him. He watched the same recording, and his jaw tightened.

Without another word, all three men rushed outside.

“I'll drive,” Damien said.

Neither Julian nor Anton objected. They climbed into the vehicle.

“My office,” Julian said. “I need the documents.”

“My office is closer,” Anton answered. “I have copies.”

Damien pressed the accelerator, and the car shot onto the freeway.

Inside the vehicle, no one spoke. Only the sound of the engine filled the silence.

Halfway there—

Ping.

Another notification came in.

Damien picked up Julian's phone from the dashboard.

“It's another message.”

He opened it. This time it wasn't a video, it was a livestream.

The water was still rising, and at the bottom corner...

09:57 quickly changing to 09:56… 09:55…

It's a countdown.

Julian looked away.

Anton quietly dialed another number.

The call connected almost instantly.

“Stay ready. Don't move until I tell you.”

He ended the call without another explanation.

Damien glanced at him through the rearview mirror but asked nothing.

Within minutes they arrived at Anton's law firm.

Julian paced the office like a caged animal while Anton sat behind his desk.

His fingers flew across the keyboard.

The printer roared to life, spilling out one page. Two. Ten. Twenty.

Anton gathered every sheet, arranged them neatly inside a file and snapped it shut.

“Let's go.”

As they hurried out, Damien's eyes briefly landed on the framed portrait sitting on Anton's desk. It was a formal photograph of Julian.

A small smile tugged at Damien's lips before disappearing again.

The three of them climbed back into the car.

Damien checked the livestream once more.

05:02.

The water had risen another few inches.

He pushed the accelerator harder.

The location appeared in the distance… It's a factory. Closed for the day.

Damien parked. “I know this place.” He stepped out first. “I think I've seen that water tank before, I know where it is.”

“Really?” Anton looked around, taking in the environment, “belongs to an opp?”

“No, it belongs to Mr Devon. This is his factory. When I was keeping a tab on him, I broke in here once. He came here often so I thought he got some dirt he's hiding, but it's just a factory.”

“Lead the way.” Julian said to Damien.

The three of them hurried inside.

Inside were just rows of containers, steel beams, towering machines, dark corridors.

Damien confidently led the way.

Suddenly he stopped, and turned to Anton.

“Henry may already be here.”

Julian frowned.

Damien continued,

“Victoria hired Henry to kill you. They expected you would come with Julian. But don't worry, he'll never get to you.”

Anton calmly rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

“Don't stop him.”

Damien blinked.

Anton smiled coldly. “I owe that bastard a good beating. He shot his own son, I've been looking forward to returning the favor.”

They continued deeper into the factory.

The silence gradually gave way to distant voices.

Laughter, metal chains clinking, water splashing.

Damien slowed his steps.

“We're close.”

The corridor opened into an enormous storage room.

Several armed men stood guard near the entrance.

One by one they searched Julian, Anton and Damien. Finding no weapons, they waved them through.

The room beyond was brightly lit.

Matteo sat comfortably in the center on a chair, lazily smoking a cigarette.

He smiled as though welcoming honored guests.

Behind him stood the massive transparent water tank. Julian's heart nearly stopped as he saw Eli hanging inside, his wrists were chained high above his head and the water had climbed to his chin. Every breath required him to painfully stretch upward onto the tips of his toes. His legs shook violently. Every few seconds exhaustion made him slip; water flooded over his lips, he coughed, choked, and forced himself back up.

His face had gone pale, his lips trembled, his breathing came in desperate gasps, he hadn't even noticed they'd arrived.

“Eli!”

Julian surged forward.

Click.

Matteo calmly raised a pistol. The muzzle pointed directly between Julian's eyes.

A lazy smile spread across his face.

“Sign the company over first.”