Chapter 141
Elizabeth took the tablet and glanced at the information on the screen, her brow furrowing slightly.
Jacob stepped closer and looked down as well.
It was a list with over a dozen names, each corresponding with a bid amount—members of the Parker family, the Moretti family, and representatives from several other factions, all survivors who had escaped from the sunken ship.
"What does this mean?" Jacob asked.
Uri glanced at him, then looked at Elizabeth, as if waiting for her signal. Elizabeth gave a slight nod.
Uri cleared his throat and explained, "After the ship went down, Nightfall rescue vessel was first to arrive the scene. Right now, all those surviving bosses are on our ship. But if they want to leave, if they want safe passage back to land, there's a price to pay."
He gestured to the list on the tablet. "We're auctioning spots on the boat. Starting bid is five million dollars per person,. Highest bidder wins. The current top bid has already reached twenty million."
Jacob's frown deepened. "Nightfall is charging disaster victims?"
It wasn't that he found it immoral—just that it risked making enemies.
Though on second thought, an organization like Nightfall with no legitimate business interests probably didn't fear offending anyone.
Uri smiled, his expression carrying a matter-of-fact frankness. "Mr. Smith, rescue operations have costs. Risks require compensation. Nightfall isn't a charity—we're just doing business."
Jacob fell silent for a moment, looking toward Elizabeth.
She kept her head down, fingers scrolling across the tablet as she reviewed the bid information, her expression so calm it was as if this was nothing more than a trivial matter.
Something complicated stirred in his chest.
This was Nightfall. This was her world.
Price gouging, cold-blooded, profit above all else.
And she thrived here.
The flickering numbers on the tablet reflected in Elizabeth's eyes, yet she saw nothing wrong with any of it.
This was how Nightfall operated, after all. Price gouging?
That's what outsiders called it. What they provided was a service no one else could—arriving first when everyone else was barely surviving, snatching people back from death's door.
Whatever that was worth, that's what they should charge.
Uri had handled it beautifully.
The names on that list, with bids ranging from five million to twenty million dollars, had brought in nearly a hundred million in just half an hour.
This money would more than enough to cover the entire operation's costs and leave enough to give everyone involved a generous bonus.
Elizabeth handed the tablet back to Uri with a slight nod. "Continue."
Uri took the tablet and was about to leave when commotion suddenly erupted outside the cabin door.
People were arguing.
Uri's brow furrowed as he strode out quickly. Elizabeth and Jacob exchanged a glance and followed.
On the water's surface, a group of disheveled, bedraggled people crowded around the gangway, shouting emotionally at the Nightfall crew.
These people clung to life preservers—The ones Nightfall had magnanimously provided.
Though mainly to prevent them from drowning before the second round of fees could be collected.
Most of them were survivors from the sunken ship, those who hadn't managed to secure spots in time.
The moment Uri appeared, the crowd erupted. "Mr. Noah! Why do they get to leave and we don't? We can pay too!"
"Exactly! We have money! Name your price!"
"Let us go on the boat! It's freezing out here—we won't last much longer!"
Uri stood at the top of the gangway, looking down at them from above, his eyes behind those gold-rimmed glasses calm as still water.
"All spots have been sold." His voice wasn't loud, yet every single person heard him clearly. "The next boat will arrive in two hours. If you gentlemen can hold on until then, you'll be rescued."
"Two hours?" Someone shrieked. "In this wind? In this cold? we won't survive two hours!"
"Right! Why do they get to leave first? We can pay double!"
Uri remained unmoved. "Nightfall's rules—those who secured spots leave first. If you gentlemen didn't win the auction, then you wait for the next boat. This is fair business. Nothing to argue about."
From the crowd, a burly middle-aged man in an expensive suit, soaked through, suddenly swam forward.
He was clearly someone important. Even half-drowned, he still carried the arrogance of a man used to giving orders.
He pointed toward the back of the crowd—where Elizabeth stood beside Jacob, wrapped in a blanket, quietly observing everything.
"Mr. Noah," the man spoke, his voice booming with obvious displeasure, "I'd like to ask—what right does that woman have to occupy a spot?"
Uri's gaze darkened slightly, though his expression remained calm.
"She's my companion," he said, tone indifferent. "My boat, I bring my own people. Is there a problem?"
"Your people?" The man sneered. "She's clearly Jacob's fiancée! I saw Jacob pulling her along on the ship with my own eyes! Is she your people? Who are you kidding?"
A buzz of discussion rippled through the crowd. Countless eyes fell on Elizabeth, filled with scrutiny, jealousy, and malice.
Seeing others starting to agree with him, the man became bolder. "Mr. Noah, keeping a woman like that by your side—aren't you worried she will betray you? A woman who belongs to Jacob, suddenly loyal to you?" He sneered. "I say this kind of trophy doesn't deserve a spot. Make her get off and give us her place!"
"Yeah! Make her get off!"
"Why does she get on the boat? Did she even pay?"
"Get off the boat! Give up the spot!"
The crowd quickly grew agitated as they began climbing up the gangway.
Several Nightfall men immediately moved to block them, but the people refused to back down, their shouts growing louder.
Elizabeth stood in place, her face betraying no emotion. She watched those frantically shouting people quietly, as if they weren't cursing her at all.
Jacob stood beside her, one hand gripping hers tightly, the other already resting on the gun at his waist.
His expression was dangerously dark, murderous intent roiling in his eyes. If Elizabeth hadn't been gently pressing down on his hand, he would have already rushed forward to silence those people permanently.
Just then, Uri moved.
He walked straight to the ship's edge.
The moment the man saw Uri approaching, some of his arrogance faded, but he still forced himself to say, "Mr. Noah, I'm just speaking the truth..."
Uri stopped in front of him, regarding him quietly. Then he raised his hand, holding the tablet up to the man's face.
On the screen was the man's name and a string of bid information.
"How much did you want to offer just now?" Uri asked, his voice so calm it betrayed no emotion.
The man froze for a moment, then replied, "Ten million dollars! I can offer ten million!"
Uri nodded, withdrew the tablet, and tapped his slender fingers across it twice.
Then he looked up at the man, the corner of his mouth curving into a faint smile that sent chills down spines.
"Your name has been removed from the rescue list."