Chapter 193: The Game of Chess

Chapter 193: The Game of Chess

Griffin's POV

The lights at Black Cat Pub burned brighter than usual tonight. Silver beams swept across the packed crowd, and the cheers made the walls vibrate slightly.

I hid in the shadows of the VIP area on the second floor, my fingertips resting on the railing.

On the stage below, Aviah wore a silver mask, her skirt swirling with her dance moves, her voice cutting through the noise.

Hazel's voice came through my Bluetooth earpiece, kept very low. "Target spotted in the southwest corner, two people—Adrian and Jeremy!"

I looked over. Two figures were huddled by a pillar behind the bar. One wore a black hoodie pulled low over his face, the other showed half his face, a scar at the corner of his eye flashing briefly under the lights.

Adrian. Jeremy.

A cold smile curved my lips as I tapped my fingers lightly on the railing. These two—one had betrayed me and gotten Daron and Walter killed; the other had repeatedly targeted Aviah with vicious intentions.

Pieces delivered right to my doorstep—no reason not to use them.

"Grab them! Don't let them get away," I murmured into the earpiece.

The singing on stage faded. Aviah bowed in thanks, and the crowd's cheers reached their peak.

Just then, Adrian and Jeremy moved from behind the bar. Adrian had his hand tucked inside his jacket, while Jeremy headed toward the side of the stage—the backstage entrance.

I turned and headed downstairs, my footsteps silent on the stairs.

Weaving through the celebrating crowd, by the time I reached backstage, they'd already been restrained.

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Did Chloe send you? Or was it Joseph?"

Adrian gripped his knife tight, his eyes fierce. "Cut the crap. We got caught, I accept it!"

"Accept it?" I laughed and took a step forward.

"Griffin, don't get cocky!" Adrian roared. "Ryan's death all those years ago—you think you can hide it forever?"

I raised an eyebrow and waved my hand. Adrian and Jeremy were taken away. I glanced at the masked Aviah, then followed them out.

Phantom Night.

In the basement, I leaned back on the sofa, watching Adrian struggle.

Unhurried, I pulled a voice recorder from my pocket and pressed play.

Through the noisy background, Ryan's voice came through faintly, breathing hard. "Mr. Ravenscroft, I'm not going to make it."

Then my voice: "I can save you, we're almost at the hospital."

"Mr. Ravenscroft, I'm so dizzy, I want to sleep. Mr. Ravenscroft, please take care of Adrian. He's my brother, my only family."

"Don't sleep. If you sleep, you won't wake up. Ryan, talk to me, hang on."

"Damn that bastard Joseph. I'll become a demon and drag him to hell."

The recording cut off abruptly.

Adrian's body jerked violently. The knife fell from his hand. "Impossible, this can't be!" He lunged forward trying to grab the recorder, but the guards held him down firmly. "You're lying! You killed Ryan back then! Joseph told me—you traded Ryan's life for yours. You're lying!"

"I'm lying?" I walked slowly up to him, looking down at him. "What did Joseph promise you? To take my place? Endless money? Or did he have proof for anything he told you?"

Looking at him, I just felt sorry for him.

He'd rather believe an outsider than believe me.

Adrian struggled, his eyes red. "You're lying!"

"I'm lying?" I bent down, my voice dropping very low. "Why do you think Ryan was hunted by Joseph? Because you, you idiot, leaked company secrets. You got drunk and ran your mouth everywhere. Ryan was trying to clean up your mess. If we're being honest, you're half responsible for Ryan's death."

I straightened up, watching him look completely lost. "You're just Joseph's pawn, to be used and thrown away. Now he can barely save himself—you think he still cares if you live or die? If it weren't for Ryan, I would've killed you long ago, you traitor."

Adrian's struggling gradually stopped, his eyes unfocused, mumbling over and over, "Impossible, impossible."

I turned to Jeremy. He'd already collapsed on the ground, legs shaking. "Jeremy, what about you?" I crouched down. "What did Chloe promise you? Help you get revenge on Aviah? Give you some money?"

Jeremy's lips trembled, unable to form a complete sentence.

"You think she really wanted to help you?" I chuckled. "She just wanted to use you to destroy Aviah. After it was done, you think she'd keep you around as a loose end?"

I pulled out a stack of cash from my pocket and tossed it in front of him. "Work for me—you'll not only live, you'll get ten times what she offered you. Plus, working for me, you'll have status. I won't hold the past against you, as long as you perform well from now on. I won't shortchange you."

Jeremy's gaze fell on the cash. His throat moved, his eyes wavering.

"I'm giving you two choices." I stood up, my tone turning cold again. "Either die here right now, or come back to my side and work for me."

Adrian suddenly looked up, a flash of determination in his eyes. "Mr. Ravenscroft, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been fooled by Joseph. I swear, from now on I'll serve you with complete loyalty. But I have one condition—I want to kill Joseph myself!"

Jeremy nodded frantically too, scrambling to pick up the cash. "Me too, I'll do whatever you say!"

I nodded with satisfaction, signaling the guards to release them. "Good. Now, there's a task that needs doing."

The car drove through Phantom Night, neon lights flying backward outside the window. Adrian sat in the passenger seat, face grim. Jeremy huddled in the back, hands clutching that stack of cash tightly.

"Where are we going?" Adrian broke the silence.

"The outskirts, to see a friend." I kept my eyes forward. "Some things—it's time to settle accounts."

At a run-down factory in the suburbs.

I had people clean the place up and waited patiently. About an hour and a half later, a car pulled up in front of us.

Valentin and Trevor got out and walked toward us.

"Griffin, before we came, we already contacted home. You'd better not have any other ideas. We came to Lakeview fully prepared, so I advise you to behave yourself." Trevor's tone was cold as he warned me.

I ignored his forced composure and simply gestured for Adrian and Jeremy to step forward. "Let them tell you how Dwayne died."

Adrian took a deep breath and walked up to them. "Dwayne wasn't killed by Griffin. It was Chloe—or rather, Joseph who killed him."

Valentin's head snapped up, his eyes sharp as knives. "You're lying! Griffin admitted it himself—he killed Dwayne. How could it be Joseph?"

"That was a setup!" Jeremy quickly spoke up, his voice urgent. "On Carl's birthday, I snuck in and knocked Dwayne out when he wasn't looking, then put him on the hospital bed. Chloe told me to do it to frame Griffin!"

Trevor frowned. "Why should we believe you?"