Chapter 134
But Charlotte didn't stop. She turned her attention to someone else.
"Holden, your family owns that hotel chain, right?"
"I remember you promised your dad just two days ago that you'd never set foot in a place like this again."
"What if a video of you here tonight—along with proof of what you lost—ended up on your father's desk…?"
The guy called Holden was heavyset. After hearing Charlotte's words, all the color drained from his face in an instant.
And then, one by one, Charlotte went down the line, calling out each person by name. She knew their family backgrounds, their situations—even their recent secrets that no one else should know.
In that moment, everyone froze.
All these years, they'd been able to act so arrogant only because they had their families backing them up.
But now Charlotte had laid it all bare, proving she wasn't someone to mess with.
The racetrack fell into an eerie silence.
"Now. Car keys. Contract. Hand them over."
This time, no one dared to argue. They all kept their mouths shut in silent agreement.
After hearing Charlotte's words, Douglas's face turned deathly pale. All the strength drained from his body.
He knew he'd been completely beaten today.
So even though it killed him inside, he gritted his teeth and pulled the Ferrari keys from his pocket, handing them over.
"The contract, I…"
"I've got it right here." Jason, as if he'd been prepared all along, pulled a blank contract from his car and slapped it onto the hood. "Sign it. Thumbprint."
Seeing how ready Jason was, Douglas's eyes turned bloodshot, his chest heaving violently.
He didn't want to do this. But he had no choice.
Finally, he scrawled his crooked signature on the paper, then pressed his thumbprint in humiliation.
After finishing, Douglas seemed to lose all his strength, stumbling backward a few steps.
If the people behind him hadn't caught him, he probably would've collapsed right there on the ground.
Charlotte didn't care about any of that. She snatched up the contract and shoved it into Jason's arms.
"Keep it safe."
"Yes, Charlotte!" Jason was beyond thrilled, his eyes bright with excitement. "Charlotte, I'm going to follow you for the rest of my life."
Charlotte ignored his flattery and spoke seriously instead.
"This is the last time. Next time, I won't come bail you out."
Hearing the gravity in her tone, Jason's heart tightened. He looked up at Charlotte, thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Charlotte, don't worry. I'm done with all this stuff for good."
Charlotte gave a faint hum of acknowledgment, then turned to leave.
Seeing her about to go, Jason immediately followed. "Charlotte, where are you headed? Let me give you a ride."
"No need. I've got something to take care of. I'll go on my own."
Charlotte shook her head, refusing outright.
Soon, her figure disappeared into the night, leaving Jason standing there looking confused, scratching his head.
……
Twenty minutes later, Charlotte quietly pulled her car to a stop in a deserted lot on the outskirts of town.
Not far ahead was the abandoned cement factory mentioned in the lead. Right now it was completely shrouded in darkness, its blurred outline and massive form like some giant beast lying in wait.
Charlotte cracked the window slightly and studied the factory before her.
It had been shut down for years. The walls were long since weathered, covered in creeping vines.
Weeds had taken over everything. There wasn't even a proper road anymore—just two tire tracks left by construction vehicles, barely visible.
Everything looked utterly derelict. Except…
Her gaze locked onto a small window on the top floor of the main building.
There seemed to be a faint flicker of light—so brief and dim that if you weren't paying attention, you'd never notice it.
Someone's there?
Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. She didn't get out right away to investigate. Instead, she reversed the car further back and hid it deep in the dense woods.
Only after that did she slip out of the car, moving swiftly and silently into the night.
On the side of the factory, she found a damaged section of the perimeter wall. The gap wasn't large, but it was big enough for one person to squeeze through.
Charlotte didn't hesitate. She slipped inside.
The interior of the factory looked even more desolate and rundown than the outside.
Massive production machines sat covered in thick layers of dust, cobwebs everywhere.
She tiptoed between the machinery and concrete pillars, using them for cover.
After about fifty meters, she suddenly stopped, pressing herself flat against a huge concrete support column.
Footsteps. More than one person.
The steps were steady and deliberate, making rhythmic sounds against the cement floor.
"This godforsaken place, and we still have to patrol every single day. Is that really necessary?" an irritated voice complained.
"Hey, keep your voice down. If someone hears you, you'll be sorry!" Another voice sounded displeased with the grumbling. "The boss said this shipment is important. Nothing can go wrong. Just do the patrol like you're supposed to."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." The voice was full of dissatisfaction, but the guy stopped complaining and changed the subject instead. "By the way, who was that woman from last time? Why'd the boss even bring her here?"
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't be asking. Anyway, orders from the top are clear—we need to be extra careful lately. Anyone who gets close, we're authorized to take them out on the spot. Can't let anything mess this up."
As the voices gradually faded into the distance, Charlotte finally relaxed, slowly releasing her breath.
Her back was already damp with cold sweat.
Replaying the conversation she'd just overheard, Charlotte's brow furrowed tightly.
Clearly, whatever they were doing here had gone way beyond ordinary illegal activity.
These people were most likely part of a tightly organized, ruthless criminal operation.
And Nora was mixed up with them. Could that mean…
Charlotte's expression grew extremely grave.
Thinking it over, she raised her head and surveyed her surroundings again.
This place was heavily guarded. She suspected there were far more people here than just the two she'd seen.
If she tried to force her way in, she'd be walking straight into a trap.
So Charlotte bit her lip and decided to retreat for now and regroup.
She began retracing her steps back the way she came.
Probably because she'd just uncovered such a shocking secret, she was extra cautious on the way out, every step deliberate.
Just as she was about to round the corner and reach the gap in the wall—
Suddenly, something in her peripheral vision caught her eye.
She looked more closely and spotted a pinhole camera tucked into an abandoned pipe in the upper corner.
Its red light blinked on and off in the darkness—subtle, but steady.
If she'd walked out just now, she might already have been exposed.
In that instant, she couldn't help but grit her teeth, her gaze sharpening with resolve.