Ten minutes later, a group of people got out of a car in front of a hotel.
The hotel was owned by the Mercer Group.
The manager had already received the news and was waiting at the entrance.
Seeing Lance, he immediately approached with a flattering smile and said, "Mr. Mercer, the room you requested is ready. Please follow me."
With that, he led the way.
Lance signaled Xavier to push him forward.
Gunner followed behind.
As he walked, he cast a hostile glance at Bella.
Bella noticed his dangerous look and stood still, unwilling to move.
But reality gave her no chance to resist.
"Move!"
Nightingale impatiently shoved her forward.
A few minutes later, Lance and the others arrived at the presidential suite on the top floor.
After Xavier dismissed the manager, Bella was brought before Lance.
"Where is Deanna?" Lance's cold eyes fixed on Bella.
Bella shivered under his gaze. "I don't know where she is. She ran away on her own."
No sooner had she spoken than she felt a sharp pain in her knee as she was kicked to the ground.
Lance wheeled himself forward and grabbed Bella by the throat, forcing her to look up at him.
"Do you remember what I told you before? I said if you dared to touch my fiancée again, I wouldn't let you off, even if your grandfather begged for mercy!"
Bella struggled to breathe as she faced the murderous man before her. She realized that Lance would not spare her.
Whether she told the truth or not, her fate was sealed. So why not make Lance suffer too?
"You want to know where Deanna is? I'll tell you."
Bella suddenly smiled eerily at Lance. "I killed her. By now, she's probably shark bait."
Unsurprisingly, this enraged Lance.
He tightened his grip.
Bella felt excruciating pain in her throat and struggled to breathe until she was barely conscious.
Seeing her eyes roll back from lack of oxygen, Lance showed no intention of letting go.
Fortunately, Gunner intervened in time.
"Don't dirty your hands over scum like her. Even though we're in Abla, she still has family back home. There will be legal consequences."
"I don't care."
Lance only wanted this woman to pay with her life for what she did to Deanna!
Gunner saw his determination and forcefully pulled his hand away, continuing to persuade him. "You may not care, but think about Gregory and Chloe, and Deanna's grandmother. If something really happened to Deanna, they would need you. Besides, we only have her word for what happened to Deanna."
Hearing this, Lance calmed down a bit.
He released Bella and took the tissue Xavier handed him to wipe his hands. He then wheeled himself back and said coldly, "Bella, I'll give you one last chance. If you don't want your parents and grandfather to end up on the streets because of you, tell me honestly where my fiancée is and who is behind you."
Bella coughed violently on the floor.
After a long while, she finally caught her breath and looked up at Lance with a sneer. "What I said is the truth. That bitch Deanna tried to escape by jumping into the sea. I shot her. Whether she was eaten by sharks or escaped, I don't know. My people didn't see her."
"Damn it! How dare you lay a hand on her!"
This time, Lance was truly furious.
He suddenly stood up from his wheelchair and kicked Bella hard.
Caught off guard, Bella was sent flying into the wall and fell to the ground.
The intense pain in her abdomen made her curl up in agony, her face pale.
Lance's voice, filled with killing intent, rang in her ears again. "You better pray that Deanna is safe. Otherwise, I will bury your entire Cody family with you!"
"It doesn't matter. Even if you kill my whole family, you'll still lose Deanna and live in pain for the rest of your life. In that case, I won't lose."
Bella lay on the ground, provoking Lance despite the circumstances.
Lance looked at her with hatred, wishing he could shoot her right then and there.
But letting her die so easily would be too merciful.
"You're not afraid of death? Very well," Lance sneered coldly and instructed Xavier, "Take her back to the dock tonight. Wound her and hang her upside down over the sea. If sharks come, cut off pieces of her flesh to feed them. Make sure she doesn't die!"
"Yes!" Xavier nodded in agreement.
Bella was stunned by his words.
She hadn't expected Lance to torture her like this and shouted angrily, "Lance, if you have the guts, just kill me!"
Lance looked down at her from above.
"Kill you? You wish!"