Chapter 189: Continuing to Lure the Enemy
The private room was dimly lit with suggestive lighting. The air was thick with a decadent mix of smoke, alcohol, and perfume. The noisy commotion from the hallway gradually drowned out the muffled sounds coming from Bayle's throat.
I had Adrian drag Bayle into a corner—no point wasting attention on someone worthless.
I asked Cole, "How are those people doing?"
I was talking about the other members of the investigation team.
"The local officials have been very careful, just singing, playing games, and chatting. They've barely touched the food or drinks," Cole said.
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "They're actually that cautious? Won't the investigation team find that strange?"
Cole shook his head. "The investigation team members are all mocking the Starstream City officials, calling them cowards. They're saying that even with the country and government backing them, they're still controlled by the mafia. Their words are clearly trying to turn those officials against us."
I laughed, not taking it seriously. "Good thing they know better. If they want to leave, call Edgar over to see them out."
Cole replied, "Yes."
The food and drinks sent to the large private room were all spiked—a bit of hallucinogen and truth serum. I figured in a few more minutes, the effects would start showing. Just then, someone knocked on the door—it was the entertainment center's general manager.
The entertainment center had two general managers, a man and a woman. The man was called Demetrius, the woman Hestia. Both were capable people under Lucas's command, talented and fiercely loyal to him.
I'd barely had any contact with them. During the three years I was married to Lucas, I'd only run into them when they came to report to him.
Before Lucas left Starstream City, he gave me their contact information and told them to follow my instructions.
They walked in, their appraising looks obvious, though not hostile.
"What's up?" I asked. They wouldn't come see me without a reason.
"People from the Valeri family are here. They want a diamond VIP exclusive room and the highest level of service, but they don't want to pay," Hestia said.
The entertainment center had a spending threshold at midnight. First-time visitors had to pay a membership fee at the entrance to prove they could afford it. From what Hestia was saying, these people couldn't even pay the entry fee.
"Do we know who it is?" I asked.
This time Demetrius answered. "It's Leonardo. He brought a bunch of friends and claims to be Mr. Valeri's closest buddy."
I laughed mockingly. "Who does he think he is?"
But I didn't have them throw Leonardo out. I even told them to try to meet Leonardo's demands.
That day, Leonardo had been used as a human shield by Donald. Lucas shot him twice in the chest, and everyone, including Leonardo himself, thought he was done for.
But Leonardo not only survived, his injuries were even lighter than expected. Of course, that was because Lucas's aim was precise—he deliberately didn't kill him.
Because he'd been used as a shield, Leonardo was full of hatred for Donald. Lucas wanted to watch them torture each other.
But Leonardo also hated Lucas. His appearance here today was definitely not a coincidence.
Sure enough, I had someone plant a bug in Leonardo's room, and I heard him bragging to others, "This entertainment center will be mine soon!"
His friend couldn't help questioning him. "You're drunk after half a bottle?"
Leonardo couldn't hold his liquor well, and he'd ordered a bunch of high-proof spirits. He did sound a bit drunk, but his mind was still clear. "Don't believe me then, but I'm telling the truth! Why do you think Lucas rushed out of Starstream City? The strike was something we planned! Lucas is now trapped in another city. Isabella, that bitch, just knows some medicine—what's there to be afraid of? After tonight, half of Starstream City will be mine!"
"Yeah, right!"
His friend tried to get more information, but Leonardo wouldn't say anything else.
I listened for a while longer. There wasn't any more useful information, but one thing was clear—Leonardo was here purely because he wanted to check out what would soon be his property. The rest of the Valeri family didn't know about it.
So I had Hestia and Demetrius go arrest Leonardo and his friends and lock them up with the investigation team members whose drugs had kicked in and who were out of their minds.
The night passed quickly. When dawn came, I had Adrian use Bayle's phone to send a "mission accomplished" signal to two specially marked anonymous contacts.
Then I continued waiting.
When we searched Bayle, besides his phone, we found a packet of date rape drugs, a pinhole camera, and a location tracking device. To make the disguise more convincing, I even asked a body double to help me film some blurry, suggestive videos. I prepared some press releases and arranged for people to spread rumors.
In my plan, tomorrow or the day after, when everyone thought I was completely ruined with no chance of recovery, that would be the decisive moment to close the net.
So I stood up, stretched, and got ready to go home for some beauty sleep first.
But just as I took a step, Hestia reported to me, "People from the Gambino family are here!"
"Now?" I was stunned. I sat back down and looked at the wall made up of dozens of monitoring screens in front of me.
The entertainment center, which had been lively all night, was entering its quietest moment of the day. Drowsiness hung over everyone. Eight people from the Gambino family had arrived without attracting the attention of other guests.
But their every move was under my watch.
I heard them say,
"Isn't it too early for us to come now?"
"I came to stake it out last night! I saw Leonardo go in! That guy must have the same idea as us. If we don't hurry, he'll beat us to it!"
"It's all her fault we're in such a bad situation. While Isabella is still inside, if we can just get nude photos of her, pictures of her at her worst, we can blackmail her later!"
"Is blackmailing her enough? Her face and body are top-notch, and she's a woman Lucas slept with. Don't tell me you're not tempted." This person gave a sleazy laugh.
The men exchanged glances. "We'll play together—it'll be exciting for sure!"
The two women with them seemed used to their conversation, excitedly discussing how to divide up my jewelry.
My mind turned, and I had a new idea.
I went back to the private room where Bayle was, lay down on the sofa, and pretended to be unconscious.
The first person from the Gambino family walked in and exclaimed in an excited whisper, "Isabella's there!"
I was fully dressed and looked like I was just sleeping, but they didn't notice anything wrong at all.
Someone asked, "Where's Bayle?"
I opened my eyes, looked at the man who had already walked up to me, and pointed under the sofa while his expression was still confused. I quietly reminded him, "Bayle's right here."
The hand he was reaching toward me stopped in mid-air. He looked down.
The next second, the guy screamed in fright.
"What are you screaming about?" The others came over, then stared in shock as I calmly sat up and pulled a gun from my clothes, pointing it at them.
The Soldati who had been hiding all around appeared together. In less than thirty seconds, all eight people were subdued.
They were pressed down by their shoulders, kneeling in front of me. I toyed with the gun, thinking about how to teach them a lesson that would be memorable and make them wish they were dead. Suddenly, Demetrius reported to me, "People from the Valeri family are here!"