Chapter 181

Half an hour later, in the basement of William's villa.

A basin of ice-cold water was thrown hard onto Natalia's face, and the biting chill jolted her out of unconsciousness.

She looked around in a daze, a sense of dread rising in her chest. "Where am I?"

Before the words were fully out, a rough hand grabbed her jaw and forced her to look straight into William's cold, merciless eyes.

"I didn't expect you'd end up as a guest in my basement." The moment Natalia recognized William, a flash of despair crossed her face, quickly replaced by fury. "So, what are you planning to do to me?"

"I don't usually like getting rough with women, but if you won't talk, these guys here would be happy to give you a real taste of what that's like." William said calmly, gesturing toward the wall behind him.

The wall was covered with horrifying tools — electric saws, pliers, scalpels, surgical knives. Every single one was stained with dark red blood and reeked of a thick, metallic stench.

Natalia swallowed involuntarily, her breathing turning rapid and shallow.

She instinctively tried to break free and run, only to realize her arms and legs were already firmly tied to the chair.

She glared up at William and screamed, "If you dare do this, you'll pay for it dearly!"

"Pay for it?" A cruel smile crept onto William's lips. "I'd love to see what that looks like."

With that, he turned and took a sharp scalpel off the wall, then walked slowly toward Natalia.

He pressed the cold blade against her cheek, his voice dropping to a soft, almost tender murmur. "This skin is well taken care of. Must have cost you a fortune."

"You wouldn't dare!" Natalia shrieked.

The blade sliced across her skin in an instant. The sharp pain tore a piercing scream from her throat.

She thrashed wildly, trying to break free, but the ropes didn't budge. While she struggled uselessly, William had already grabbed her by the hair, holding the gleaming scalpel right in front of her eye.

"Tell me. Who's behind this?"

The blade crept closer and closer to her eyeball. The threat of death shattered her completely.

"It's Greasley! Greasley told me to do it!" She finally broke, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

She knew that if she stayed quiet any longer, what was waiting for her would be far worse than death.

William pulled back the scalpel, dragged over a stool and sat down. "Greasley only broke out a few days ago. How did he get in touch with you?"

"He never lost contact with me!" Natalia gasped for breath, unable to meet William's eyes, but she forced the truth out through her shaking voice. "He was already planning the escape while he was still inside. Back then he told me that once he got out, I needed to find a way to take you out — without leaving any trace back to him."

Because she was skilled at disguise, Greasley had her wait for William to leave Atlanta, then impersonate Zara to get close to the target. That way, even if she got caught, William wouldn't be able to trace her real identity.

She had thought luring him somewhere remote and surrounding him would be enough to finish the job. She had completely underestimated him.

"I see." William rubbed his chin. The picture was becoming clear.

Greasley had behaved well in Celestial Prison, so William had made an exception and allowed him one phone call to the outside each month. That must have been when he started setting all of this in motion.

He had seriously underestimated just how cunning Greasley was.

"That's everything I know!" Natalia stared at William, her voice carrying one last desperate gamble. "If you want to find Zara, go to the top floor of the Ocean Hotel!"

William stood up slowly and gave her shoulder a light pat. "Good. Smarter than I thought. If everything you've told me checks out, I'll think about letting you walk out of here alive."

He turned and headed for the door.

After leaving the basement, he locked the entrance carefully, then set off for the Ocean Hotel.

He had barely stepped outside the villa when his phone rang.

It was Nora. William already knew what she was going to ask.

"Did you get hold of Zara?" Nora's voice was full of worry.

William's lips curved slightly. Just as he expected.

"Don't worry. What happened earlier had nothing to do with Zara. Someone was impersonating her. I'm on my way to get her out right now." He pulled open the car door as he spoke, started the engine, and was about to leave.

"Really?" Inside the Adams Villa, Nora sat up in bed, the weight finally lifting from her chest.

A wave of relief washed over her like nothing she'd felt before.

"Of course. When have I ever lied to you?" William was already driving when he caught something in the rearview mirror — a few shadowy figures creeping toward his villa.

"Hold on, I need to take care of something. I'll call you once I've got Zara."

He hung up, turned the car around immediately, and parked in the shadows. Then he slipped quietly back toward the villa.

At the front door, several figures dressed in black were working on the lock with practiced ease.

In under a minute, the security door swung open.

They filed inside without hesitation — but the moment they crossed the threshold, the door clicked shut behind them.

"Who's there!" The one in front spun around with a shout.

As he turned, he saw William standing in the doorway, a look of quiet amusement on his face.

"Damn it — wasn't he supposed to be gone?" The man yanked a knife from inside his jacket.

The others drew their weapons too, instantly on guard.

"If you're here to rob the place, you could at least wait until I'm a little further down the road." William said with a short, contemptuous laugh.

He hadn't even made it far, and these guys had already made their move. They were either reckless or desperate.

The men exchanged a quick glance, said nothing, and rushed William all at once with their blades.

William's eyes sharpened. He slipped past the first attacker like a ghost and drove his fist into the temple of the next one.

The man went down as if he'd been hit head-on by a speeding truck, out cold before he hit the floor.

The remaining three had clearly planned for this. While William was occupied, they bolted for the door.

They burst outside and made it only a few steps before they felt it — a cold, predatory presence at their backs, like a blade pressed against their spines.

The one in front kept running without looking back. The other two turned to fight, buying time for their partner to escape.

"Trying to stall? How naive." William let out a cold laugh, and then he was simply there — a blur of motion.

Two precise strikes landed. The pair hadn't even registered what happened before they crumpled, just like the others.

William didn't spare them another glance. His eyes were fixed on the one still running, and a slow, cruel smile spread across his face — the look of a cat that had already decided the outcome.

"You're not getting away. Not on this ground. There's no one here who can save you."