Chapter 186

Chapter 186

Inside the Dean Group.

Rufus stared at William's message, lost in thought.

"He wants me to track down the people who were spying on Nora and Zara, and search all of Atlanta? Is he trying to make my life difficult?"

Rufus scratched his head. This kind of intelligence work wasn't simple — it would probably take a very long time.

Not only did he have to find them, but he also had to retaliate against them. This was a real headache.

"Sir, since this is so hard to deal with, why don't we just turn it down?"

A secretary standing beside Rufus suggested politely.

But the words had barely left his mouth before a sharp pain exploded across his cheek.

"Are you out of your mind, or am I? Do you think it's fun to go against this man's orders?"

That guy was even scarier than Dean. Anyone who dared disobey him must have a death wish.

Actually, if William ever set his sights on you, it'd probably be better to just end it yourself as soon as possible.

At least that way, you'd go out on your own terms.

"I'm sorry." The secretary forced himself to stay upright and managed to get the words out weakly.

"Useless. You're handling this personally. Everything else can wait — even the important orders. This comes first."

"If I find out you failed, don't come crying to me."

Rufus's eyes turned ice cold, sending a wave of fear through the secretary.

He nodded quickly and said, "Don't worry, I'll get it done."

Then he hurried out, afraid that if he was even a second too slow, Rufus would hit him again.

"These guys, I swear." Rufus rubbed his forehead and muttered, "Whatever. I'll handle some of it myself."

---

Two hours later, at the restaurant.

William and the two women had finished their meal.

Since the two girls hadn't seen each other in a long time, and neither had been eating properly lately, they ended up eating quite a bit this time.

"I ate too much. I'm getting sleepy — I'm gonna head home."

Zara stretched and stood up to leave.

She hadn't taken more than a few steps when Nora grabbed her wrist. "Why don't you stay at my place for a while?"

Zara lived alone. She had bodyguards, but Nora still felt uneasy about it.

On top of that, after everything that had just happened, there was no way she could let Zara stay by herself.

"I'll be fine on my own." Zara smiled and waved her off.

She'd already caused them enough trouble. She didn't want to keep adding to it.

But William spoke up. "Just go back with her. That way I can keep an eye on both of you. If you're in different places and something happens, there's nothing I can do."

Nora jumped in right after. "Exactly, Zara. So come with me."

Before Zara could say another word, Nora grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the exit.

William got up and headed out as well. As he left, he noticed the waiter standing in the distance, eyes locked on him.

So this guy still hadn't given up.

But Rufus should have already started moving by now. They'd probably get what was coming to them tonight.

---

As the night wore on, by ten o'clock, most businesses had closed for the day.

The waiter, Zack, packed up his things and headed home after his shift.

"All I have to do is send this information to that person and I get a hundred thousand dollars. That's not a bad deal at all."

He smiled to himself. At the end of the day, what happened to those people was none of his business. As long as he did his part, he'd get the money. Why wouldn't he?

But when he reached his front door, he found an envelope sitting on the doorstep.

"That's weird. Who sends letters anymore?"

Still, out of curiosity, he crouched down and picked it up.

The envelope wasn't sealed. Some photos were sticking out from inside.

When he pulled them out, he froze.

Because the photos showed his daughter — who was in kindergarten — and his wife, who worked at a clothing store.

The angles weren't tricky or hidden. Almost every shot was taken straight on, out in the open.

And along with the photos was a single line of text.

【If you plan on going through with this, think about your family.】

---

It was like a thunderclap went off inside his head. He stood there, unable to speak.

It took a long time before he finally came back to himself, his forehead already drenched in cold sweat.

"No. I don't want the money."

He clenched his jaw and deleted every piece of information he had collected.

The same scene played out across Atlanta. Every person who had been hired received a letter just like this one, and every single one of them walked away from the money.

---

The next morning, at the Adams family home.

William slowly opened his eyes and smiled when he saw the text message on his phone.

"Rufus actually pulled it off that fast. He wrapped it up in just one day?"

He tossed his phone aside, got up, and headed for the door.

The moment he opened it, he found Victor standing right there, hand raised as if he was about to knock.

"Oh, you're already up. Breakfast is ready — come on down."

Victor cleared his throat and said.

He clearly had something on his mind, but William didn't ask. He just replied calmly, "Got it. Thanks."

The two of them walked downstairs together. When they got there, Nora and Zara were already at the table eating.

"You're up. Come eat." Nora gestured to the food beside her.

William nodded, sat down, and said between bites, "It's been taken care of. Nobody's going to be watching you for a while."

Nora and Zara both looked up at the same time. "That fast?"

"If anything, it took longer than it should have." William said it like it was nothing.

Victor looked at them, completely lost. "What are you all talking about?"

"Nothing. Just a small thing." William had no intention of getting into it.

It was already handled. Bringing it up now would only create unnecessary worry.

Victor nodded and didn't push further, though he kept glancing at William like he wanted to say something — but couldn't quite get it out.

William set down his utensils and looked over at Victor.

"Mr. Adams, I'm guessing there's something you want to say to me?"