Chapter 183 If You Can’t Win Their Heart, Then Take the Person
Chapter 183 If You Can’t Win Their Heart, Then Take the Person
The Astoria border remained engulfed in endless warfare, with no respite day or night.
Over the following days, Richard took root in this perilous, desolate land, embarking on a solitary search for Stella.
He sent most of his team back, keeping only Caleb for remote resource coordination. Everyone else was withdrawn to trace Nicole's backing forces and cross-border transaction leads from home.
As for himself, he remained alone, anchored in this unfamiliar, chaotic, crisis-ridden foreign land.
From dawn to deep night, he traversed the border town's dilapidated streets, remote mountain villages, black market hideouts, and militia strongholds—all by himself.
He walked every area surrounding the mining region on foot, checking house by house, visiting location by location, offering hefty rewards, making inquiries everywhere.
Weathered by wind and sun, covered in dust, working without rest.
The once refined, meticulous man now wore dirt-stained clothes, bloodshot eyes, and an exhausted, haggard expression, yet never paused for a moment.
In this vast unfamiliar country, with its intricate underground forces, deeply entrenched gang networks, and chaotic lawless system, trying to find someone secretly abducted was like searching for a needle in an ocean.
Every lead severed, every trace completely erased, the mastermind hidden in darkness, revealing nothing.
Countless searches filled with hope met with utter disappointment.
Day after day of running around, searching, coming up empty, despairing—repeatedly torturing his body and mind.
He was like a lost, stubborn fly without direction, wandering alone through this vast chaotic foreign land, searching desperately.
In Oceancrest City at the Howard residence, Melissa called daily, furious each time.
"Richard! How long are you going to continue this madness!"
Over the phone, Melissa's voice brimmed with disappointment, anger, and heartache, exasperated by his stubbornness. "For one unworthy woman, you've abandoned the family business, disregarded your own safety, and remain stranded in a war-torn danger zone! Come home immediately!"
Repeated forceful demands, repeated harsh scoldings.
Yet each time, Richard simply listened quietly—not defending himself, not turning back, not wavering.
Finally, he hung up directly, blocked all communication from home, completely severing all persuasion and constraints.
All worldly fame, fortune, family business, kinship, and prospects—none mattered compared to Stella's safety!
Meanwhile, at the Stafford residence.
Nicole sat in her room enjoying a spa treatment.
Hearing the report from her contacts in Astoria, a vicious smile crossed her face. "My brother really is reliable. Tell him there's no need to keep her alive—just kill her. I want Richard to never find her."
Hanging up, Nicole kicked away the servant massaging her feet. "Get lost."
The servant scrambled away on all fours.
Nicole admired her freshly manicured nails and sneered coldly. "Even if I can't have his heart, I'll have his person."
From childhood, no one had ever taken what she wanted from her hands.
...
The search dragged on day after day, endlessly long, nearly exhausting all of Richard's patience and energy.
Just as all leads completely dried up and the investigation hit a dead end, Richard decided to try his luck in the red-light district.
Dusk settled heavily. Velvet night pitch-black.
The border town's red-light district glowed with hazy lights, flashing neon, drunken decadence.
This was men's paradise of excess, the haven of dark forces, a lawless zone beyond control in chaotic times.
Richard changed into plain black casual clothes, suppressed his commanding presence, disguised himself as an out-of-town visitor seeking pleasure, and infiltrated this most chaotic district alone.
His steps steady, expression indifferent, gaze sharp as a hawk, he scanned the nightclubs, private clubs, and hidden rooms lining both sides of the street, checking each one, missing no corner.
With years of sharp insight controlling underground resources, he quickly identified the district's most concealed, heavily guarded, most powerful private nightclub.
The entire building appeared luxuriously ordinary outside, but inside had layers of security, hidden sentries everywhere, strict vigilance—the true core stronghold of this district.
As soon as he entered, someone approached him. "Sir, what's your type?"
The pungent perfume made Richard instinctively frown. He sat on a sofa and asked, "Do you have anyone from Novaria? Someone clean?"
"Actually yes, we just got one a few days ago. Though this woman's got quite a temper."
Hearing the description, Richard instinctively thought of Stella. His body tensed slightly. "Bring her to me. If she's good-looking..."
He slapped a stack of bills on the table. "These are all yours."
Seeing the money, the woman's eyes practically glowed, recognizing a big spender. She smiled immediately. "Right away, I'll bring her now."
Two burly, fierce-looking men dragged Stella into the room.
The expressionless man on the sofa shot to his feet the moment he saw the woman. He pointed at her. "Her, I—"
"I'll take her."
Before he could finish, a clean, gentle young male voice with a hint of lazy amusement suddenly sounded from behind.