James drawled meaningfully, “She’s quite the looker. It’s no wonder Stephen’s so hung up on her.”

Conrad chuckled. “She’s also Stephen’s Achilles’ heel.”

James let out a huff before retracting his gaze. An unknown emotion swirled in his eyes as he muttered, “Stephen ruined my plans. I should at least send him a little something in retaliation.”

He’d spent a great deal of money and effort on that Arcton project. Yet, Stephen ruined it all at a critical juncture, resulting in severe losses for him.

He was going to make Stephen pay for that. He thought menacingly, “Tessa, huh? Let’s see whether you’ll be lucky at every single turn.”

…

Tessa made a phone call at the precinct, and the officer handling the case received a call from his superiors within five minutes.

After he ended the call, the officer’s demeanor toward Tessa changed a great deal. His tone became much more polite. “Ms. Yates, we’ve officially filed this as a homicide attempt. You’re free to leave now. We’ll notify you immediately if there are any new developments.”

Tessa nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

She had just stepped out of the precinct when she received a call from an unknown number.

The voice on the other end of the line was far from amicable. “I hear you took on Lucas’ case and plan on suing the company?”

Tessa frowned. “That’s right.”

“Ms. Yates, is it? Are you available at the moment? I think it’s time for us to have a chat.” The man’s tone was rife with disdain and arrogance.

“Who are you?” Tessa asked sharply.

He chuckled before replying, “Oh, me? I’m Lucas’ ex-boss, Leon McGraw.”

Tessa remembered the name.

The law demanded that any and all company owners list their information when registering their company. Leon McGraw was indeed Lucas’ former boss.

“What do you want to discuss?” Tessa inquired.

“What do I want to discuss? I’m thinking about settling this privately. I’d rather settle this privately instead of wasting my time on labor arbitration,” Leon answered snidely.

“Fine, send me your address,” Tessa answered.

Leon provided her with an address. It was a club located several miles away.

Tessa’s slender fingers tapped the steering wheel idly after she hung up.

Leon’s intentions were definitely not benign. So, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

He might have invited her under the guise of discussing a settlement, but who knew what kind of tricks he had up his sleeves?

Thus, she called the two bodyguards over.

The two bodyguards responded in unison, “What are your orders, Mrs. Jacobson?”

“You two will be coming with me. I’m worried that this Leon person is out to get me.”

“Understood.”

A lean man wearing a black leather jacket with a buzz cut lounged on the couch in a club’s private room. He was leisurely sipping his drink while four of his lackeys stood on either side of him.

Leon’s eyes were filled with malice as he instructed, “You guys are going to beat that woman into a pulp the second she steps past those doors. Don’t worry about kilting her. I’ll take care of it.”

His lackeys shouted, “Got it, Mr. McGraw!”

Tessa, who was dressed in a light gray suit, approached the private room in her black heels.

One of the bodyguards opened the door for her.

However, the men behind those doors rushed at her before she could even enter the room. There were four of them in total, and they were all brandishing weapons.

Tessa immediately reacted by stepping back. Meanwhile, her bodyguards were swift and skilled as they retaliated ferociously.

Soon, the dulcet screams of those goons rang in the air.

Tessa’s bodyguards had taken Leon’s lackeys down in a matter of minutes.

Tessa finally looked into the room, locking eyes with a fearful Leon. She curled her lips into a mirthless smile and Sneered. “You call this negotiating a settlement?”