Chapter 279: Chapter 279 Sorry, Edward [Key Chapter, Must Read]
It’s still the old private room.
Edward Stephens opened the door and went in, unexpectedly finding that there was only Ryan Smith inside, and he hadn’t called any women to accompany him.
Several bottles of foreign liquor were set on the table, Ryan sat cross-legged on the sofa, engrossed in his phone. His short orange hair was now dyed chestnut; it seemed he had lost a lot of weight, and the light from above sharpened his chin.
Seeing him, Ryan immediately put down his phone, jumped off the sofa in his torn jeans, "You said thirty minutes and it really is thirty minutes, you’re right on time!"
Edward’s face showed a faint smile. He walked in and sat opposite him, "What are you doing in Chicago? Rarely back, not staying in Banyan City for a few days?"
"Family matters." Ryan scratched his short hair, not explaining much to Edward, "My plane passed Banyan City, so I came to see you on the way."
Edward nodded, watching Ryan pour him a drink, and refused: "I have to drive later, so I won’t drink."
Ryan pushed the glass towards him on the table, lazily leaning against the sofa back, "I brought it back from abroad, just try a glass."
Edward picked up the glass, sipped a little, then remembered something and looked at Ryan: "By the way, be careful when you go back to Chicago. My brother has been acting crazy lately, wanting to drag me back to the United States. You’re close to me, he might target you."
"..." Ryan’s drinking action paused slightly. He looked at Edward, then smiled lazily, "I’m just a nobody, why would Robert have his eyes on me."
"Still, be cautious." Edward sighed lightly, holding his glass and looking down at the glistening liquid in his palm, "He’s been getting more eccentric these years, avoid him if you can and don’t confront him directly."
Ryan gazed at him, slowly asking, "Edward, why are you unwilling to go back?"
Edward leaned on the sofa, his tone calm, "I have no interest in returning to be a puppet controlled by anyone."
Ryan sighed softly, "Edward, you weren’t like this before..."
Edward replied lightly, "He wasn’t like that before either."
Ever since that car accident, Robert Stephens’s desire for control over the surrounding families and close ones had reached its peak, the entire family’s power unprecedentedly centralized, to the point where neither the Gingers nor the Stephens dared to say "no" to him.
What he found even harder to accept was Robert’s control over him.
To him, he seemed merely a creation, not allowed to have any defiance.
This control came from all directions, sickening.
Ryan drank a glass of wine, his voice deep, "Edward, ultimately, we’re still too weak."
Edward looked up at him, seeing Ryan’s bitter smile.
Edward’s pupils contracted momentarily, sensing something amiss. He suddenly stood up from the sofa, but the next second, his body lurched, instinctively supporting himself on the crystal coffee table.
"Ryan, you..." Edward looked up, disbelief on his face as he stared at his friend, with a hint of darkness in his eyes.
There were drugs in the wine.
Ryan had drugged him.
"... Last time, when you saved Daisy Ginger and asked me to call for help, I wasn’t secretive enough, and your brother’s people detected some clues. The company we opened in Switzerland has already been discovered by your brother..." Ryan sighed softly, "I was detained by him for five whole months before he released me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to contact you, I couldn’t."
Edward’s vision began to blur.
"Alright," Ryan reached out and gently pushed him onto the sofa, "You should rest now; this will be over soon. Edward, I’m sorry, but I also have something I want."
"..." Edward couldn’t speak anymore, not even able to move.
The drug worked quickly, leaving his mind muddled.
He struggled to stay conscious, his effort suppressed by Ryan’s hand holding him down on the sofa.
"What do you want to do?" he asked hoarsely with all his strength.
"We hope you can return," Ryan whispered, "You’ve been away too long. This isn’t where you’re meant to stay."
Edward’s lips moved slightly, unable to say another word, his fierce gaze fixed on Ryan until the drug’s effect plunged him into darkness.
When Edward was finally motionless, Ryan breathed out a sigh.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them, looking at Edward’s pale face under the light, his expression deep.
Finally, he removed the car keys from Edward’s pocket and sent out a message.
"I got the car keys."
After doing all this, Ryan tossed the phone on the sofa, sitting back tiredly.
He stared at Edward’s face, fully aware he had betrayed him, knowing he could never look at him this way again.
*
Daisy Ginger turned her head, glancing out the window. Downstairs in the parking lot, Edward’s Bentley was slowly pulling in.
It was almost dark; it was really quite late.
Daisy pursed her lips, still decided to shut down the computer and walked out of the office.
The company’s employees had almost all left. The Gingers didn’t encourage overtime, Daisy walked through the empty corridor, looking down at her phone, sending Edward several messages.
She sent many, but saw no reply from Edward.
At the company entrance, all the vehicles were gone except Edward’s black Bentley, silently parked.
Daisy walked over to open the car door, placing her bag on the seat as she spoke, "Why didn’t you reply to my messages? Did you..."
She suddenly paused, detecting something amiss in the air.
Quickly, Daisy instinctively retreated out of the car until a knife pressed against her neck.
Daisy suddenly froze.
Someone was driving Edward’s car, hiding inside, attempting to kidnap her?!
Where did Edward go? Was he also kidnapped? Is that why he didn’t reply to messages?
"What do you want to do?"
She didn’t turn around but sensed more than one person in the car.
"Heh..." Someone in the back seat chuckled softly, the voice gentle and mellow, pleasant enough to give Daisy goosebumps, "Let her sit down."
Daisy felt the knife on her neck press down further, the skin touching the sharp blade, as if a slight move could cut into the bone.
Unwilling, but fearful of the knife, Daisy sat back in the front passenger seat.
"Close the door."
The words were directed at her.
Daisy reluctantly closed the car door.
Once closed, it isolated the outside noise and air.
The atmosphere belonging neither to her nor to Edward, yet intensely intrusive, began to grow stronger inside the car.