She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 809

He had to do it, even if he didn't want to. He could only gamble that this was strictly a business dispute.

Channing finally understood everything. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the stone floor.

...

The news that Channing and Luna were missing—and had been kidnapped by X Arms Syndicate—swiftly reached the ears of Ares Global.

An encrypted call was immediately placed to Yale Nash.

"I can't go rescue her!" Yale’s voice was grim. "This is clearly a death trap! X is working with the government! Handing me over to them would just be a bonus for him!"

On the other end of the line, Tanur Ares spoke calmly. "Knowing him, he operates on a very strict set of principles when choosing his clients. He never touches politics and stays out of factional disputes. He's only holding onto Luna because we had friction during a previous transaction."

Yale refused to budge. "The risk is too high."

Tanur scoffed coldly. "Who understands X better, you or me? He won't meddle in this country's internal affairs, and he doesn't care if you're a spy. He only cares about his rules and his business. We were minding our own business, but someone crossed a line, and now he’s retaliating. He’s retaliating against me."

"You can send someone else," Yale pleaded.

"Sir, it's not that I'm afraid to die," Yale tried to justify. "It's just that the stakes are too high. It's a fact that X is working with the government. If I show my face, the chances of my identity being blown are astronomically high. Decades of deep cover could go up in smoke, which would be a catastrophic blow to Ares Global's interests in this region. Can we take a step back? Maybe there’s another channel—"

"Another channel?" Tanur cut him off with a dark chuckle. "Yale, X’s only rules are the ones he makes himself. I've never seen him fear anyone."

He paused, his voice dropping into a menacing whisper. "Besides, did you really think you had a choice?"

Ice water flooded Yale's veins. "What do you mean?"

"Did you think I was blind to your little side hustles?" Tanur’s voice was unhurried but utterly lethal. "Those accounts of yours in Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, and a few spots in the Pacific... they've been awfully active over the years. I just let it slide because I'm a generous man."