The Unshackled King (by David Wu) novel Chapter 27

"Right, it was me."

Stefan turned his head, offering Nina and Janet a dazzling smile. "That's why I recognized you both downstairs in the lobby."

Janet's face flushed crimson. She wished the ground would swallow her whole. Remembering how she had scolded and warned Stefan downstairs, he had recognized her all along but hadn't said a thing. He must have been secretly laughing at her for a fool.

Meanwhile, Korbin, still slumped on the floor, was thinking fast. He immediately spoke up, "B-boss, this was all a misunderstanding! That night, the person in charge of tallying messed up, made a mistake in the accounts. I only got the correct, double-checked statement after you had already left."

"So, it was my mistake for blaming you?" Stefan asked, his eyes narrowed in a smile.

Not daring to wipe the cold sweat from his brow, Korbin hurriedly replied, "No, no, not at all! It was my subordinates' incompetence. I'll discipline them properly later. Actually, the earnings from that match were 150 million. I was planning to tell you the next time we got in touch..."

Yeah, right. Stefan didn't bother exposing Korbin's lie. He simply said, "Then... you know what to do?"

"Yes, yes, of course." Korbin breathed a sigh of relief and scrambled to his feet. "According to the agreement, 10% of 150 million is 15 million..."

"Heh." Stefan chuckled but said nothing.

Korbin's heart skipped a beat. He quickly added, "Boss, that's just the formal agreement. Of course I wouldn't give you just that. How about... I transfer half? No, no! How about 100 million to you?"

"A hundred million..." Stefan murmured to himself. That was actually a significant amount, showing Korbin's "sincerity".

Korbin was subtly observing Stefan's expression. Seeing the indecipherable look on his face, Korbin's heart hammered against his ribs. He blurted out, "Boss, I'll transfer it all! All 150 million, it's all yours!"

Stefan's eyes lit up. He gave Korbin a deep look. This kid has potential.

"Alright!" Stefan wasn't one to refuse. All of the Tiger Head Society's money was dirty; he felt no guilt taking any of it.

Soon, Korbin finished the operation. Every last cent was transferred into Stefan's account.

Stefan was very satisfied. With the debt collected, he was ready to leave. He glanced at Korbin. "Korbin, about today's events..."

He was desperate for money. He needed money.

Sure, these past few days he'd raked in several small fortunes here and there. But it was far from enough.

The second task Mayson had given him was to rebuild the Shadow Dragon Hall. Among the nine splintered factions, forget the others for now; just the Dragon Sea Chamber of Commerce alone, with its nationwide reach, had assets in the hundreds of billions. His few small fortunes were a drop in the ocean compared to that.

Without money, how could he grow stronger, recruit followers, and rebuild the Shadow Dragon Hall? Furthermore, his future cultivation would also require vast sums.

Throughout history, poverty led to scholarship, wealth to martial arts. For ordinary people, education was the best path. For martial cultivation, it required massive amounts of rare and precious medicinal herbs. Otherwise, the physical toll couldn't be sustained. Not only would progress stall, but problems would arise, ruining one's health.

Stefan reached the sofa and sat down.

In that moment, Nina's last shreds of reason were utterly devoured by the raging tide of desire within her. Partly due to the drug's spread, and partly because hearing Stefan agree to help her caused her tightly-strung nerves to relax. She could no longer resist the potent aphrodisiac.

Therefore, the moment Stefan sat down beside her, Nina instinctively sensed an intensely masculine, overwhelmingly aura. It instantly ignited the drug's full power within her.