The price of betrayal (Jack and Ashley) novel Chapter 546

"So, Fang, you wanted to become a fearsome underworld boss, commanding respect and power—I supported your dream. And Lense, he wanted to be the domineering president of a massive corporation, envied by countless people and bringing pride to his family—I supported him too.

"But in the end, I was the one who made the mistake. Sometimes, the path is taken too hastily, and the stakes are too high—you all simply couldn't keep up. So, it's on me that Lense was captured. Or rather, I should bear the majority of the responsibility."

Hearing Nolan mention the past, and especially seeing him now take the blame upon himself, Felt immediately felt his eyes grow misty. He shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, no, how could this be your fault? You've already done so much for us. You've done more than enough. It's me—I'm the one who failed.

"Even though I've built such a strong foothold in Eastland's underworld, I completely overlooked Lense's situation. His security wasn't as strong as it should have been, and that's my fault. Mr. Greene, I beg you to punish me. If I hadn't neglected Lense's situation, this wouldn't have happened."

Nolan sighed softly and shook his head. "There's no point in assigning blame. After all, knowing full well that the Spirit of Life Serum had miraculous, world-defying effects and would attract countless greedy people, I still didn't strengthen Lense's security. I was too naive. Is Lense still alive? Discussing anything else is meaningless right now. As long as Lense is still alive, everything can be resolved."

Both Fang and Scarlet fell silent.

After a moment, Fang finally said sadly, "I can't say for sure if he's alive, but we've captured a few people. According to what we managed to get out of them, Lense is still alive. He is, after all, the president of Myth Group. With the secrets he knows and his importance, they likely wouldn't endanger his life. So, I believe there's a high chance he's still alive. Even if he isn't being treated well, his survival shouldn't be in question."

Scarlet nodded in agreement. "Fang's right. After all, given Lense's status and position, anyone who captured him might resort to torture, but they wouldn't necessarily kill him."

Both Fang and Scarlet seemed to share this belief.

However, Nolan let out another sigh, an ominous feeling stirring deep in his heart.

What they said made sense. With Lense's importance and influence, whoever captured him would, at the very least, keep him alive—even if not treated well.