"Come to Building 7, South CBD," Isabella Li said coldly on the phone, leaving no room for refusal.
"I'm already downstairs," Ethan Wu replied flatly.
Isabella Li's breath caught. She then added, "I'll send someone to escort you up."
"Underground parking lot, white Lamborghini," Ethan concluded and hung up.
For most, meeting someone as prominent as Isabella Li would be next to impossible. However, for Ethan, meeting any influential figure in Sea City was effortless—just one call and a few words.
He knew the secrets of all the prominent figures. Merely hinting at them was enough to make the other party comply.
In the previous call, what truly spurred Isabella Li to initiate contact was the mention of that "bet." Only a few people knew about the bet; it was impossible for outsiders to be aware of it.
Soon, a tall, slender man in a black suit and sunglasses arrived at the parking lot, knocking on the window of the white Lamborghini.
Ethan recognized him as well—Henry Zhou, one of Isabella Li's elite bodyguards, a former scout from a top special forces unit, married with a five-year-old son.
"Let's go," Ethan said as he stepped out of the car.
Henry Zhou sized up Ethan. He was dressed casually, young-looking, like a college student with little money.
Despite his curiosity about why his boss wanted him to escort someone like this, Henry Zhou refrained from questioning further.
"Please, sir," he gestured, leading the way.
The South CBD is Sea City's business district, filled with high-end office buildings and strictly regulated. Without an employee pass, access was impossible.
Henry Zhou led Ethan into the elevator, finally stopping on the 31st floor.
The rent here was exorbitant. For most start-ups, renting even a small space would suffice. But when Isabella Li established her company here three years ago, she directly leased five floors!
And this was only part of Isabella Li's enterprise, an office location. She also owned a billion-yuan factory in the industrial zone.
Because one company occupied all five floors, they had been renovated as a cohesive unit.
The logo of "Radiant Style" was visible everywhere, and office workers bustled around, looking sharp and energetic.
Henry Zhou then led Ethan up the stairs to the 33rd floor.
No employees were in sight here; instead, black-suited bodyguards were stationed everywhere. If Ethan hadn't known who he was here to meet, he might have thought he was about to see some underworld kingpin.
In fact, Isabella Li was indeed a powerhouse, though her public persona was simply that of Sea City's star entrepreneur and female CEO.
33rd floor—CEO's office.
Two bodyguards stood like gatekeepers on either side of the door.
"Boss, he's here," Henry Zhou called out.
"Come in," a cold voice replied from inside.
Henry Zhou escorted Ethan in.
The office was enormous, with a stunning view through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but there wasn't much furniture inside, and the guest sofa was far from the desk.
"Was it you who called me?" Isabella Li set down her pen and cast a lingering gaze at Ethan.
She was taken aback. Ethan's appearance was vastly different from what she had imagined. A stranger who could call her and bring up things only a select few knew about, one who knew her identity and spoke so calmly—she'd thought he'd be a mature, composed man, probably middle-aged. Instead, Ethan looked too young, like a student.
Ethan, too, observed Isabella Li.
Tall and slender, with straight black hair and gold-rimmed glasses, she wore a cold and glamorous look. Even without saying a word, her formidable aura was evident—a woman who was hard to approach.
Her strong aura made one easily overlook her beauty.
"Ms. Li, a pleasure to meet you!" Ethan smiled.
Then, as if he were at home, he casually strolled around the office, inspecting it as he pleased, even circling around her desk, passing behind her.
Bodyguard Henry Zhou glanced at Isabella Li, silently seeking her instructions.
Ethan's demeanor was… too audacious! Although he hadn't done anything inappropriate, his casualness in Isabella Li's presence was presumptuous!
"You may leave," Isabella said to Henry Zhou.
After Henry Zhou exited, Isabella turned her gaze toward Ethan, who had already sat down on the sofa, crossing his legs.
"Ethan Wu, right?" She picked up a document on her desk. "22 years old, graduated from Sea City University's computer science department. Father, Wu Dahai; mother, Zhang Xiujian; they run a noodle shop in a small town. You have a younger sister, Wu Jiao, currently in high school..."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Ethan chuckled, clapping his hands. "Ms. Li, you're impressive—gathered so much information in less than an hour."
He wasn't surprised. He was well aware of Isabella Li's influence.
Since his phone number was registered under his real name, anyone with power could easily investigate his background—it was just a matter of time.
"I thought someone might have impersonated you by using your SIM card, but it's really you—a completely ordinary… recent college graduate!" Isabella tossed the document aside, staring directly at him.
She was indeed puzzled; Ethan had no background and was too ordinary.
"Does it matter who I am?" Ethan tilted his head, smiling. "I'll be brief. Give me ten million, and I'll tell you who the traitor is."
"Who sent you?" Isabella asked.
She seemed completely uninterested in the traitor, instead finding Ethan highly suspicious.
"I work alone. You can think of me as… an information broker. I know many things that will pique your interest. You pay; I tell you the answer. A fair trade!" Ethan replied.
"A stranger suddenly comes to me, talking about a traitor, demanding ten million, and calling it a fair trade. Do you think that's realistic?"
Isabella's smile faded, turning cold as she said, "I warn you, if you don't give me a satisfactory answer, you won't be leaving here alive."
With that, she opened a drawer and made a swift motion.
Bang!
She slapped a black pistol onto the desk!
This woman always acted directly.
And she certainly dared to kill in her office!
"Hiss... Whoa! Planning to kill me?" Ethan feigned a gasp and an exaggerated expression of shock, raising his hands in surrender before giving her a surprised look. Then, shaking an object in his hand, he said, "Without this, how will you kill me?"
In Ethan's hand was a magazine!
Isabella's expression shifted. She glanced at her pistol, realizing the magazine wasn't loaded.
"When did you…" Isabella sprang to her feet.
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