"Tyler, calm down! Listen to what your brother-in-law has to say!" Isabella Li commanded.
"Sis, I don't care how he's fooled you, but I won't believe a word he says!" Tyler retorted. "He can't even explain where his information comes from. For all we know, he could be sent by someone else to get close to you! And now he wants to take me down?"
Tyler's intense reaction wasn't just about Ethan's unwillingness to reveal his sources; it was also rooted in his own prejudices.
Tyler saw Ethan as a pretty boy taking advantage of his sister. With his mind set against him, everything Ethan said or did was automatically seen in a suspicious light.
"You need to work on that temper," Ethan said calmly.
"Don't you dare lecture me!" Tyler shouted, grabbing his coat, and pulling out a gun.
As he was about to point it at Ethan—
Smack!
A resounding slap left Tyler stunned.
"Are you rebelling? Hand over the gun!" Isabella was furious as she grabbed the gun from Tyler's hand.
"Sis, you're slapping me for some stranger?" Tyler asked incredulously, clutching his cheek.
"I'm worried you'll end up dead or in prison!" Isabella snapped, lifting her hand in warning, making Tyler flinch.
"Sit down!" Isabella ordered, pointing to the sofa.
Face dark, Tyler sat down, glaring at Ethan with barely contained hostility, as if he wanted to tear him apart.
Isabella, rubbing her forehead in frustration, returned to sit beside Ethan, casually tossing the gun onto the coffee table, looking utterly exasperated.
"Calm down, it's not worth damaging family ties," Ethan said to Isabella, attempting to comfort her.
"Don't act like you care. My sister and I are fine. Mind your own business!" Tyler shot back.
Then he turned to Isabella, "Sis, are you really going to trust this scam artist who can't even explain himself?"
Isabella gave her brother a flat stare.
Trusting Ethan?
She didn't necessarily trust him completely, but she had verified his claim as an intelligence broker when he exposed the traitor in her circle. So, while she wasn't sure about his overall intentions, she had some faith in his intelligence-gathering skills.
She wasn't sure what game Ethan might be playing with her, but if he had some grand scheme, he would have to earn her trust first by providing valuable intel.
So, regarding the warning about her brother's potential downfall, she took him seriously.
Concerned for her brother's safety, Isabella had been willing to go along with Ethan's plan. She knew that without her present, Tyler might have already pulled the trigger on Ethan, which was why she had slapped him to keep him in check.
Ignoring Tyler's question about trusting a "scam artist," Isabella gestured to Ethan, "Go on."
"Currently, only a select few in the Sea City political and legal system are aware of the planned operation against the Crown Entertainment Club. Deputy Chief Leo Liao, who was assigned to the Sea City Police Department four months ago, is one of them; he was specifically brought in to investigate the club."
"Secretary Wei from the municipal committee is also aware. He may have some connections with your Li family, but given the gravity of the situation, he's chosen to stay out of it."
"They're still in the evidence-collection phase," Ethan continued. "Some investigators have gone undercover as customers, while others have been working as employees within the club, gathering extensive evidence."
Ethan paused and looked at Isabella, "Do you have paper and a pen?"
As a businesswoman, Isabella always carried a notebook and pen in her bag. She handed them to Ethan.
Ethan quickly jotted down a list of names and their positions at the Crown Entertainment Club.
Waitstaff, janitors, chefs, bartenders—they held a range of roles.
The common thread was that all of them had been hired within the past four months.
Because Tyler maintained tight control over the club, no one had infiltrated his inner circle yet. However, they had managed to reach the peripheral staff, which had slowed down the investigation's progress.
Otherwise, the authorities would have acted sooner.
Ethan finished writing and tossed the notebook over to Tyler.
Face dark, Tyler glanced at it, then looked back at Ethan. "And I'm supposed to believe all of these are undercover agents?"
"They likely have intelligence they haven't yet sent out. Check, and you'll know," Ethan replied, shrugging.
Tyler, still glaring at Ethan, finally picked up his phone and made a call. "Inform the cleaning, catering, and operations departments…" He listed a series of departments, then added, "Have them all meet in the second-floor lobby."
He then made another call. "Mr. Wu, please go to the second-floor lobby and give them a pep talk."
After the two calls, Tyler stood up.
With the staff occupied, his next move was obvious: search the rooms of everyone on Ethan's list.
Rather than going himself, he summoned his trusted bodyguard from outside, instructing him to lead a team. Tyler's bodyguards, many of whom were former special forces, were highly skilled.
After setting everything up, Tyler remained in the room, exchanging silent glares with Ethan.
"I'm waiting for your apology," Ethan said with a smile.
Tyler scoffed.
Isabella suddenly leaned in, wrapping her arm around Ethan's and whispering in his ear, "What should we have for lunch?"
"How about French? I know you love foie gras," Ethan replied.
"But I'm not feeling too well today."
"Then something lighter. How about Japanese? A new place opened on Wutong Street, or we could go home. I'll cook for you."
Under normal circumstances, considering lunch would be the last thing on Isabella's mind with Tyler in such a situation, making her behavior seem suspiciously out of place.
On the other hand, the fact that Isabella was whispering to Ethan about lunch, seemingly unbothered, only reinforced the impression that she was a woman head-over-heels in love.
Tyler, sitting across from them, tore up a paper slip, scowling at Ethan as he glared at him.
He was genuinely concerned for his sister.
Was she being pressured by Dylan Ding? How could she end up with someone like this?
With the large number of personnel at Tyler's disposal, the search was swift.
In just over twenty minutes, a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in," Tyler said.
A bodyguard entered, carrying a tray filled with assorted items: a laptop, phones, a camcorder, a spy camera, a journal, and listening devices.
"Boss…" The bodyguard placed the items down and leaned in to whisper to Tyler.
As Tyler listened, his expression shifted, growing darker.
He quickly picked up the journal, flipping through its pages. It contained the names of several guests, along with meeting times and phone numbers.
He next examined the camcorder, which contained various recordings and countless photos. The footage and images showed the club's facilities, employees, and scenes from the club in action.
Then he checked the laptop, phone, and the memory card from the spy camera. His tech expert had already unlocked them.
With each item Tyler examined, his breathing grew more rapid, his expression more intense, with veins bulging on his forehead. No one would record all this without reason.
He even found photos of account ledgers stored on the laptop.
Ethan had been right!
"Round up everyone on that list and bring them to me immediately! Damn it! They thought they could play me!" Tyler shouted, leaping to his feet in rage.
"You can't arrest them. Any one of them disappearing could trigger an early strike from the authorities. They already have some evidence, but they're holding back because they need concrete proof of gambling operations. That's the only reason they haven't moved yet," Ethan said calmly.
The bodyguard stopped in his tracks, glancing back at Tyler.
"Do you want to land yourself in prison, or do you want to get through this unscathed?" Ethan asked, looking Tyler squarely in the eye.
Tyler's fury subsided, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
"Put everything back exactly as it was," Ethan directed the bodyguard.
The bodyguard hesitated, but seeing no objection from Tyler, he gathered the items and left.
Tyler sat down, eyes wide with lingering panic as he processed the potential consequences.
"Want to stay out of prison?" Ethan asked him.
Tyler looked up sharply. "What do I have to do?"
"Apologize to me, and I'll teach you," Ethan said, his face expressionless.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。