274 Power Outage
Qiao Yue felt like a hand was wrapped around her throat.
Her chest felt tight, and her breath came in labored gasps.
Andy seemed to stare straight through the monitor, fixing her with his pointed gaze and devilish smile.
It was the look of a predator stalking its prey, enjoying the latter’s struggles in futility.
Logic dictated that Andy was directing his gaze at Jin Lu, but in Qiao Yue’s eyes, it could not be further from the truth. Andy was staring at her.
Qiao Yue had only ever felt this suffocated in the face of the Godfather.
Qiao Yue’s heart clenched, and a terrifying thought emerged.
Could Andy be the Godfather?
She tried to recall what the Godfather looked like, but nothing in her memories indicated any resemblance to Andy.
Then again, with the Godfather’s abilities, it would not be surprising if he could disguise himself or appear to look like someone else.
A particular pair of hands was conjured to mind. That pair of hands… Qiao Yue searched her memories but soon realized she had never seen the Godfather’s hands.
The Godfather always wore gloves in their interactions as if he wanted to protect his delicate hands.
All this while, Andy had continued staring at the button.
“This is quite a beautiful button, Miss Jin.”
The button was sewn at the intersection of Jin Lu’s collarbone and chest. It was a highly intimate position.
Andy’s attention would not be strange if he were focused on flirting with Jin Lu. However, the way he eyed the button, to the exclusion of all else, suggested that things were far more serious. As the seconds passed, Qiao Yue grew more and more uncomfortable.
Nausea overwhelmed her. Qiao Yue lay on the table and retched, but her eyes remained fixed on Andy’s smirking visage displayed on her screen.
“Thank you,” Jin Lu said, her heart beating a mile a minute.
Andy was more than meets the eye. If he had already discovered the hidden body camera in the shape of a button, wouldn’t it mean the operation was a failure?
Andy did not press the issue, seemingly not noticing anything amiss. He merely expressed his interest in the button, touching it a few times to get a feel of the unique piece.
“It’s just an ordinary accessory. Mr. Andy, if you like it, I don’t mind giving it to you after the audition concludes,” Jin Lu said.
Andy was dangerous and unpredictable. Jin Lu did not want to put herself in harm’s way if she could help it.
“Oh? Then I must thank you, Miss Jin. Is this button made of crystal? It’s rare to see such things in this day and age. My family had a crystal broach, much like this button. It was something like a badge if you will. It’s been a long time since I’ve come across something like it; it brings back memories.”
Andy’s words carried a different meaning in Qiao Yue’s ears.
She could not help but feel those words were aimed at her.
What did he mean by saying it had been a long time since he came across something so similar? Who was he…?
Qiao Yue gripped the sides of the table to steady herself.
However, her heart had other plans. It was beating so hard that she felt like she was getting palpitations, and her eyes blurred from the invisible pressure that threatened to swallow her whole.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, her phone rang. The world snapped, and clarity returned. Whoever it was on the line was a godsend.
Qiao Yue picked up her phone, noting it was Qiao Yu.
“Fourth Brother.” Qiao Yue tried her best to retain composure, despite every inclination screaming otherwise.
“Qiao Yue, I think I’m going to die…”
“What?” The oppressive, suffocating sensation returned in full force.
“I know you’re somewhere in the KTV… They’ve brought more people than we thought. I don’t know where Second Brother went, but I’ve been captured alongside those from Yayi. That brat stabbed me, and I don’t know if I’ll make it…”
Those from Yayi were her subordinates. Qiao Yue quickly picked up her walkie-talkie to check on her people’s situation, but no one responded. She shouted twice, panic settling into her bones, but no one answered.
Damn it! The people she had brought along were all elites. How could they have gotten themselves captured so easily?
“It’s Oswald! He’s their accomplice!”
The mixed-blood boy’s face floated to the forefront of Qiao Yue’s mind.
… But Oswald was the Godfather’s right hand. Why would he be here with Andy?
Before Qiao Yue could clarify the situation, the line went dead, leaving the endless drone signaling that the line was engaged. Qiao Yue’s heart plummeted. She felt like she had been locked in an ice cellar.
What was Oswald doing here? Qiao Yue turned on her computer and connected it to her phone. Using the call records, she could triangulate Qiao Yu’s position and perhaps rescue him.
No sooner had she come up with the plan than the building’s power was cut. It plunged everything into darkness!
