Chapter 31 A Bit of Affection but Not Much

Olivia felt a knot in her stomach and asked quietly, "Is something up?"

"Can't get ahold of someone," Nicholas muttered, his fists clenched.

"What?" Olivia almost toppled off the hospital bed. If Nicholas hadn't been quick, she'd be back in the ER.

Grabbing his wrist, Olivia's voice was shaky. "What do we do now?"

"Olivia, chill. He might be fine. Don't jump to conclusions." Nicholas tried to calm her down.

But Olivia was on edge and snapped at Nicholas. "This is all your fault. If you'd handled things better, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Nicholas's face darkened as he glared at her. "You were the one who freaked out when you heard Emily was pregnant and told me to stage that accident. Now you're blaming me?"

Their argument heated up. They were family, but just barely. Finally, Nicholas cut in, "Olivia, it's time you paid me."

Olivia's eyes widened. "I already paid you what we agreed on. There's no more."

Nicholas smirked. "What do you think James would do if he found out about all this?"

"Nicholas! You were in on this too." Olivia couldn't believe he was threatening her.

Nicholas shrugged. "But you were the brains. I was just the muscle."

Olivia gritted her teeth. "Have you been gambling again?" Nicholas gave a sly grin but stayed silent.

Olivia sighed. "I'll give you another three million, but if you blow it, that's it. No more."

"I knew you were the best." Nicholas grinned.

"But there are conditions. Find that guy and deal with him, or else," Olivia warned.

Nicholas's smile faded. "Got it. I'll take care of it. Transfer the money ASAP."

With that, Nicholas left the room. Olivia watched him go and angrily threw the pillow behind her.

Meanwhile, Emily called Harper after getting home. Hearing Harper was okay, she finally relaxed. Still shaken from the night before, Emily found Robert in the study. "Robert."

Robert looked up from his work. "What's up?"

Emily had heard from the bodyguards that Robert had taken care of the guys who tried to hurt her. She wanted to question them herself. After sharing her thoughts, she waited for Robert's response.

Robert wanted to say no, but seeing the determination in her eyes, he agreed. "It might be rough. I'll have someone clean up first, then you can go."

Emily didn't argue. Robert asked her to wait while he made a call. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed. He grabbed his car keys and said, "Let's go."

Emily nodded and followed him to the parking lot, getting into the car. Soon, the car pulled up at a port. This was the biggest port in Cyberopolis, owned by the Johnson family. The car weaved through the area before finally stopping."Emily, if you feel uncomfortable, just let me know," Robert said, looking out for her.

Emily nodded. "Got it."

Robert didn't hide much. He walked to a hidden entrance, pressed a switch on the wall, and a door appeared.

Emily followed him inside. The place reeked of blood, but there were no visible stains. This was what Robert meant by "cleaning up."

A few minutes later, Emily stood outside a room where two men, one thin and one fat, were tied to chairs. They looked rough—pale and covered in blood.

"James worked them over," Robert said flatly.

After bringing them back, they were almost dead. He wanted to question them but didn't know where to start, so he had them tied up, waiting for them to recover a bit.

Emily couldn't help but be impressed by how ruthless James was. "Did you find out who they are, Robert?" Emily asked.

"Both are part of the underground sex trade at that bar, tied to the Cyberopolis business circle," Robert said, pursing his lips. "The Jackson family owns that bar."

"You mean Olivia's family?" Emily was a bit surprised.

Robert nodded. "Looks like they've been at it for years, with some higher-ups covering for them."

"I'll handle the questioning," Emily said, eyeing the torture tools around her and picking up a whip with barbs. She was someone who held grudges and always sought revenge.

These tools weren't for show; one lash could do serious damage. Emily walked up to the two men, who were still out of it. Without hesitation, she splashed a basin of water from the table onto them.

The cold water jolted them awake, and when they saw Emily, they started trembling. If they had known who Emily was, they wouldn't have dared to mess with her. Seeing the whip in Emily's hand, their eyes filled with fear.

"Who sent you?" Emily demanded. She didn't buy that it was all a coincidence.

The bodyguards Robert had arranged for her were intercepted, and these guys conveniently targeted her and Harper. She was sure there was a conspiracy behind it.

The two men exchanged a glance and kept their mouths shut. Emily sneered, "Didn't think you'd be so brave. Let's see how long you can hold out."

She brought the whip down, but it hit the table beside them, making a loud noise. "Forgot to mention, this is my first time using a whip. Can't guarantee where it'll land," Emily said with a mocking smile, her eyes scanning them from head to toe. "You better be careful."

After that, every lash Emily delivered landed in a different spot than she said it would. Soon, the psychological warfare broke them. The constant fear of the unknown got to them, and they spilled everything they knew.