Chapter 78
“Let me go..."
"Patrick, let go of me..."
He grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the stairs.
Christina frowned and looked at the cold profile of the man in front of her. He suddenly appeared in this old apartment and coldly asked her what she thought he was like. Then he reached out and dragged her away. She had no idea what he was thinking.
Christina turned around and looked up the stairs with a worried look...
He dragged her away. Cory tried to stop him and lost his balance and fell down. His arm seemed to have been pierced with broken glass.
"Worried about him?"
His voice was cold and deep, and his eyes were fixed on her, which sent a chill through Christina. Patrick looked at her cringing look and told her word by word, "My cousin specially sent someone to watch over your apartment. He... really cares about you." The last four words carried a hint of sarcasm.
Christina was furious. "Patrick, what do you mean by that? I helped Cory because he was drunk. We didn't..."
"Get in!"
He lost his patience and ordered her to get in the car.
The car started quickly and steadily up the highway. He looked straight ahead. Christina in the passenger seat looked at him with a complicated look. He was silent, and the atmosphere suddenly quieted down.
Christina looked at him and wanted to speak but didn't know what to say.
He texted her last night that something was going on in the United States and that he wouldn't be back until next month. But now he was in A City...
He was dressed in an expensive suit, still handsome, but he seemed to have lost some weight and looked tired with his brows furrowing a little.
He had been in America for only about two weeks, but somehow she felt like she hadn't seen him in a long time.
Christina turned her head and her mind was in turmoil. She wanted to ask him a lot of questions. Especially what Cory said about six years ago...
She hesitated for a long time and made up her mind to ask him, but when her eyes swept over the unfamiliar scenery outside the window, she was shocked. "Where are we going?!"
This was not the way back to the Hopkins Family.
He didn't answer her.
It was evening, and the sky was dark, and the street lights were lit up.
It was rare for Patrick to drive by himself. His grim profile was expressionless. He held the steering wheel in his right hand and turned at a junction ahead, speeding towards the depths of the darkness.
About 30 minutes later, the car got off the highway, and the surrounding streets gradually brightened up, with lights and billboards flashing.
It was a very famous entertainment district in the east of the city, and some people secretly called it the lesser version of Las Vegas. It was said that this place was empty in the daytime, but when night fell, it would be like a lively carnival.
It was so famous that it attracted many tourists at night, but if they had no friends here, they wouldn't know where the interesting places were.
And this place was very strange to Christina.
Patrick did not enter the busiest area, but turned left and headed for a remote alley.
Christina looked at this strange place in front of her and suddenly felt uneasy.
'Why is he bringing me here? Christina thought.
After a while, the car stopped in a quiet and spacious dark alley.
Just as Patrick opened the car door, two people hurried over. The two men bent down slightly with a fawning smile and whispered something in Patrick's ear.
"Get out."
Patrick turned around and said into the car. His tone was cold, and no one could tell his emotions at all.
She was very anxious in the passenger seat. She opened the door and walked slowly out with caution on her face.
Seeing Christina, the two men standing behind looked surprised, as if this was the first time that Patrick had brought a woman over.
The two men didn't dare to look at her. They nodded slightly at Christina and then led the way for them with a serious face.
After they walked all the way to the end of the dark alley, one of the men stepped forward and knocked five times on a very common big iron door, three long and two short.
Soon, the heavy metal door was pulled open.
Christina looked over and was startled.
Although it was not so bright inside, it could be seen that the decorations and furnishings were magnificent. As they walked inside step by step, they could hear some noisy music coming out from time to time, and as they continued walking in, the light became brighter.
And she felt more nervous.
She followed Patrick into the elevator and went down to the fourth floor underground. She felt that the number four was ominous, while the man next to her kept a cold face and did not say a word. When they reached the fourth floor underground, Christina saw a quaint corridor with European- style crystal lights hanging on both sides of the wall and they gave off orange lights. They were not so bright, but kind of eerie.
Every step Christina took, she could hear her own footsteps. This floor was really quiet.
Moreover, when some passers-by saw them, they would immediately stand still and half-bow their heads to make way for them.
And these people couldn't help sizing up Christina as if it was strange for her to be here, which made Christina's scalp a little numb.
What the hell was this place?
The phone of the man who had been leading the way suddenly rang and he answered it. After he hung up, he walked over to Patrick and reported in a low voice. "Mr. Hopkins, Laurie gave the project of Hai City to Hampton Group, but the budget exceeded 30% of the market price..."
They were talking about business. Laurie used her power at Hopkins Group to help her husband's family.
She had heard Patrick's aunts’ had been coveting the corporation.
But Christina found it strange that this man addressed Laurie by her name. Laurie was Patrick's eldest aunt anyway. The man's tone sounded a little disdainful, without any respect.
These people were not from the Hopkins Family.
Christina recalled that the people working for Mr. Hopkins usually called Patrick Patrick.
"He can get the money if he wants,” Patrick said coldly as he walked to a heavy black wooden door. "We'll see if he's worth it."
"Yes, sir." The man nodded, turned, and left.
Christina did not quite understand what they were saying, but judging from Patrick's cold voice, she knew that person would end up in misery.
The luxurious and exquisitely carved black wooden door was opened, and Patrick strode in, while Christina stood at the door, unable to move her feet.
She didn't want to go in.
Because some of the sounds coming from inside sounded scary...
Someone was desperately kowtowing, his head pounded against the cold marble floor. His hands and feet were tied up with thick ropes and he was kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy in a trembling voice. "I was wrong. I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again..."
"Do you think there will be another time?"
A man at least 1.9 meters tall cursed in a low, disdainful voice. He raised the long black whip in his hand and lashed the man on the ground hard.
It caused a crisp and harsh sound, and Christina's heart trembled. The man's back was lacerated and he screamed in pain.
"Mr. Hopkins."
"Mr. Hopkins..."
As Patrick approached, the men with whips immediately stood up straight and greeted him respectfully in unison.
The wretched man on the floor raised his head nervously. When he saw Patrick, his eyes widened and he stammered in a trembling voice. "Mr. Hopkins, I... I will take responsibility for this batch of steel plates. I will definitely think of a way..."
The man was in fear and felt uneasy, but Patrick was calm and indifferent, which was even more frightening.
"Uncle George, we are in-laws. Don't be so nervous.”
Patrick said faintly, so no one was able to hear his emotions.
But his address scared the man on the ground.” Mr. Hopkins, please..."
Patrick did not even look at him again. He turned to the door and called out softly, "Christina, come and say hello to your uncle.”
Christina froze and was in a panic.
His voice was very gentle, but Christina felt a chill down her spine.
At this moment, she recognized the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground. He was a distant relative of her father.
"Christina? Christina!" The man on the floor shouted excitedly at the door. "Christina, I'm Uncle George. I held you when you were little. Do you remember me..." He tried to force a flattering smile, but that made his blood-stained face look even scarier.
Christina was “invited’ by two sturdy men behind her to Patrick's side. Reluctantly, she approached Patrick who was sitting on the dark red leather sofa in the middle of the room.
As she got near, he stretched out his long arm and pulled her to his legs.
His movements were quick and he did that masterfully.
Christina was trapped in his arms and felt extremely uncomfortable. She wanted to break free, but Patrick put his arms around her waist tightly, not letting her move.
But he looked calm. He put his head on her left shoulder sluggishly. From afar, they looked like an intimate couple in love.
"Christina, your uncle did something that he shouldn't have done. What do you want me to do?" Patrick pressed his thin lips to her ear and asked in a low voice as if he didn't care much about it and was really entrusting her to handle it.
Christina's eyes were filled with anxiety and she pursed her lips, not saying a word...
"Do you know that over 70% of Dickens Family's projects now rely on Hopkins Group?"
Patrick leaned on her shoulder and continued in a calm voice. "Your uncle here replaced the German steel plate with a batch of domestic ones in a project and pocketed 600 million.”
Christina's face turned pale when she heard this.
Patrick seemed to be satisfied to see her anxious face. He reached out his right hand and combed her long hair as if he was bored. He murmured, "If I turned him to the police since this matter involves the Dickens Family, your father Donald would be doomed.”
"What, what do you want to say?!" She couldn't suppress her faster heartbeat and asked him anxiously.
Christina soon realized that he was telling her these things on purpose.
"I sent someone to do that to Cory that year."
Patrick suddenly straightened up and his face darkened. His eyes were fixed on her terrified face. She was looking at him, and he boldly admitted it.
He did that, but so what?
"Christina, you're smart. Don't be like your Uncle George and do something I don't like..." He sneered and said in a low voice.
Patrick seemed very upset and pushed her away.
Christina immediately stood up, her face taut as she stood by. She saw him grabbing the wine on the large table, pouring half a cup and drinking it up in one go.
Then Patrick slammed the sparkling crystal cup back onto the table, raised his head, and ordered coldly. "Bring him to the ring for 15 minutes. If he is still alive, let him go..."
"No, no, Mr. Hopkins, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me..."
George looked terrified, and his whole body trembled as he begged for mercy. But he was still dragged into the boxing ring.
He could not stand these professional boxers’ fierce hitting for 15 minutes. There were shrill cries of pain, crying, and intermittent pleadings... The boxer punched his right shoulder bone fiercely, and the bone broke...
Christina's face was pale and her eyes were wide open as she watched the beating, the brutal scene. Her body trembled uncontrollably... He was warning her.
[What do you think I am?] She remembered what he said before.
And now he brought her to this place because he wanted to show her that he was such a person
If she made a mistake, he would do the same to her...