In the darkness, Jonell felt a strange sensation creeping over him.
He glanced over at Anderson, who, in the dim light, remained hunched over as usual, though his eyes constantly darted toward him.
Feeling repulsed by his gaze, he gradually eased his nerves.
The strange feeling was the look in Anderson's eyes.
Before long, Jonell's men arrived and they joined him and Anderson in the makeshift operating room made of shipping containers.
Throughout the procedure, Anderson sat on the side, watching the doctors come and go. His restless gaze made the male doctors quite uncomfortable.
However, Jonell seemed unusually tolerant of him, so they put up with Anderson.
Once the bullets were removed from Jonell's body, Mike and the others returned.
"So, the villa's off-limits now?" Mike's voice carried a hint of irritation as he entered the operating room.
Jonell ignored him.
"Listen, Mr. Davison, this ain't working out. How many homes of yours can they blow up like this? That mansion in New Yoke was a real gem of a place. Giving it up like this is such a shame," Mike rambled on.
Jonell's expression soured.
Truth be told, he did incur significant losses because of this incident.
Most importantly, the 300 billion all fell into the hands of Sean, so even if he tried to secretly attack, it would be futile.
All eyes turned to him.
Jonell glanced at Mike with a stern face. "Do you want me to hire someone to kill those above Carl?"
"You pay, and we can make it happen," Mike smirked.
"Do you know anything about Carl's family? Are you trying to drag me into a mess?" Jonell narrowed his eyes.
He definitely couldn't go back to Eswadia.
With his involvement in the fraud case, returning home would lead to an investigation. Plus, he had vowed never to return under any circumstances.
Offending Carl's family further would mean being barred from all countries with ties to Ansela.
Sure, he could continue evading them, but the situation with Luna wasn't suitable for a life on the run, for her illness had worsened terribly.
Mike smirked. "What's the scoop?"
Jonell shot him a cold glare. "Carl's father has a very close relationship with a bunch of ex-presidents from Ansela. If you want to keep breathing, steer clear of him."
Mike nodded. "Yeah, definitely best to steer clear. Did we just get you into trouble?"
Jonell didn't bother answering.
There was no point in talking now. They had only ourselves to blame for not vetting Carl properly when Jamie reached out for help. And Carl's fleeting appearance didn't give them enough time to dig...
With that thought, Jonell's mind paused.
He discreetly assessed Mike and the others, and suspicion crept into his heart.
None of them struck him as Sean's people. What if these people were sent by Sean?
Seems like he's a fool. Even after they treated him like this, he still considers them brothers!
Mike chuckled and pinched Anderson's cheek. "Once we wrap up this deal, it's up to you whether you stay or go. I'm with you either way."
Jonell had put up more money, enough to live comfortably for half a lifetime with these two deals.
However, it was Anderson's contribution that secured the first deal. Without his loyalty to Jonell, they wouldn't have received the funds or even pursued the second deal.
"Thanks, Mike," Anderson said, trying to please him.
Mike softened toward him slightly. He wanted to say something more but held back out of consideration for Jonell.
Anderson knew what he wanted to say and whispered, "I chose to follow him myself. You guys got the money, so just go live it up. You don't have to worry about me."
Mike turned away, sighing heavily.
Jonell grasped the implications of Mike's words all too well.
There was no silver lining for him in this situation.
The subordinates sent by Carl's father were hot on their trail, and it was only a matter of time before things went south.
Jonell hadn't quite realized it himself, but Mike's actions made him aware that he was heading toward a precarious life.
In times like these, Anderson's support felt more invaluable than ever.
He sighed inwardly and closed his eyes.
At his age, to be brought to such a situation by a younger generation was a bit bleak, no matter how one looked at it.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: I Want a Divorce (Abigail and Sean)