"Yes!"
Hank nodded repeatedly.
The man on the ground nearly peed his pants.
"Thank you for sparing my life...Thank you for sparing my life," he muttered continuously.
It wasn't their fault for being so humble.
The Stuart family was leagues above them.
They might not care about the law when it came to grey areas like these, but they wouldn't dare go against the Stuart family unless they no longer wanted to dabble in this field.
In actual fact, Ethan was only so arrogant because he had told his subordinate to inform Hank about the situation before he went there.
"This casino is simply too gory.I can't stay here for another minute!"
Ethan covered his nose and exclaimed in disgust.
"It can't be helped, Mr.Stuart.This is the only way the casino can attract people.It's messy, but it's also where all things are possible.Here, you can win anything under the sun, things that you'll never be able to buy anywhere else!"
Hank wasn't the owner of this underground casino.He was, at most, the person in charge.
Over the past few years, under the behest of his boss from behind the scenes, he had managed the place so well that it became world-famous.
Ethan sneered.
"Yes, you can get anything here.You're so brave that you even put up Ace''s wife for grabs.Anyone would think you have guts of steel!"
Hank broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.
"Dare I ask ..ls Ace Moran Group's..."
"Exactly!" Ethan cut him off.
"Oh my...This is bad!"
Hank felt the weight of the world bearing down upon him.
The Morans were the leading family among the eight most powerful families in the City.
In fact, the Moran family was even more powerful than the Stuart family.
These people who kidnapped Ace's wife and tried to gamble her away practically had a death wish! Hank kicked the man on the ground several times more.
"Damn it! How dare you kidnap Mr.Moran's wife? Do you wish to die? Didn't I tell you that you could touch anyone, save for one member of the eight most powerful families? You've gotten us in deep sh*t!"
The man took the beating while he carefully tried to defend himself.
"I-I didn't kidnap Mr.Moran's wife.More accurately speaking, I didn't kidnap anyone...This woman...She's Mr.Moran's wife? I didn't kidnap her.She sold herself to us!"
Everyone looked at Joanna, the woman in a white dress and a feathered mask, whose mouth was still sealed with tape.
Ethan was so angry that he could kill the man himself.
"How dare you make up such nonsense.Ace's wife has millions in assets.Why would she sell herself for so little?"
The man begged and cried.
"It's true.I wouldn't dare lie.She asked me for 150 thousand dollars.After I transferred the money to her account, she said I could do anything to her.If you don't believe me, ask her!"
"Are you serious?" Ethan found it strange.
Joanna owned a technology company and a law firm.She even got a huge sum of money from Ace.
Logically speaking, she wouldn't have sold herself for 150 thousand dollars.
Ethan walked up to Joanna and was about to take off her mask when something suddenly occurred to him.He stopped.
"Ace, you should do it...You found her first.Rightfully, it's you who gets to do it," Ethan said.
Although Ethan was attracted to Joanna, he told himself to keep his feelings in check.It was fine to make certain jokes, but he needed to know his place when it really mattered.
To his surprise, Ace shrugged nonchalantly.
"Didn't the old man say that this is your fate? It has nothing to do with me.Hurry up.She's waiting for you to rescue her!"
After Ace finished his sentence, he turned around and left without even looking at Joanna.
"Hey, Ace.Are you leaving already?"
Ethan realized that his joke had gone too far with the joke when he watched Ace leave.
"I was only joking, and you took it seriously.Don't worry.Joanna still belongs to you.Even if I rescued her, she's still yours.I won't do anything stupid!"
"It doesn't matter.Do whatever you want."
Ace made an' okay' gesture with his hand before walking out of the controversial place.
Ethan couldn't make Ace stay, and he stood there dumbfounded.
Was Ace so generous that he'd give his wife away? Ethan turned around and looked at Joanna, who was still tied up.She looked like a gift waiting to be unwrapped.
For some unknown reason, Ethan felt embarrassed.
"Joanna, don't be afraid.Ace is probably just jealous.He's gone.I'll have to take care of you for now."
Ethan had never spoken to Joanna like this.It only served to show what a gentleman he was.However, at this point, the more politely he behaved, the more he seemed to be making his intentions obvious.It couldn't be helped.
Joanna's dress was so thin that it was nearly transparent.
Anyone would have inappropriate thoughts! "Mmmph!"
Joanna's mouth was sealed with tape, and she couldn't speak.She could only make muffled sounds while shaking her head fervently.She seemed to be in a state of shock.
"Don't panic.I'll untie you first,"
Ethan said before proceeding to untie Joanna.
The rope was rather thick, and it was wrapped multiple times around her body.It took a long time to untie her.It was hard to stop their bodies from coming into contact.Her long hair had a faint lilac scent.
When her hair brushed against his face, it made his heart flutter.
"Don't worry...You'll be untied very soon!"
Ethan took a deep breath and tried to suppress his tempesting desire.
Tsk, tsk.
This is harder than I thought.
Ethan had no idea that Joanna, the woman he used to find annoying, could be this attractive.
Who could resist her when she was this sexy? Finally, the rope came completely loose.
Ethan was already covered in sweat, but it wasn't because he was exhausted.
Instead, it was because he was nervous.
Joanna, who was now freed, gently moved her limbs.
There were red marks on her skin from the pressure of the rope.She looked rather pitiful.
"I'll remove your mask too.I've got to say; you look pretty good in that mask.Somehow, it makes people want to protect you, and you don't seem as aggressive as you usually do..." Ethan said while carefully removing Joanna's mask.
The moment the mask was removed, their eyes met, and Ethan realized this wasn't Joanna! "Y-You are..."
Ethan took a step back from the shock he experienced.
He stared at the woman as if he'd seen a ghost.Her eyes were clear as the cloudless sky.
There was a hint of strength in those fragile-looking eyes, and this was what she and Joanna had in common.
Not only that, but her facial features were also very much like Joanna's.
She was practically Joanna's doppelganger.
It wasn't hard to understand why Ethan would mistake her for Joanna.
The woman quickly tore off the tape over her mouth and looked at Ethan with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you for rescuing me, good sir.If it weren't for you, I'd have fallen into the hands of some other men.I'd be dead for sure.You saved my life...From now on, I belong to you."
"What the heck?" Ethan couldn't hide his astonishment.