Chapter 8

"No?" I asked.

I reached deep into the bag and pulled out that thing.

Holding it by the edge with two fingers, I placed it on the glass coffee table with a crisp click.

The Confluence Bank credit card lay quietly in the center of the table.

Ethan's pupils constricted suddenly. The color drained from his face visibly.

"Ethan, you don't recognize this card?" I asked.

My voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet VIP room, it sounded like thunder. "This card is registered under your name and your ID.

"The issuing bank is Confluence Bank.

"The last four digits are 8848. I didn't get that wrong, did I?"

With every word I spoke, Ethan's face grew paler.

His hands, resting on his knees, were now balled into fists without him even realizing it.

Jenny sensed something was off.

She glanced at the card, then at Ethan, whose face was ashen. "Ethan, what is this all about? When did you get a card like this?"

Ethan's lips trembled, but he couldn't get a single word out.

I decided to turn up the heat.

I flashed Ethan a slight smile, but my tone was cold as ice. "You don't remember? That's alright, I'll help you recall.

"This card is an executive corporate credit card with a 1.7 million limit.

"The company that applied for it is Expanse Trade.

"And the owner of that company is you, Ethan.

"The shareholders are you and my precious daughter, Jenny.

"Am I right?"

As soon as I finished speaking, it was like a bomb went off in Jenny's head.

She whipped her head around, glaring daggers at Ethan. "Expanse Trade? A 1.7 million limit? Are you serious?

"Ethan, what have you been hiding from me?"

The real show was finally kicking off.

My words exploded like a depth charge in that tiny VIP room, shaking everyone to the core.

Jenny's face went ghostly pale in an instant.

She wasn't clueless. The pieces were all there—the company, the legal rep, the shareholding, the 1.7 million debt—forming a scenario she never dared to imagine, terrifying her to the core.

She sprang up from the couch, seized Ethan by the collar, her voice sharp enough to cut through the air. "Ethan, tell me right now. What is this all about?

"Expanse Trade? What is that? A 1.7 million credit card? Have you lost your mind?"

Ethan was being shaken violently, his face completely devoid of color.

His lips trembled. His eyes darted around in panic, avoiding her gaze, looking like a whipped dog. "I... Jenny, let me explain... I..."

"Explain? What kind of explanation could you possibly have?" Jenny was totally out of control. She swung her hand and landed a loud slap right across Ethan's face.

The sharp sound echoed through the quiet room.

Jenny snapped, "You opened a company behind my back? Got a 1.7 million credit card without telling me? Where's the money? Where the hell did all that money go?"

She didn't care about crime or lies. What really mattered to her was the money.

If that 1.7 million was still there, it'd be a jackpot. But if it was gone, she could only imagine the disaster waiting for her.

I watched the farce unfold with utter indifference, completely unfazed.

I decided to add fuel to the fire.

I leisurely picked up my cup and blew on the steam.

"The money," I spoke softly, instantly drawing both their attention. "I'm curious, too. Where did all that money go?

"So, I took the liberty of checking for you."

I looked up, my eyes like knives, fixed on Ethan. "In three months, the card saw 132 transactions.

"Of those, 89 were overseas POS transactions, all at the same location.

I paused, then spat out the name, "Regalis."

"The remaining 43 were wire transfers.

"All the recipients were tech companies based overseas.

"Ethan, just because I'm a retired accountant doesn't mean I can't read a ledger. Trust me, I know exactly what these numbers mean.

"These are gambling debts, aren't they?"

If what happened before was just a shock, this was like the whole world coming down.