Knock knock knock.
Charles straightened his back as soon as he heard the knock on the door.
Mr. Zellnerâs eyes lit up instantly and he brought the walkie-talkie to his mouth. âAre Sophia and the rest of them up?â
âYes sir.â
Having this confirmation, Mr. Zellner gave his subordinates a signaling look to open the door.
One of the subordinates nodded. Just to be safe, the subordinate took his gun out with one hand as he reached for the door with the other.
Charles pursed his lips as he got ready to stand up, but as soon as his body left about an inch away from the sofa, he frowned and sat back down as he turned to look out the door.
The door opened and three men came into the room with a woman in tow. The three men were dressed in ordinary athleisurewear, but judging from their poise and how they held themselves, it was obvious from first glance that they were military-trained.
Whereas, the woman standing in their middle was wearing a woolen coat. She had burn wounds all over her face and hands so her face was not entirely visible aside from her bright black eyes.
Charlesâ eyes dimmed as a look of confusion flashed across his face. He shifted his body slightly as he moved closer to the edge of the seat.
Mr. Zellner only stationed people he trusted by his side, but he had zero recollection of these three.
However, he was so set on retrieving the accounting records he could not be bothered to overthink things.
âIâm sorry for the scare, Ms. White,â Mr. Zellner said.
Sophia replied with a sneer, âYou already... had me kidnapped here, whatâs the point of apologizing?â
There was no doubt that it was Sophiaâs voice, but the uneasiness in Charlesâ chest only deepened. Confusion flashed across his face again, but it came and went so quickly that nobody noticed it.
âMr. Harris, there you go, Ms. White is here right before you now. Can you give my men the accounting records now?â Mr. Zellner asked.
Charles looked at Sophia doubtfully and said, âSure. Get someone to head to my place at Bamboo Virtues Village, someone will be there to hand it over.â
âAlright then,â Mr. Zellner said delightfully, âPlease wait a moment here, once I have my men retrieve the records from Bamboo Virtues Village, you and Ms. White are free to go.â
Charles nodded and led Sophia to the sofa to sit behind him.
He opened his mouth several times, wanting to ask her if her wounds hurt, but no words came out every time. He did not know why but he could not bring himself to speak to her.
By then, it was past rush hour so traffic had eased up slightly. About half an hour later, the men Mr. Zellner had ordered over called and said that they already picked up the accounting records. They also confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the records.
âAlright.â Mr. Zellner ended the call and a meaningful grin spread across his face.
His smile was making Charles uncomfortable, and Charles immediately furrowed his brows. âNow that you have the accounting records, weâll take our leave first.â
Before waiting for Mr. Zellnerâs response, he stood up and reached out for Sophia's hand.
However, just as he was about to touch her hand, he withdrew his arm. âCome on, letâs go.â
âOkay.â Sophia nodded. She turned back to look at Mr. Zellner timidly before she trailed behind Charles obediently.
As soon as they left the place, Mr. Zellner ordered his subordinates to close the door before he called the person who had gone over to retrieve the accounting records. âDestroy everything right away.â
â... Yes sir.â The man paused for a moment before answering, and there was a slight tremor in his voice.
Mr. Zellner had a feeling that something was odd but he could not place the feeling. âWhy do you sound out of breath?â
âI just got the accounting records from Charlesâ employees. There were three of them and I was worried they would go back on their word so I had to run all the way back,â the man replied.
This did make sense, and the strange feeling merely rose in his chest earlier for a fleeting moment.
Mr. Zellner decided to dismiss his doubts. âAlright, just get rid of the accounting records, and... send me a video of you destroying it before you come back.â
âOkay. I stopped the car by the road so itâs not a good time now, Iâll go now and send you a video later.â
âAlright.â
Mr. Zellner put his phone away and a smile broke across his face. He turned to his subordinate and said, âCharles is probably not too far away, get rid of him and Sophia now.â
The one thing he could never tolerate was someone going over his headã
One of his subordinates hesitated at his orders. âCharles mentioned just now though. If you kill him, Commander Zoe would...â
Mr. Zellner immediately raised his hand and stopped him from talking. âAs long as Iâm not the one who physically kills him, and neither did he die in my place, how can Commander Zoe point fingers at me and accuse me of murder?â
He swept his gaze around the room and the man who spoke up earlier instantly lowered his head and dared not speak anymore.
âGo now, they shouldnât have gone too far off.â An enemy like Charles who was as intelligent as the devil could not be left to his own devices!
Otherwise, he would suffer in the future!
âYes sir!â
The subordinates responded quickly and left the room, leaving two of them to protect Mr. Zellner.
Mr. Zellner sat on the sofa. There was still a tinge of metallic blood scent in the air. He stared at the leaving figures of his subordinates and a feeling rose in his chest that he had forgotten something, but he did not know what exactly.
It was not until the two subordinates standing behind him suddenly each pressed a gun to his forehead before it hit him. He had never met the three men who had brought Sophia up earlier.
His widened in fear as he broke into a cold sweat. âGuardsâââ
âMr. Zellner, itâs best if you cooperate with us if you want to stay alive,â one of them interrupted him and said with a big smile.
The people hiding in the master and guest bedroom, as well as the unit in the building right across, immediately panicked when they saw this, but it was too late to do anything then.
Mr. Zellnerâs face flared red in rage as he gritted his teeth. âThe snipers already have their aim on you, you better not do anything stupid!â
âOh no, Iâm so scared!â It was still the person who spoke earlier. âPlease have your snipers back down then, or donât blame me for doing something with my god!â
âYouâââ
âIâm going to shoot now!â
âWho are you and what are your intentions?â Mr. Zellner was almost bursting with rage. âIf money is what you want, I can have them transferred to you right away!â
The two men exchanged glances, and this time, the other man was the one who spoke, âThatâs another charge of bribing a federal officer.â
Mr. Zellner instantly paled when he heard this. âYou... You two are...â
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 479 You Have No Idea Where Sophia Is Either, Do You?
After waiting for such a long time, it was finally time to close the net!
-
Sophia had wounds all over her body so she was not suited to ride on a motorcycle, but under such circumstances, she had no other way.
âJust bear the pain for a while, someone will be over to pick us up soon.â Charles removed his black coat and draped it over Sophia.
It was mid-December now so it would be terribly cold riding a motorcycle.