Chapter 1154: Greed… what a troubling thing to live with.

[PRESENT TIME]

"Those two... they’re gone. Our men checked, and it seemed those two somehow managed to take down the guys who took them. We’re trying to locate them," the soldiers who reported to Glenn summarized the situation before he drew his head back.

Glenn, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the other man. Knowing Penny and Zoren were staring, he maintained his composure and nodded.

"I see." Glenn rocked his head and faced the couple with a smile. "It seems we have a problem."

Zoren quickly frowned, while Penny furrowed her brows. "What problem?" asked Zoren quietly.

"My men can’t identify the people you were looking for," said Glenn coolly. "Like I said, there have been plenty of recruits recently, and from what they said, they couldn’t find the people you’re looking for."

"That’s ridiculous!" Penny got up from her seat and huffed. "My brother and our friend were taken! This is the only place they could’ve gotten in!"

"I know, I know," Glenn sighed, raising his hands in surrender. "But they’re not here."

"Not here?" Penny scoffed. "They should be here! You said they are here!"

Glenn sighed again and looked at Zoren. "I’m sorry."

"Then, our deal is no longer valid," Zoren replied without a second’s hesitation, making Penny gasp at him in disbelief.

"Ren — Doreen!" Penny yelled. "It’s not like you believe him, do you?"

Zoren lowered his eyes. "I’m sorry."

"No..." Tears welled in the corner of Penny’s eyes as she shook her head. "This is..."

"I’m really sorry, Miss Dove. I swear if there’s anything I could do, I would!" Glenn sighed heavily, watching Penny wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. Even when she was tearing up, she still looked beautiful. Her tears could soften up a man’s heart and were enough to make anyone console her.

What an angel.

"Then, if they’re not here, we’ll start looking elsewhere," Zoren said coldly, standing up, his eyes still on Glenn. "Thank you for sparing us your time, but sadly, they aren’t here."

Glenn rocked his head, watching Zoren hold Penny’s hand. Zoren then guided his wife toward the door. However, just after several steps, Glenn spoke again.

"Mr. Doreen, about our deal..."

Zoren and Penny stopped and looked back at Glenn, only for Zoren to say, "It’s no longer on the table since my brother-in-law and friend aren’t here."

"Uh, yes, they aren’t here," Glenn cocked his head back and shot them an arrogant look. "But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to pay for someone else’s freedom."

"What are you talking about now?" Penny scoffed, and the second she did, the entrance flew open. Turning her head, she saw at least five armed syndicate members walk in. Her eyes widened in panic, and she turned to Zoren, tugging his hand.

"Darling," she breathed out in panic, squeezing his hand as hers trembled.

Zoren, on the other hand, maintained his composure and kept his eyes on Glenn. The latter’s mouth curled into a smirk before he pushed himself up. Facing the couple, Glenn took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and clipped a stick between his lips.

As he lit the end of the cigarette, he casually remarked, "You see, this place doesn’t follow the rules others impose. In this place, it’s my rules — it’s my world. And you can’t just come in here and think your views and rules apply to me."

Glenn paused as he took a long drag, puffing the smoke into the air as his eyes fell on them. "What I’m saying is, our deal isn’t over yet. I’d still need our agreed amount and that... island. I wanted it. With you and your wife, that island should be nothing, right?"

"Just think about it," Glenn said, and at the same time, three of his armed men approached the couple. One of them pointed a gun at Zoren, while the other two held Penny by her shoulder.

"Renren," Penny panicked as she tried to hold on to Zoren, only for the two armed men to pull her away. "Hey! Let go of me! What are you — stop! Don’t touch me!"

As hysterical as she could be, Penny wiggled her arms and kicked in the air, but the two men held her shoulders tightly. They walked back, widening the gap between Zoren and Penny.

"Darling!" Penny yelled, her eyes blurring with tears.

Zoren stood motionless, as the other armed men had their weapons pointed at his head. He could only watch them drag Penny away, his hands balling into tight fists. His lips were drawn into a thin line as he nodded at her slightly before turning his gaze back to Glenn.

"Not only do you want this amount of money, but now you want my island?" Zoren returned with a tinge of mockery. "Greed... what a troubling thing to live with."

Glenn smirked. "I want the island, Mr. Doreen."

"The island isn’t mine," Zoren said. "Even if I wanted to give it to you, you’d have to ask the owner."

"Haha. Funny." Glenn shook his head. "Does that mean you don’t want to give the island?"

"It’s not that I don’t want to, but you’re holding my wife very recklessly." Zoren cast the men a side-eye. "If I were you, I’d be very careful."

The smile on Glenn’s face faded completely, now annoyed by Zoren. Now that it had come to this, he didn’t need to be nice anymore. With that thought in mind, Glenn decided to show his dominance over this annoying rich man.

"Take her away," he ordered, and without a second hesitation, his men dragged Penny away. She immediately screamed for help.

"Help! Hey! Stop!"

"Pen —" Zoren, seeing his wife being taken, didn’t hesitate to move from where he was standing. He tried to run after her to help, but before he could reach her, a sharp pain struck the back of his neck.

"Ren — Renren!" Penny’s breath hitched, time slowing as she saw her husband slowly fall onto his stomach. All the noises around her muffled, her eyes wide at where her husband fell. When another second passed, everything went back to normal, and Penny’s screams grew louder.

"Renren! Renren!" she screamed, struggling even harder, but to no avail. "Ren — somebody helps us! Help! You demon!"

Glenn smirked at Penny and tipped his head to signal his men to take her away. He couldn’t help but laugh as he listened to Penny’s screams.

"Man, she’s a screamer," he remarked in amusement. "I wonder what sounds she makes when she’s in bed."

His eyes then fell on the unconscious Zoren on the floor, smirking. "This arrogant bastard," he hissed, kicking Zoren’s side. "How dare he threaten me in my own kingdom?"

Glenn kicked Zoren a few times until one of his soldiers approached him to stop him. He stopped, though he glared at the other man.

"Tch!" he hissed, spitting at Zoren’s back. "Tie him up."

Having said that, the remaining members inside dragged Zoren to tie him to the couch. Meanwhile, Glenn went to his desk and opened a drawer to get a phone to contact the butler, who could give him the money.

Little did he know, Glenn had just made his second mistake by ringing that phone. The first one was... believing what Zoren and Penny showed him.