The Devil CEO's Contract Wife - Chapter 292: The Opening

Chapter 292: The Opening

ARES

The glass crunched beneath my shoes as I stepped forward. The place was a mess, with broken windows, ruined furniture, and everything else turned upside down, as if the place had been raided.

There were bodies in the hallway, and everything so far fitted the picture of a surprise attack. It was done swiftly and well.

The smell of something burning lingered in the air, too. Hopefully not a burned body because I can’t stomach that with the smell of dead bodies, and I had no intention of letting out my wife’s cooking.

“Boss…” Nico caught my attention, his nose wrinkled at the smell. “You gotta see this.”

I followed him to the office, where a man was tied to a chair, his head faced down, blood on the floor, around him in a circle like he had been left there bleeding out for a long time.

It has been a while, the smell said it all.

A slow, painful death. One of my favorites. Hitting that line between life and death made death less of a mercy because you beg for your life. A life not deserving.

“That’s Tyler Jackson.”

“Jackson…” I murmured, observing him closely as Nico lifted his face by the chin.

“Damn! That’s some work done.”

I could barely recognize him with all the alterations made to his face.

He was tortured to death. This wasn’t just a simple murder; it was a statement… a big one.

My eyes moved to the table, where I saw a card, but there were no words; just like the others, it had a black lipstick mark, pressed into the shape of a kiss.

I clenched the paper hard. An unusual feeling gripped my insides. I couldn’t differentiate it from aggravation or excitement; it just threw me off the edge.

For the last two weeks, I have been given locations to places like this, and when I get there, a dead man was present, and not just any dead man.

Every one of them came with a piece of information attached to it. They were all Agatha’s men, the ones she fucked to maintain her status and build a covert power for Adrian when he came of age.

However, it’s foolish to just call it that. I have heard talks that she had long had them in her clutches, way before Adrian.

I knew it all… but I couldn’t get information on her specific associates for years… until now.

“Boss…”

“She has someone on the inside.”

“Who?”

“Vixen…” I replied, going through the papers she had left me, all depicting who they were, all their assets, and everything else Agatha had in her name.

She had plenty, and I could finally see why she was considered the most influential woman in the underworld. But now they were all being taken down, and Vixen was gaining that title.

My secret associate.

She was still working under my name. What was she gonna gain from this? I had no answer to that question, which was why it was time to get to the bottom of this.

“Carlo’s opening…” I voiced. “When is it?”

“It’s tonight, boss…”

Everyone was gonna be there, and I was counting on seeing her. They have claimed to be a secret associate, but I can’t be too sure about that… she could be someone trying to wrap the underworld around her fingers while using me to her advantage.

All this... this information and gifts. It may just be a ruse.

~☆~

The car came to a stop, the door opening as I stepped out. I walked towards the building and into the restaurant. The lights were bright, and everything was polished to the last detail. It was kept private, so no media flocking around, and security was tight.

Glass chimed as conversation and relations were made, half of the people here were not well known, just ones allowed to be a part of something.

My movement was so swift that no one could catch sight of me.

I made a turn in the hallway, and the lights lit up, blending with the ones coming off the skyscrapers from the windows.

At the last turn, someone was waiting at the end of the hallway. With a respectful dip of his head, he gave way for me, and I walked through the door behind him.

There was an elevator waiting just at the end of the corridor.

I got in with Nico and two of my men first, the door sliding shut, and he pressed the button.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked. “You’re a broad figure boss… the moment you walk in there heads are gonna turn. How do you expect to find Vixen? You don’t think she would easily make herself known.”

When I didn’t reply, he continued.

“If she’s here, you know what that means, right?”

I do. It means Vixen has connections with Carlo Ricci.

The doors dinged open, and we stepped out. The distant sound could be heard, and the closer we got, the louder it became until it was almost deafening.

We emerged where the balustrade curved overlooking the view.

Carlo really outdid himself; this must have taken years and years of projects. He must have a taste for the oldies because this looked like a scene cut out of an ancient castle, at least where the VIPs were.

I cast my gaze down and found the heat of the moment, the trigger of the energetic crowd. Within a gigantic cage were two men fighting to the death.

I rested my black gloved hands on the stone. It’s been a while since my eyes have caught something brutal and raw, the desperation of a challenge, knowing there was only one way out.

There are underground fighting rings in the underworld, but this outshined them all, and it might put the casino out of business for a while because here, bids are placed.

If there’s one thing about the underworld it was the seductive taste of money.

I felt eyes on me, but I knew it was simply the crowd taking notice of me. I became the center of attention, but I didn’t pay them any heed, simply engrossed in the fight.

“Don King!”

I was forced to pull my eyes away from the view.

“I’m deeply pleased you honored my invitation.”

“When you mentioned this opening, I didn’t think you would go all the way.”

He chuckled. “That was only possible because of your donations, and trust me, big profits are—”

“Just my donations?” I interrupted, and his mouth hung.

“Wh-What do you mean…?”

A smile flashed on my lips, but I said nothing. The sweat suddenly beading his forehead, and shortness of breath spoke everything I needed to know.

Vixen.

“Please follow me, I have prepared the best view in the house…” He led us, and I followed to a spot where I could experience everything more up close.

The fight was just finished, and the loser was dragged out, leaving a trail of blood.

The end of my cigar was lit by one of my men behind me. I took a slow drag, eyeing the drinks on the glass table and then Carlo sitting at the other side, grinning like a kid waiting to be acknowledged.

“We have the best fighters; all you have to do is take your pick. They shall gladly fight in your name and win.” He snapped his finger, and one of his men gave his ear, and he whispered something to him.

Nico did the same just at that second. “No sign of Vixen yet.”

I don’t expect to see her that easily. She was good at covering my tracks, and even though I had my men stationed on the possible route, it was a slim chance because I didn’t know what she looked like.

“I think it’s best to just get it out of Carlo. He’s obviously affiliated with Vixen in some way. Look at him, having the best time of his life. He won’t know what hit him.”

Nico was right. But I wasn’t counting on doing that.

“I’m here to observe…” I replied to Carlo’s earlier words. “Pick whoever you want.”

His grin broadened. “Then I would make sure to give you a show worth watching.”

He murmured something to his men, and they got moving before the sharp feedback of the mic filled the air.

I didn’t pay attention, but I heard my name along the line, or something like that, and the crowd noise went chaotic.

My eyes caught the two fighters, presenting themselves to the crowd.

“But that wouldn’t stop you from making your bid, would it?” Carlo pointed out.

They faced the box we stayed in, awaiting patiently, chin up in pride.

One was skinny, and the other was bulky.

“The skinny one.”

“Excellent choice, someone else made that bid.”

In that instant, I felt the heavy sensation of eyes piercing right into my skull. I veered my gaze at speed until I locked with green eyes.