Autumn, who was about to pull the door open, froze, her hand instinctively stopping mid-motion.
The Boss frowned. "Ethan, what's this about?"
Ethan took a deep breath, first addressing the room. "Sir, Boss. I didn't come here tonight to collect a debt. I came to demand a person from Autumn!"
"One of the girls from City Prep No. 2 was lured here under false pretenses to her club."
The moment the words left Ethan's mouth, The Boss's face changed dramatically.
Everyone knew the nature of this establishment. But the women who worked here were supposed to be there by choice - a mutual arrangement. Lured under false pretenses?
That changed everything!
Especially a girl from City Prep No. 2!
This touched on a hard taboo in their gray world. No one dared cross that line!
The stocky man immediately pointed a finger at Autumn's nose and roared, "What the hell is this? You have a death wish?!"
Even The Gentleman, who had remained silent until now, spoke, his voice cold. "If you want to die, don't drag us down with you."
"I! I! I didn't know!" Autumn waved her hands frantically. "Ethan! You're slandering me!"
"Autumn, you know perfectly well if I'm slandering you or not!" Ethan's voice was sharp. "From the moment we met tonight, I never once mentioned the debt! I told you I was here to handle a situation! I even hinted multiple times, for your own safety! I was the one who started the fight in your club, but who did I hit? I hit your floor manager who was involved in luring that high school girl!"
"You're lying!" Autumn was clearly panicking now.
"Autumn, you have security cameras, don't you? Whether I'm lying or not will be clear to everyone soon enough. That girl is my neighbor. She was tricked here by your people. If I hadn't happened to see her, she'd probably be drunk and compromised by now. If the police had raided the place and found that, who would be in real trouble? Not me, Ethan Chen. It would be you, Autumn!"
"You..." Autumn tried to speak.
"Boss, please go handle the police," The Gentleman instructed.
The Boss nodded and left the room.
The Gentleman then turned to the stocky man. "Li An, bring that so-called manager in here. Apply some... persuasion. I only want the truth."
Li An nodded and left.
The room was now silent, occupied only by The Gentleman sitting in the shadows, the woman whose profile was visible, a silent Ethan, and a deeply anxious Autumn.
Within minutes, Li An dragged the manager back in, throwing him to the floor.
The manager couldn't even get up, clearly having been worked over on the way.
"Talk," Li An said, placing a foot on the manager's head, preventing him from looking up at The Gentleman.
"There... there was a girl from No. 2. Her friend brought her! I didn't trick her! Several of her friends work here for extra cash! They said they could handle it! They're all adults, I swear!"
Autumn's face had turned ashen.
The Gentleman waved a hand dismissively.
Li An understood, dragging the man back out.
"Ethan, is it?" The Gentleman looked over. "No need to stand. Come, sit. Pour him a drink."
Ethan walked over. The woman stood and poured the wine.
It was only then that Ethan got a clear look at her. Her profile was stunningly beautiful, enough to take one's breath away. But the other half of her face bore a birthmark. It wasn't huge, but it significantly impacted her appearance. While her overall beauty could still be appreciated, it brought her score down from a perfect ten to a mere six. Her face could only be described as plain now.
The Gentleman was a man in his forties, with slicked-back hair, undeniably handsome, and exuded an air of effortless comfort.
Once the glass before Ethan was filled, The Gentleman raised his own.
"Ethan, you inadvertently helped me avoid a major problem today. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me. Consider it a favor owed."
"I wouldn't dare," Ethan replied quickly.
The Gentleman smiled faintly.
A short while later, the door opened again. The Boss and Li An entered together.
Seeing Ethan seated with a glass in front of him, The Boss spoke. "Sir, the situation is resolved. It was a missing person call. They searched the premises, then the caller phoned back saying the girl had returned home, so they stood down. It could have been very troublesome otherwise."
"Hmm." The Gentleman nodded. "Well handled. Your internal affairs are your own to manage."
"Understood." The Boss turned. "Ethan, Autumn, with me."
The three of them left the room and entered the neighboring one, closing the door behind them.
The moment the door shut, Autumn began to tremble. "Boss, I... I'm sorry, I..."
The Boss gestured for Ethan and Autumn to sit. He then addressed Autumn. "Autumn, you had someone in your office?"
Autumn's eyes darted away.
The Boss didn't press. He casually opened a bottle of beer and took a sip.
"It was... It was... Tyler He!"
"I see." The Boss leaned back. "So, this was a trap you and Tyler He set for Ethan. Use The Gentleman's influence to pressure me into replacing Ethan, allowing Tyler to go after Serena more easily?"
Autumn nodded, trembling.
The Boss tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "You've been with me for a while. What dealings you have with Uncle Kun's people are your business. Whether Ethan can handle the challenges thrown at him is a test of his ability. I will say two things."
"First, the women in your establishment. Their backgrounds must be clean. No coercion, no deception."
"Second, no matter how you fight amongst yourselves, it stays within your circle. Play with fire like this again, and The Gentleman will not hesitate to replace everyone involved. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear! Crystal clear!" Autumn's head bobbed up and down like a chicken pecking at grain.
"Good. Now go see Tyler He out. I need to speak with Ethan alone."
Autumn fled the room as if escaping a fire.
The Boss took out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Ethan. "Do you smoke?"
"I can learn," Ethan said, taking one. He lit it, coughing slightly.
The Boss exhaled a plume of smoke. "Do you feel hard done by? She set you up, and I've let her off without direct punishment."
"Yes," Ethan answered honestly. "But I understand why."
"Good that you understand." The Boss's eyes narrowed slightly. "This world has its hierarchies. A single word from those above can determine the fate of those below. The woman you saw in there is very important to The Gentleman. And that woman... can only exist in an establishment like this. Replacing Autumn means another person learns this secret. That is... undesirable."
"What punishment Autumn receives, whether you feel satisfied... The Gentleman doesn't care. Frankly, even you shouldn't care. What you should care about is whether The Gentleman is satisfied. Do you understand?"
Ethan cracked a smile. "I do."
And he truly meant it. He had long accepted this reality. The world was stratified. It wasn't just him. Even The Boss, even The Gentleman himself... there were always others above them.
Out of eight billion people on the planet, only a handful could truly stand at the very top.
All he could do was strive for a better life. As long as he could provide a better life for his family, for his mother... his own personal grievances were nothing.