Lilian felt hopeless when she first saw Casperâs expression. She didnât want to be the reason he got hurt, but to her surprise, he dealt with the three kidnappers easily.
She couldnât stop her tears from rolling down her cheeks when she turned to Casper again. Crystal clear droplets rolled down one after another. She finally let go of all the fear and anxiety she had been experiencing all the while.
She cried out loud as if she was trying to get all those negative emotions out of her system.
Casperâs heart broke when he saw Lilian crying like that. A dainty lady like that was treated so poorly because of meâ¦
Ah, I almost forgot. I havenât learned who the mastermind behind this incident is. Just you wait. I will repay all your âkindnessâ once I find out who you are, thought Casper as his gaze turned cruel.
He stroked Lillianâs shoulder and spoke comforting words for quite a while before Lilianâs emotions finally settled down.
Hmm⦠Why is her face turning red, though? Casper got confused about that.
Lilianâs face was slowly turning crimson, while her ears looked as red and delicate as a tomato. Seeing that, Casper suddenly had the urge to step forward and bite on it a little.
Just when he was thinking about that, however, Lilian spoke.
âCan you put your clothes on now?â Her tone was meek.
Even though she was a lively, young woman, seeing Casper half-naked and cooing her like that still made her blush.
Naturally, it wasnât just because he made things awkward. That position and state would get any woman to blush because it was simply too much.
Casper felt awkward as well. He turned a corner and quickly put on the clothes he put aside earlier.
When he returned, he saw that her expression had changed.
Lilianâs gaze turned sweet, warm, and pure, with a hint of admiration as she stared at him.
Casper sighed upon seeing that. I knew it. She is sinking deeper. Unfortunately, he couldnât ignore or abandon Lilian either.
With Lilianâs emotions stabilizing, Casper could finally take the time to interrogate the three kidnappers.
He dragged one of them over and kicked the guy until the latter regained consciousness.
Casper grinned at all three kidnappers and said, âHowever much the mastermind promised you, I will triple the offer and give it to the first one to tell me who the mastermind is. I will even let that person walk out of here just like that.
âAs for the others⦠Well, Iâm sure you know that weâre in an unfriendly neighborhood now, and no one will alert the police even if something were to happened.
âThat makes it, oh, so easy, for me to cripple you.
âIâd kill you, but death is hardly the worst punishment. A life worse than death is much crueler. Alright then, which one of you would like to experience that?â asked Casper as he grinned.
âHah, do you even know how much was offered? And here you are saying that youâll triple the offer?
Please. I can cut you up, sell your organs, and I still wonât get that much money!â replied one of the kidnappers.
He didnât think that Casper could actually pay up.
âHow much was it? A million? Two?â
The kidnapper laughed like he had just heard an incredible joke. He dissed, âA million? Take a look at yourself in the mirror, punk. You are not worth that much. Weâre given a hundred and fifty thousand each. Thatâs four hundred and fifty thousand in total. If you can match that, I will go on my knees right away!â
Judging a book by its cover will inevitably cost one dearly in the future. thought Casper. He had no intention of helping or giving the kidnappers any advice, though, so he simply kept quiet.
They lived in a world where the strong fed on the weak, anyway, so there was no point in saying anything.
âYou donât need to care about that. Just tell me who the mastermind is, and I will pay up,â said Casper.
âWhy should I trust you? How can you prove that you will pay up after we tell you what you want to know?â asked another kidnapper, who had been keeping quiet until that moment.
âIs this proof sufficient?â asked Casper before he fished a black credit card out of his possession.
âIâm sure you know what this card represents, right?â asked Casper.
âHow do we know that thatâs legit? If you really have the money, why would you dress like a pauper?
This is not a fairy tale, and rich dudes donât act like poor saps just to experience something new,â
dissed the kidnapper who spoke up earlier. He simply could not buy a word Casper said.
âWell, if you donât believe me even after all that, then I guess there is nothing for us to talk about. I have no choice but to go to the extreme to make you lot talk. You see, I may not be able to make you believe that I have the money, but I can definitely prove how heavy my fists are,â said Casper.
He didnât really care one way or another. The thugs not buying his words simply meant that he didnât need to spend that money.
Besides, we live in a world where no one will ever complain about having too much money.
Casper didnât think that they would be that persistent in keeping the mastermindâs identity a secret.
Theyâre only after the money, I doubt they would actually sacrifice themselves just to protect the mastermind.
âGuess I have no choice but to beat the answer out of you one by one,â said Casper after sighing a little.
âWait,â said the kidnapper who had been keeping quiet earlier. âI believe you. I will tell you who the mastermind is if you pay me. After that, you can let me go. I promise I wonât say a word of this to anyone else.â
âOh, really? Why?â asked Casper curiously. He wanted to know why the quiet kidnapper would believe his words just like that.
Casper knew that his offer was great, but he wasnât really trying to convince them, so the way he spoke wasnât very reassuring.
Discrimination was rooted in the core of everyoneâs heart, and that discrimination would turn most into ignorant idiots.
It was rare to see someone that interesting, and Casper was curious about what the guy was thinking.
âMy instinctâs telling me that youâre not a liar. You are too proud to lie like that, anyway. Now that things have progressed to this extent, and the fact that weâve already been defeated, it is not necessary for you to make an offer. Yet, you did,â said the guy.
Casper raised his brows. Meeting the guy suddenly made Casper felt like he didnât waste a trip over.
âHuh⦠Interesting. Whatâs your bank account number?â
â6216******â
Casper fished his phone out and tapped into it. A few seconds later, the kidnapperâs phone beeped.
The latter had received a notification.
The bank had sent a message over.
Upon receiving the text, the kidnapper answered, âThe person who hired us is a woman. Her surname is Taylor, and she looked young, but I donât have a full name. I heard that sheâs a student at Business University, though.
âShe wants us to use your girlfriend to take some embarrassing videos of you and send them to her.
She also asked us to cripple you.
âThatâs all I know.â
Casper asked, âWhatâs your name?â
âJeremy.â
âOkay, Jeremy. You may leave. Hurry over to the hospital now.â
âOkay,â replied Jeremy before he staggered away.
They were at a place where no one would call the cops even if they saw someone get hurt. Hence, it was a safe haven for criminals to be their natural, evil selves.
Truth was, Casper had a good feeling about Jeremy. If the latter hadnât done something as vile as kidnapping Lilian, Casper wouldâve really considered being his friend.
I have always kept my word. Since Iâve let Jeremy go, I canât let the other two off the hook.
Casper turned to them and asked, âWhich one of you would like to go first? Iâll make it easier for him.â