I swept my gaze across the room, my voice turning cold.
"Everyone, this suit may not be worth much in price, but the meaning behind it isn’t something money could ever measure."
Even after hearing me, Ruth still didn’t seem to understand the weight of the situation.
"It’s just a lousy tuxedo. What kind of ‘meaning’ could it possibly have?"
She sauntered toward me, her voice sharp with sarcasm. "All this talking, aren’t you just trying to squeeze more money out of us?"
"Say it. How much do you want? A hundred thousand? A million?"
I forced down the fury surging in my chest, meeting her gaze head-on.
"Ruth, do you really believe everything in this world can be fixed with money?"
She raised her brows, her tone soaked in disdain.
"Isn’t that how the world works?"
"Michael, let me remind you, this is the capital. This is Ruiz territory."
"Do you believe I can’t make a single phone call and have the entire city become a place where you can’t even survive?"
I fought back the urge to explode, forcing myself to speak slowly, each word cutting with precision.
"Ruth, from the way you’re speaking, are you threatening me right now?"
Before she could respond, her assistant stepped forward, smug and unafraid.
"We are threatening you. So what?"
"If you’ve got the nerve, go ahead, lay a hand on me!"
I turned toward him, my eyes cold, my voice stripped of all warmth.
"Mister, do you honestly think being someone’s lapdog is something to be proud of?"
His face flushed an angry red. He pointed at me, stammering, unable to utter a full sentence.
Ruth immediately stepped in, shielding him behind her with an air of arrogance.
"Michael, who do you think you’re calling a lapdog?"
"Benjamin has been with me ever since he graduated college. At the very least, he’s half a member of the Ruiz family."
"If you don’t apologize to him right now, do you really believe I’ll let you walk out of here in one piece?"
In less than an hour, I had already been threatened twice.
It's not exactly how I pictured my first assignment after joining a top-secret unit.
I didn’t waste another breath. In full view of everyone, I pulled out my phone and dialed.
“Hello, Director? It’s Michael Reid.”
The voice on the other end came through, cheerful and unbothered.
“Well, if it isn’t Michael! Calling me at this hour, don’t tell me you’ve already met your bride-to-be. What do you think? Is she to your liking?”
I shot a glance across the room at the woman staring back at me. My lips curled into a cold laugh.
“Director, the wedding situation is complicated. But that’s not why I’m calling.”
“I have something urgent to report.”
“Someone threw away the suit. The one I had custom-made.”
Silence. Then came the explosion.
“What did you say?!”
His voice practically shattered through the phone.
“That suit had an honor medal pinned to it! Michael, tell me this is a joke!”
At that moment, the fire in my chest burned to its peak. "Director, I wouldn’t dare joke about something like this."
"And the one who ruined the suit not only refused to apologize, she even threatened to kill me."
I gave him a brief account of what had happened. On the other end of the line, I heard a loud crash. The director had slammed a cup down in rage.
"Who did this?!"
Just as I was about to respond, Benjamin suddenly reached out and yanked the phone from my hand.
"Hello? You’re this guy’s so-called leader, right?"
"I’m Miss Ruiz’s personal assistant, from the Ruiz family here in the capital. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with me!"
The director went silent. He had lived long enough, seen enough, and yet even he probably hadn’t expected anyone to speak to him like that. For a few seconds, there was only stunned silence.
"So you’re the one who threw away Michael’s suit and even had the nerve to threaten him?"
Benjamin still hadn’t realized who he was dealing with. His arrogance only grew.
"Cut the nonsense. Just spit it out. What the hell do you want?"
Even through the screen, I could feel the director’s fury boiling over.
"What I want, you’ll find out soon enough."
But Benjamin wasn’t done. Clearly rattled, he snapped again.
"You old bastard, what is this, some royal skit? You’ve been watching too many fantasy shows."
"I’d love to see who in this city has the guts to touch the Ruiz family!"
The call ended.
Benjamin turned around with a smug grin as if waiting to be praised.
Watching the scene, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
"Ruth, you’ve really picked a gem of an assistant."
"I’ve traveled across the country, but I’ve never seen anyone quite this bold."
My kind reminder didn’t faze him one bit.
"I don’t care what kind of ‘leader’ he is. As long as President Ruiz is standing, the Ruiz family won’t fall!"
I curled my lips into a faint smile.
"Then tell me, do you believe the Ruiz family will still exist in the capital by tomorrow?"
Just as the words left my mouth, a sudden shout came from the crowd.
"Everyone, look outside!"
At once, heads turned toward the windows.
A fleet of black Jaguar XJs, all bearing one plate, rolled in with grandeur, over a dozen of them forming a striking procession as they approached the wedding venue.
