Hannah’s face went pale instantly. She stammered, “Jason has been missing for two days! His last location was Melvaris. I... I’m just worried that he was kidnapped.”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she started crying again. “I know you’ve never liked how Jason treats me. But he’s still your boyfriend. How can you just stand by and do nothing?”

I could not help but sneer. “How am I supposed to help? Didn’t I already offer to call the police? Do you want me to rush into the industrial zone and get him out?”

Suddenly, my phone, which had fallen to the floor, vibrated. Hannah quickly picked it up. After just one glance, she handed it to me. She sobbed as she said, “Clara! I wasn’t lying! Look! Jason really has been captured!

“Jason has never endured something like this. He must be in so much pain!”

I glanced at the phone. Just like in my previous cycle, there was a message from Melvaris.

[Bring 50 million dollars as ransom. Otherwise, don’t expect Jason to return alive.]

Since I was reborn, I did not rush to reply. Instead, I calmly tapped my fingers on the table and watched them perform their little act.

Sure enough, a video call came through after a couple of minutes. I answered it without hesitation. Jason’s agonized screams sounded from the other end.

“Clara! I’m in so much pain! I just came to Melvaris for a business meeting on your behalf. I never thought they’d trick me into the industrial zone!

“They’re monsters—!”

Before he could finish his words, a masked man struck him with an electric baton. The pain made Jason grit his teeth.

I nearly burst out laughing when I saw that.

“Oh my gosh, Jason!” Hannah gasped and covered her mouth as she shuddered.

The masked man pointed at me off-screen and snarled, “Listen! Don’t even think of calling the police!

“If you want your boyfriend back, come here alone with 50 million dollars as ransom!

“Once you land at Melvaris, I’ll send you the location.”

I laughed as I watched Jason lying on the floor in the video. With a look of disgust, I said, “Hmm… look at the state of him after being tortured. I don’t want him anymore. Do whatever you want with him.”

“What did you say? You don’t want him?” The masked man raised the electric baton and slammed it down on Jason’s leg again. Jason screamed and writhed on the floor in pain.

At that point, I was getting pretty annoyed. I scratched my ear and said, “I said, I am done with that man. Do whatever you want with him.

“50 million dollars for someone like him? It’s not worth it!”

Hannah’s eyes widened as she stared at me in disbelief. She said in a trembling voice, “Clara, are you crazy?! Jason… is going to die! How can you say that?!”

I looked at her in disdain and said, “It doesn’t matter to me whether he lives or dies. You seem upset. Why don’t you go to Melvaris and pay the ransom to save him?”

Hannah’s face turned pale. She was speechless.

The masked man on the other end of the video froze for a moment. He looked up and then down at Jason. He asked in confusion, “Isn’t he your boyfriend?”

He hit Jason with his electric baton again and yelled viciously, “I suggest you don’t try any tricks! 30 million dollars and that’s it! No more room for negotiation! You have three days to deliver it! If not, I’ll kill him!”

Jason’s face was covered in blood. He screamed, and his face twisted in pain. Despite the agony, he still managed to cry out, “Clara! I know what you’re doing! You’re trying to lower the ransom price! He agreed! Just send the money quickly!

“It’s just 30 million! Isn’t that easy for you?

“We were supposed to get married after the New Year! I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life!”

I sneered. I might have believed him if I had not experienced his betrayal before.

I said in contempt, “You want to marry me? Do I look like some kind of cheap woman? You think I’ll give you 30 million and then marry you?”

Jason tried to say something, but I ruthlessly cut him off. “International video calls are expensive. I’d rather not spend a single cent on you. Goodbye.”

I paused briefly, then added casually, “By the way, Jason, I’ve suddenly realized that you seem very devious. You don’t deserve me at all. We’re over!”

Without waiting for a response, I ended the video call.

I looked up and turned to Hannah, who was frozen in place. “And you! I won’t be sponsoring you anymore. Don’t go around telling people we know each other. It’s embarrassing.”

Hannah’s eyes reddened with anger as she stammered, “If Jason comes back, he won’t forgive you!”

Rachel hesitated before asking, “Ms. Clara, what should we do now?”

I sighed impatiently. “He’s still our employee. Even if he’s useless, report it to the police. We don’t want people saying our company lacks morals.”

Hannah tried to stop me again, but I glared at her. “Don’t you care about Jason? Why are you stopping me from involving the police? What exactly are you trying to do?”

Rachel ignored her, picked up the phone, and called the police.

Once Hannah left, I handed Rachel the video I had secretly recorded. “Post this online and include the keywords ‘Obsidian Cartel.’”

As soon as it was posted, the internet blew up.

QuipQuest: Oh, my God! So, the Obsidian Cartel is real!

SkillSage: Who posted this? The Obsidian Cartel said they’d kill him, and now, she’s provoking them!

SpicyTales: If he dies, she’d basically be the murderer!

I let it go viral. The bigger the mess, the better.

The police took the report and video seriously and immediately began investigating Jason’s entry time and location.

Two days later, during a company meeting, Jason suddenly burst in. He was covered in blood.

Everyone was shocked. Rachel quickly called the police.

Jason’s hands were trembling as he walked up to me. He said weakly to me, “Clara… I thought I’d never see you again! Thank goodness I escaped.”

I had to admit that I admired his nerve. Right before the meeting, I had seen him with Hannah on the back staircase.

She was smearing fake blood on him while bitterly complaining, “What’s so great about Clara? Why do you like her so much?”

Jason pulled her closer and said, “What’s great about her? She’s rich.”

He smiled sinisterly and continued, “Her parents are dead. Even if she dies abroad, no one will come looking for her. Our plan was perfect, but she didn’t fall for it.

“Forget it! I’ll just say I escaped. I know her. She won’t be that cruel to me.”

“Clara? What’s wrong?” Jason’s voice snapped me back to the present. “Are you mad at me? Are you upset that I went to such a dangerous place without telling you?”

I gave him a cold look and stayed silent. He kept talking. “I know you’re worried. I just wanted to help you. You’ve been working so hard. I just wanted to lighten your load by sealing this deal.

“I don’t mind suffering. All I want is for you to live a better life. Everything I did was for the company and for you.”

I glared at him and said through gritted teeth, “I really wish they had beaten you to death.”

Jason looked utterly shocked. Before he could say anything, Hannah stormed in. She pointed at me and screamed, “Clara Bennett! You’ve gone too far! When Jason went missing, you didn’t care at all. Now that he’s back, you’re saying such cruel things!”

For years, Jason had been known as my fiance at the company. I had never been stingy when it came to him, and I loved him deeply.

To build his reputation, Jason had done plenty of charitable acts over the years. A few colleagues who were on good terms with him chimed in to support him.

“Ms. Clara, I think Mr. Jason did this for the company and for you. Now that he’s safe, why not let it go?”

“Yeah, I saw that video of him being captured. It was terrifying. He’s lucky to have escaped. You should forgive him.”

“You’ve been together for so many years. It’s not easy to find a relationship like this.”

I ignored them and turned on the projector. One by one, intimate photos of Jason and Hannah appeared on the screen.

“These are from Jason’s work computer,” I said coldly. “My boyfriend is having an affair with the student I sponsored. Should I really forgive him?”

Jason’s face turned pale. He clearly had not expected me to refuse to take him in, much less go through his computer. “Clara! This is all a misunderstanding!”

At that moment, the police arrived. One officer looked at Jason and said in a serious tone, “Mr. Jason, we’ve been investigating your disappearance, but there is no record of you leaving the country. Can you explain where you were?”

Jason tried to argue, but before he could, I took out my phone and played a video I had just recorded on the back staircase. “Jason, this time, it’s your turn to feel the torment I went through.”