The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 14: A Civilized Threat
“That’s better. We’re civilized people.” William took a step back and straightened his collar. “Anything else? If not, I’ll be leaving. I still have a lot to do.”
Michael could not help taking another step forward, growling in a low voice, “This is between us. Don’t go after my family. You’re breaking the rules.”
“The rules?” William looked faintly puzzled. “I’m not in your line of work, and I haven’t exactly done business with you. Are you sure those rules you’re talking about apply to me?”
As he spoke, he even smiled. “Of course, I’m a law-abiding citizen. I can remember that without needing you to remind me. If you have nothing else to say, I’ll be leaving.”
He looked at Michael. The two men stared at each other for three to five seconds before Michael moved aside. William gave a slight nod and brushed past him.
Watching William leave, Michael briefly showed the identification inside his coat, then backed the car down from the sidewalk. Before long, he had parked in the space in front of his house.
He quickly returned home and saw his wife watching the afternoon sitcom. He hurried over and hugged his slightly raised-eyebrow wife. “Nothing strange happened just now, did it?”
“I mean, no one knocked on the door, or broke into the yard, right?”
His wife was several years younger than him. That was one of the reasons so many people wanted to enter the IRS every year. They had the highest salaries in the government system, the best benefits, the finest working conditions and treatment, and all kinds of unexpected advantages.
That also gave every IRS employee a particular advantage in the marriage market. Whether they were men or women, they could find the kind of partner they wanted.
Most men chose younger women, and it was not unusual for those women to be three, five, or even ten years younger.
Michael’s wife was six years younger than him, and he had always cherished her deeply.
“No. No one came. I’ve been sitting here watching television all afternoon. If someone had come, I would have noticed.”
The front door opened directly toward the living room. If someone knocked or entered the yard, it would be perfectly visible through the bright windows on the wall. The afternoon had been very quiet, so quiet she had almost fallen asleep.
Michael sat on the sofa with an arm around his wife’s shoulders, not knowing how to bring up his sudden business trip, and even less knowing how to warn his wife to be careful of William, who might appear again.
Elsewhere, after making several circuits outside and buying some electrical supplies, William returned to his temporary residence. He took out his key and was unlocking the door when a man approaching from behind suddenly pressed close to him. Something sharp touched his waist.
A voice heavy with bad breath came to his ear. “Where’s my money?”
William’s movement paused only slightly before he continued opening the door. He pushed it open and stepped one leg inside while saying, “If you don’t want someone to be finished, you’d better come in with me. Whatever the problem is, we can solve it through communication.”
In less than five seconds, William had already identified the man behind him. Thanks to the many years of accumulated experience from his previous life, this twenty-year-old body, brimming with energy and still at its absolute peak, gave him an indescribable feeling of exhilaration. Everything was under his control. He had never sensed his own strength as clearly as he did now.
The man outside the door hesitated, but still followed him in. More than two thousand dollars was not a small sum for him. What surprised him was that this young man William did not fear the knife in his hand.
The room was not large. One bedroom connected to the front door, and one inner room used for washing up. The room faintly smelled of ... shit. The news boss raised an eyebrow. He had thought the place would be cleaner.
That night, after William returned, he had spent a long time rinsing himself before finally dealing with the feces and sewage that had soaked completely into the pants. But the smell still had not dispersed. He had clearly rinsed everything many times and sprayed air freshener, yet some hidden stink remained.
“What happened between you and Michael is your own business. It has nothing to do with me. Give me my money back!” The news boss gestured with the dagger in his hand and restated his position.
After the newsboys had returned, he had collected the newspaper bundles from their hands, only to find that there were just over two thousand dollars inside, short by roughly twenty-six or twenty-seven hundred dollars. That was not a small amount. Judging by his income from selling newspapers, it might be several months of earnings.
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