Chapter 4- You’re quite cooperative

The heavy metal music blared from the bar, its deafening sound making Regina's ears ring. She glanced up at the sign above the entrance, her urgency growing as she hurried inside.

The bar was clouded in smoke, and the dance floor was alive with people, wild with the beat of the music, dancing as if they were losing themselves. Regina's eyes darted across the crowd, searching for any sign of her father.

"Regina, right?" A sleazy-looking thug, chewing betel nut and swaying unsteadily, gave her a once-over, sneering as he spoke, "Come with me."

"Why should I follow you?" Regina asked cautiously, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

The thug let out a mocking laugh and tugged at his lips in irritation. "If you don't care whether your father lives or dies... then do whatever you want."

With that, he snorted and turned, strutting deeper into the bar through a darkened hallway.

Regina bit her lip in frustration, struggling with her fear. She hesitated, but in the end, she had no choice but to follow the thug down the dark corridor. With every step, her anxiety grew, her heart hammering in her chest.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing scream echoed through the corridor.

"dad!" Regina's breath caught in her throat. Without thinking, she screamed his name and rushed forward, bolting through the door the thug had just opened.

The sight that greeted her inside made her freeze, paralyzed with shock. Her father, Sean, was tied to a chair, his face bruised and bloodied. His nose and the corner of his mouth were dripping with blood. Just before she entered, someone had kicked him and sent both the chair and him crashing to the ground.

"dad!" Regina cried out, rushing forward, but before she could get any closer, a gleaming knife blade was suddenly pointed at Sean. A cold voice ordered, "Stop!"

Regina froze, her fist tightening in anger. She glanced down at her father, who lay on the floor, unable to meet her gaze. The fury building within her was unmistakable.

Then, she turned her gaze to the man sitting at the table, casually playing with his phone, his leg swung up. Gritting her teeth, she demanded, "How much does my father owe you?"

Pete's lips twisted into a cold smirk as he stepped closer to Regina, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. There was a moment of satisfaction in his gaze, before he reached out, lifting her chin with a finger. He met her furious eyes with an emotionless smile and said, "You're quite cooperative... It's not much... just a hundred thousand."

"That's clearly five—" Sean began to speak but was abruptly cut off by a sharp kick, silencing him instantly.

Regina turned her head to free herself from Pete's grip, her hatred for the loan sharks and their oppressive methods growing. "Let my father go, I'll pay!" she declared, her voice trembling with barely-contained anger.

"Pay?" Pete scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "You think you can pay that off with your little part-time jobs?"

"Ten days," Regina said firmly, her eyes burning with determination. "In ten days, I'll have the money."

Pete eyed her skeptically, the amusement in his eyes fading. "And why should I believe you?"

"If you don't believe me," she shot back, almost breathless, "then take my father's life instead. Without the money, it's yours!"

Her words were almost a challenge, a desperate gamble. Her body trembled, either from the rage or the heartbreak as she glanced at her father, battered and silent on the floor. She turned her gaze back to Pete, biting her lip in defiance. "Give me ten days. I'll come back with the money."

Pete hesitated, his face contorting slightly, and after a pause, he spoke again, his voice taking on a mocking tone. "Fine. You get ten days. But how do I explain this to my brothers?" He gestured at one of his men, who immediately took a bottle from the table and handed it to him. Pete looked at it briefly and smirked. "Drink this bottle of liquor... and I'll give you ten days."

Regina's eyes flickered to the bottle and then to her father's broken form. Without a second thought, she snatched the bottle from Pete's hand and, lifting her head back, began drinking. The burning sensation seared down her throat, and she grimaced as the sharp, bitter taste overwhelmed her senses.

Pete watched her with an amused, sinister grin, then grabbed the bottle away from her. As she looked at him, confused and dazed, he simply nodded at the man next to him, who promptly released her father.

Regina hurried over to help Sean, the burning in her stomach intensifying. She didn't care anymore; she just needed to get him out of there. But as she helped him toward the door, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. Her vision spun as she staggered a few steps before her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.

As darkness began to claim her, the last thing she heard was Pete's voice, laced with amusement: "Take her to Teman."

"Yes, boss!"

In the dark night, in the Presidential Suite of the Teman Grand Hotel. 

Waldo sat on the terrace, his long fingers grasping a wine glass, his long legs crossed as he sat there, his gaze deep and tinged with a faint, drunken sadness, looking down at the night view while letting the cold wind ravage him... 

The snow beneath the streetlights was crystal-clear and beautiful, yet it exuded a sense of loneliness. 

Last night... he and Cecilia were still here, savoring the bottle of wine she had treasured for so long... but now, he was all alone. 

He quietly mocked himself, and Waldo coldly withdrew his gaze. A spark of anger slowly flickered in his eyes, and his thin lips curved into a self-deprecating smile. His cold, stern face showed signs of exhaustion. He tilted his head and emptied the wine from his glass in one swift motion, then stood up and walked back into the room... 

Perhaps it was the alcohol, perhaps it was the snowstorm that had blown for too long, but Waldo felt his head grow heavy. He slightly narrowed his long, slanted eyes, and deep within his sharp, wolf-like gaze was a cold and desolate air as he walked toward the bathroom...