Chapter 05-Drago's ruthless plan

Mrs. Elizabeth sat back in the living room, then picked up the cup of coffee. She sniffed its aroma and, without hesitation, tasted it. The moment the coffee touched her tongue, Mrs. Elizabeth immediately spat it out.

"Damn it! This coffee is salty, not sweet! Hellen, come here quickly!" Mrs. Elizabeth called out furiously.

She called her several times, but Hellen still didn't come out of her room. Mrs. Elizabeth rose from her seat and walked to Hellen's room.

"Hellen, open the door!" Mrs. Elizabeth shouted, pounding hard on the door.

Hellen intentionally avoided her mother, annoyed by her mother's attitude, which seemed to be defending Mr. Drago.

Mrs. Elizabeth grew exasperated because Hellen didn't answer her calls. "Hellen, you've truly gone too far! Why did you mix salt into the coffee? You've embarrassed me; you must apologize to Mr. Drago!" Mrs. Elizabeth shouted, continuing to knock on the door.

Hellen still didn't answer her mother; she covered her face with a pillow. Although Hellen was annoyed with her mother, she smiled inwardly, pleased at having played a trick on Mr. Drago.

Mrs. Elizabeth merely snorted in annoyance when Hellen refused to emerge from her room.

Meanwhile, Ethan felt a similar annoyance to Hellen's. Throughout his journey to his lover's house, he silently cursed Mr. Drago.

Mr. Drago, now at his own house, continued to curse Ethan for meddling in his affairs.

Mr. Drago's magnificent three-story house stood before them. Behind his house lay a fairly extensive wheat plantation. A high fence, topped with barbed wire, surrounded the property. His bodyguards and house guards were stationed at the guard post; anyone intending to steal would think seven times before attempting it.

Mr. Drago was seen gathering his personal fighters to discuss his plan.

"Why have you gathered us at this hour, my lord? It seems there's something very important you wish to discuss," asked one of the fighters named Hendrick.

"You are right, Hendrick! Indeed, there is a very important matter I want to convey. I want Mrs. Elizabeth's daughter. However, the young man named Ethan appears to be an obstacle. I want you all to follow wherever he goes. If the opportunity arises, eliminate him and dump his body into the river," Mr. Drago explained, clenching his right fist.

"You mean Ethan, Mrs. Elizabeth's son? No problem, he is nothing to us," replied Hendrick with a soft chuckle.

"Listen to my words: if Mrs. Elizabeth's business develops and prospers, we will drive her into bankruptcy. That way, she won't be able to repay her debt to me. Then I will report Mrs. Elizabeth to the police, ensuring her imprisonment. If she wishes to avoid imprisonment, she must hand over her daughter to me. That girl will kneel before me and beg for my mercy," Mr. Drago revealed his plan to his fighters.

"Your plan is truly extraordinary, my lord. Surely that girl will be willing to go with you; otherwise, her mother will be imprisoned," said Hendrick.

"I also have a plan for Ethan; I'm devising a good plan for him," Mr. Drago explained, stroking his beard.

"How do we make Mrs. Elizabeth's business go bankrupt, my lord? Should we steal all her merchandise later?" asked Hendrick.

"That's not the way, Hendrick! We'll observe its development first; if Mrs. Elizabeth's business truly prospers, I will explain the plan," explained Mr. Drago, his voice raised.

"Very well, my lord! I will follow all your instructions. I assure you that all your wishes will be fulfilled. Then, what about the girl, my lord? Should we follow her too?" asked Hendrick.

"No! If the initial plan doesn't go smoothly, we'll kidnap her directly. I don't want anyone else to rival my business; I will impoverish everyone," Mr. Drago answered, assuring them.

"Very well, my lord! We will eliminate anyone who obstructs your plans. We will not allow anyone to touch you," replied Hendrick, his chest puffed out.

"Excellent! That's exactly how it should be. I pay you to get rid of everyone who wants to harm or rival me," explained Mr. Drago.

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss with us, my lord?" asked Hendrick.

"I want to expand my stores so that people only buy from my shops. Actually, I didn't want Mrs. Elizabeth to open a business, but this time I've made an exception for her," answered Mr. Drago.

"It would be better if your shops were in other cities too; that way your profits would multiply," suggested Hendrick.

"Absolutely, Hendrick! Tell Flint to handle the store expansion. And don't forget to increase the stock of goods and store them in the main warehouse," Mr. Drago replied firmly.

"Very well, my lord! I will convey your message to Flint, and I assure you everything will run smoothly. If there's nothing else you wish to discuss, we'll take our leave and return to our duties," said Hendrick, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.

Mr. Drago merely gestured with his palm, a satisfied smile on his face.

Hendrick and the four other fighters left Mr. Drago's house.

The house Mr. Drago lived in became increasingly desolate after his wife passed away. Aside from his house guards, no one else was there; only the sounds of crickets and frogs could be heard around the house.

His daughter, meanwhile, had gone mad after her mother died. Mr. Drago was forced to confine his daughter, Nely, in a special room. He also shackled her because she often rebelled, attempting to escape from the house.

No one in Mr. Drago's neighborhood knew of the girl's existence. They were all afraid of the cunning and cruel Mr. Drago, daring to visit him only to borrow money.

It was as if Mr. Drago lived alone, occupying a magnificent house with no relatives. No one truly knew who Mr. Drago was or who his relatives were. People only knew him as a stingy and greedy person.

Unlike his deceased wife, who was kind and often gave to others, Mr. Drago was displeased that his wife enjoyed giving to those in difficulty, and the mystery of her death remained unsolved.

The authorities were also unable to uncover the cause of his wife's death, until people eventually simply forgot about it. No one dared to sue or accuse Mr. Drago regarding the cause of his wife's death.

Such was a brief overview of Mr. Drago's life, who spent his days simply sitting in a rocking chair on his front porch. Sometimes he would pass the time by watching television and listening to music in his spacious room.

Meanwhile, Ethan arrived at the gate of his beloved's house. He stopped his motorcycle, turned off the engine, then dismounted and approached a gate guard. As this was his first visit, the gate guard didn't recognize him. The gate guard, seeing Ethan approach, stopped him at the gate.

"Excuse me, sir, who are you and whom do you wish to see?"

"I'm Ethan. My friend, Mona, invited me to attend her mother's birthday party. I'm already late; please let me in," Ethan replied.

"I'm sorry, sir, Mrs. Grace's birthday party is for family only, not open to the public. You'd better go home, because I won't allow you in," explained the gate guard named Lobo.

"I know that. I came because Mona invited me. If you don't believe me, you can call her here," Ethan replied.

"No, sir! I already told you, only family members are invited. Don't try to force your way in. Just so you know, Mrs. Grace won't be happy to see strangers. If that happens, I'll be the one in trouble," Lobo explained, growing emotional.

"I wouldn't have come if I hadn't been invited. You just need to tell Mona about my arrival," Ethan pleaded hopefully.

"Who do you think you are, sir, daring to give me orders? Get out of here before I forcibly remove you!" Lobo snapped, glaring at Ethan.

Ethan clasped his palms together in front of his chest, hoping Lobo would grant him entry. Before he could say another word, a shouting voice came from behind him.