Chapter 171
He knew Joanna was trash, but he owed her. He couldn’t sell her out.
Joanna scrambled to her feet, her face dark with fury. “Freddy, what the hell was that for?” she shrieked.
She wasn’t worried about him exposing her past schemes; there was no proof.
“Joanna, I think the question is, what the hell did you think you were doing?” a cold voice cut through the tension.
Byron strode toward them. With a sharp crack, his hand connected with Joanna’s face. His jaw was clenched, a muscle twitching in his cheek.
57%
“Are you insane, Joanna?” Byron’s voice was low and menacing, veins bulging in his neck. “You nearly killed Sylvia with that drink before, and you still haven’t learned your lesson?”
Byron was genuinely furious.
He carried a heavy guilt over Sylvia’s condition; she had developed the life–threatening allergy after an incident where she’d saved his life.
He was working with a friend overseas to develop an antidote from an antibody found in his own blood, but until it was ready, he couldn’t risk her having
another reaction.
The thought that Joanna would try to force alcohol on her was beyond the pale.
If Freddy had slapped Joanna, she would have fought back fiercely. But with Byron standing in front of her, her face instantly paled.
“Byron, I’m so sorry,” Joanna stammered, cupping her stinging cheek. “I completely forgot about Sylvia’s allergy. I was just trying to be nice, I swear.”
She put on a pitiful, tear–streaked performance that would have melted any other man’s heart.
But Byron was past the point of pity. He was utterly disgusted. He grabbed her arm, dragged her to a nearby table, and snapped at a waiter, “Open
them!”
His face was a mask of cold fury.
The frightened waiter scrambled to open three bottles of red wine.
Byron’s gaze locked onto Joanna. “You love wine so much? Drink. All of it.”
Joanna’s eyes darted around, pleading for help from her friends, but they all shrank away, terrified of provoking the man they called the “Tyrant.”
With trembling hands, she began to choke down the wine, tears and snot mixing as she drank.
Watching from a distance, Sylvia had seen enough. She grabbed her bag and walked out of the hall. She hated this kind of atmosphere, and Joanna’s presence made it unbearable.
“Sylvia, wait up!” Freddy called, jogging to catch up with her. “I need to talk to you.”
“What is it?” Sylvia asked, stepping into the elevator.
I want to take you to lunch tomorrow,” Freddy said, following her inside. He didn’t dare mention Byron’s name, knowing she’d refuse instantly.
“You just took over at the Colon family business, you must be swamped,” she said. “We’ll have plenty of time for lunch later. It doesn’t have to be
tomorrow.”
“Let’s just do it tomorrow. I mean, we both have to eat, right?” Freddy insisted. He couldn’t risk delaying; he had a vivid memory of what happened the last time he failed Byron.
Seeing his persistence, Sylvía finally relented with a nod.
She assumed it was just a simple lunch with Freddy. But when she arrived at The Grandview Hotel the next day, the person waiting at the table was
2/3
Chapter 171
Byron
That little snake,‘ she thought. I’m going to kill him.
Sylvia glared at Byron and turned to leave.
“Where are you going. Sylvia?”
Byron’s voice was calm as he walked toward her, looking down at her. “Are you sure you want to leave? I just heard that Shadow, the Al genius, is flying into Silverton today. I was thinking of taking you to meet her.”
Shadow was more than a name; it was a legend in the world of artificial intelligence.
Al was the future, and every major company was desperate for an audience with the master.
The name stopped Sylvia in her tracks. She turned back, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Are you serious? Shadow is coming to Silverton?”
Byron had never met Shadow, but he knew she was a woman, and his sources were impeccable.
“It’s true,” he said confidently. “Her plane is scheduled to land soon. If you have lunch with me, I’ll take you to meet her.”
3/3
