Chapter 5 Swift Bankruptcy

"Wow! The actor you hired is something else. He could give Hollywood stars a run for their money. His acting seems so real. Who the hell do you think you are?" Addy laughed arrogantly.

As far as he was concerned, Horace was a powerless pauper who could do no more than to run his mouth.

But he didn't expect to feel a sharp pain in his mouth as soon as he finished speaking.

Raul had walked up to him while he was laughing and given him a hot slap.

"Shut up! Mr. Warren spared your life once, but I'm not as merciful as he is! You will know what despair is in ten minutes. Let's see if you would have the guts to laugh then!"

Raul took out his phone and dialed a number.

As soon as the line was connected, he commanded, "Make the Cloud Logistics Company go bankrupt. If you fail to do it in ten minutes, don't bother to come to work tomorrow. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Warren!" the person on the other end of the line agreed without hesitation.

Still in disbelief, Addy laughed out loud. "Ha-ha! Look at this guy. You are so good at acting. Do you know the market value of my family's company? It's worth twenty million dollars. You just said you want it to go bankrupt in ten minutes. How is that even possible? Oh my! This is the funniest joke I've ever heard since I was born!"

Meanwhile...

The CEO of the Cloud Logistics Company, Josh Moran, was Addy's father.

Josh was busy with work in his office.

All of a sudden, his phone rang.

His lips curled up in a smile when he saw the caller ID on the screen. He cleared his throat and answered the call with a flattering voice, "Hello, Mr. Carter. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise? Why did you call me personally tonight?"

"Josh, I'm not going to beat about the bush. I just want to withdraw all my investment. That's two million dollars. Release my money to me now!"

"What?" Josh exclaimed when he heard Crosby Carter's statement.

"Why... Why do you want to do that? We have just landed a good deal and we are expecting juicy profits soon. If you withdraw your investments now, you will not only miss out on the profit, but also suffer great losses. Please have a rethink."

"Josh, it's not in your place to tell me what to do with my money. My lawyer is currently working on the necessary documents. You will receive a message soon. If you refuse to append your signature to them, get ready to have a lawsuit filed against you!" Crosby hung up the phone without giving him a chance to speak.

In this way, Josh's phone rang off the hook.

All the calls came from his business partners and investors who wanted to withdraw all their investments and cut all ties with the company. Everything was a mess.

For eight minutes, he signed dozens of agreements that rendered the previous contracts null and void.

Josh slumped on his chair after signing the last one.

He suffered a splitting headache when he tried to think of how this problem came about.

All his investors had insisted on withdrawing their investments without minding the great losses they would suffer. His company had been running on their money. As a result, he had nothing now.

Not only that, but he was also in a lot of debt. Even the chair he was sitting on was no longer his. The bank would also come knocking very soon.

"Somebody please wake me up from this nightmare! I haven't offended anyone! Who is behind all these? And why is that person so hell-bent on bringing me to ruin?"

An alarm clock suddenly went off in Josh's head. Since he hadn't offended anyone recently, he suspected that his arrogant son had done something stupid. "Has that little brat stepped on someone's toes? Is he the reason why we are plunging into debts now?"

Josh took his phone and dialed his son's number anxiously.

Addy was still standing in the parking lot with Horace, Raul, and Amaia when his phone suddenly rang. It was his father's call, so he picked it up without hesitation.

"Hello, Dad."

A ferocious roar came from the other end of the line as soon as he greeted his father.

"Shut up! Don't you ever call me your dad. I don't have a son like you! Now tell me, you little brat. Who did you offend today? Why has someone completely wrecked the Moran family all of a sudden? In less than ten minutes, the company was brought to ruin. All our investments are gone!"

"What?" Addy was stunned. In a bid to wave the fear aside, he added, "Dad, today is not April Fool's Day. So, stop joking with me!"

"Are you mad? How can I joke about such an important thing? I'm fucking serious right now! Brat, you know what. Our company went bankrupt moments ago!"

"I don't believe you, Dad. This must be one of your expensive jokes. But I can't take it anymore. I promise to be a good son from tonight onwards. Please be honest with me!"

"Your stupidity is getting on my nerves. You are lucky that you are my son. If not, I would have beaten you to death. I still don't know who you offended, but you had better hurry up and apologize. Your apology might earn you a chance to live. If you get killed, don't expect me to take revenge for your death. I can't fight battles that are beyond me. Your life is in your hands!" Josh hissed and then hung up the phone angrily.

He didn't need a soothsayer to tell him that the person behind this was more powerful than him. He was helpless in the face of that kind of person.

Raul's phone rang at this time.

"You did a good job!" he said to the caller after answering the phone. Judging by Addy's horrified expression and his father's shouts, Raul already knew that the task was accomplished.

Amaia had watched everything unfold.

A mixture of doubt, confusion, and anxiety overwhelmed her at this time. She kept shaking her head and said, "It's impossible, Horace. You aren't capable of doing such a thing. You are so poor. What means would you use in wreaking havoc on their company? It must be a coincidence!"

"Oh, is that what you think? Who am I to tell you otherwise? Let's just take it as a coincidence!" Horace didn't bother to argue with her.

The moment Horace finished speaking, a Rolls-Royce Phantom came to a halt in front of them.

The back seat door opened and a middle-aged bald man majestically got out.

With bated breath, he said to Raul, "Bro, you tricked me. I was the farthest away from here. Couldn't you have given me a heads-up earlier? Although I drove here at a fast speed, I'm still fucking late!"

His eyes fell on Horace a second after he finished complaining.

"Good evening, Mr. Warren!" He shivered and greeted Horace with a bow.

Horace's pictures had been distributed to all the affiliates of the Warren family in Rinas after he agreed to accept his true identity yesterday.

"Who is he?" Horace asked Raul as he stared at the man in confusion.

"Sir, he's Farris Rivera, the boss of Coptis Security Company in Rinas. He didn't get the memo early enough. He was on a business trip in Odison today. When he found out about the banquet organized in your honor, he canceled all his engagements and rushed down. I'm afraid he hasn't had lunch yet, let alone dinner."

"Farris Rivera?" Addy was taken aback when he heard that name.

As a rich kid, he knew this man. He had once accompanied his father to a banquet that Farris hosted. The banquet was one of a kind.

Farris was one of the top ten wealthiest men in the city. Josh had tried his best to suck up to him at the banquet.

It was shocking to see that such a prominent person was greeting Horace respectfully.

'Who is this guy? Why is he so strange tonight? He's like a different person. Could it be that he has been wealthy but pretended to be poor? So, he deceived me! What the fuck!' Addy thought in bewilderment.

Everything seemed to make sense now. Addy knew that he had screwed up. He reasoned that it was better to eat the humble pie before things escalated.

Tears welled up in his eyes immediately. He sank to his knees before Farris and Horace could discuss anything.

It was possible for someone to disguise as Farris. However, Addy saw that the license plate on the Rolls-Royce was real.

People could fake license plates, but not for Farris's.

This license plate was the same one he had seen before. It was a pointer to the fact that the man in front of him was indeed Farris.

Addy thought that Horace had invited Raul to put up a show, but it was impossible for him to hire a man like Farris to act. It was at this moment that he knew he was doomed.

"Mr. Warren, I'm sorry. Please forgive me and my family. Don't take away our source of livelihood. You can punish me another way. I promise to do whatever you ask of me." Addy crawled towards Horace as he apologized in a sobbing tone.

If the Cloud Logistics Company went bankrupt, he would lose everything.

Addy was used to squandering money since he was born. He had never worked for a penny. He knew that life would be a living hell for him if his family's business was no more.

Despite being arrogant and rude to anyone he thought was beneath him, his family was not in any way close to being part of the top ten richest families. He had no one supporting him financially except for his father. Now that he met someone more powerful than him, he could only admit defeat and beg for mercy before things got out of hand.

"Raul, what's going on here? Did someone offend Mr. Warren before I arrived?" Farris asked calmly as he looked at the scene.

The next second, he looked at the young man groveling on the tarred ground and asked coldly, "Are you the one?"

Addy looked up at his murderous eyes. Fear swept through him and he stammered, "No... No... Mr. Rivera."

"How dare you quibble?"

Farris's words and the harshness in his voice made Addy shake like a leaf. He was scared to death now.

Farris wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He started from the ghetto and worked his way up to the top.

He controlled thousands of gangsters when he was still young. It was from there he moved into the security business. Today, his name was not only known in the business circle, but also in all kinds of gangsters groups. The current leaders of the gangster groups in Rinas held him in high esteem.

"Sir! I was wrong. I made a big mistake. Please forgive me!" The fear in Addy's body had increased at this moment. He saw that Farris was cracking his knuckles with an evil glint in his eyes. Crying profusely, he placed his hands on the ground and bowed to Horace repeatedly.

Amaia finally spoke at this time.

"Horace, you know I love you, right? Things are not really as they seem. I'm only with Addy because I wanted to get his money and pay for your mother's medical bills. I saw how you badly needed money and it broke my heart. I did all this for you. Please believe me." It finally dawned on her that Horace wasn't acting. He was indeed a big shot.

She was remorseful. Now she regretted breaking up with him and insulting him.

Amaia put on a pitiful look. She then walked to Horace and was about to hold his arm.

"Don't touch me with those filthy hands of yours! You liar, do you take me for a fool? Your gimmicks can not work on me. Now that I have taken up my true identity as the son of the Warren family, the old Horace is dead. The love I had for you is also dead and buried!" Horace moved back to avoid Amaia's touch. The hatred in his eyes could be likened to the scorching rage of a thousand suns.

"Horace, why did you lie to me? We dated for a whole year. We loved each other very much. How can you say you don't love me anymore?"

Amaia's words triggered a bitter memory for Horace. He had declared his undying love for her but she ruthlessly dumped him yesterday.

"Fuck off! I don't want to hurt you for the sake of our history together. I can only cut you some slack tonight. If you appear in front of me in the future, I won't spare you!"

Seeing that Horace didn't want to have anything to do with Amaia, Farris stepped forward and roared, "Bitch, didn't you hear what Mr. Warren said? Fuck off! If you don't leave here on your own accord, I wouldn't mind helping you. And I must say that it would be very ugly!"

At the sight of this fierce and muscular middle-aged man, Amaia's blood ran cold. Her heart also skipped a beat, but she managed to say coquettishly, "Horace, my love. Although you have misunderstood me now, you will understand me in the future. I'll wait for you till then."

Amaia then left dejectedly.

A glint of envy and resentment flashed in Addy's eyes as he looked at her receding figure. He was envious because she was let off the hook, while his family's business was in ruins and he had to beg on his knees. His resentment was because she was the reason why he offended Horace in the first place.

"Mr. Warren, he's constituting nuisance here. What do you want to do with him? Should I just finish him off?" Farris asked softly as he pointed at Addy.

A terrified wail escaped Addy's mouth when he heard these words. He bowed and begged for his dear life.

Judging from Farris's words, he knew that his life was worthless to them and they were bent on torturing him.

Addy felt that his punishment was unfair even though he accepted that he had done wrong. Amaia had gotten away with a slap on her wrist just because she was Horace's ex-girlfriend. On the other hand, he was shown no mercy. Now he was scared for his life.

"Addy, your life is worthless to me. You are a nobody without a rich family. Just get lost!"

Addy was in ecstasy when he heard these words.

He bowed to Horace a few times and said gratefully, "Thank you, Mr. Warren. Thank you, Mr. Rivera!"

He then took to his heels, leaving his car behind.

"Mr. Warren, I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that," Raul apologized to Horace now that the two troublemakers had gone away.

"It's nothing. Such things don't get to me. Let's go inside! I heard that the Sea Pavilion's seafood is very delicious. Finally, I would get to taste it!"

Waving Raul's concern aside, Horace turned and excitedly walked into the restaurant. Raul and Farris followed him.

As soon as they walked into the lobby, the bubbly crowd became silent. They became the focus of all attention. No one knew Horace, but Farris was very famous in Rinas.

After a while, some of the diners whispered to themselves, "Who is that young man standing in the middle? I can't believe that he has a higher status than Farris."

Horace was standing between Raul and Farris, and was a step ahead of them. They both had their hands at their backs like they were his bodyguards, so he looked superior to them.

"Boss!" The lobby manager greeted Raul in a low tone with a surprised expression on her face.

Earlier in the day, Raul had informed her that a distinguished guest would be coming to the Sea Pavilion at night. However, she didn't expect that he would personally accompany the guest here.

Raul was a mysterious man. Other people might not know the kind of man he was, but she knew him well.

Even Dario Russell, the richest man in Rinas, had to show respect to her boss when they met. He never treated anyone, no matter how rich they were, in this manner. As a result, she was shocked to see him following this man in a servile manner.

The lobby manager pondered, 'Who is this young man? He doesn't look like someone with a noble identity. In fact, he's dressed almost like a beggar. But why was he accompanied here by the boss?'