His Unveiled Passion

Stephen walked to a discreet corner and gave Lawrence a call. He made sure to keep his voice down as he murmured a few instructions into the phone.

Lawrence had brought Bruno to a dark and secluded room below the deck.

The one leading the way was one of the Scotts, who happened to also be the cruise ship's executive.

The executive led Lawrence, who was working for Stephen, to one of the hidden brigs on the ship.

The room was not only soundproof but also quite a considerable distance away from the ship's entertainment facilities and cabins.

Therefore, no one would be able to find it without someone familiar with the ship's workings leading the way.

No one would be able to catch even the slightest hint of Bruno's agonized scream later. That joy would be left exclusively for those remaining in the hidden brig.

Stephen had left Lawrence with instructions to treat Bruno "well".

Since Bruno had taken a quick dip in the ocean, he was absolutely drenched and shivering with fear.

The bodyguard didn't care as they tied him up securely and whisked out a set of knives.

Bruno had already been jumping due to his ordeal earlier, so he immediately started to scream in terror when he saw the knives.

He had no idea what sort of torment he would have to endure.

Still, he had an inkling that his ending was not going to be a pretty one the second he laid his eyes on those sharp, metallic edges.

Lawrence clicked his tongue impatiently as the sharp knife in his hand gleamed coldly.

"Shut your trap. Keep screaming, and I'll rip your tongue out," Lawrence said with a sneer.

Bruno's terrified gaze landed on the knife in his hand, and he immediately fell silent.

Lawrence's eyes glinted with a sinister light as he drawled, "You like to play, don't you? So, let's have some fun."

Meanwhile, Cassidy had been scared witless.noveldrama

Thus, she wasted no time transferring 10,000 dollars to Tessa's account. She even stated that she would definitely post an apology on her socials within a day.

Tessa then donated the money to a charity.

Once that was over, Stephen, Tessa, and the others went to the lounge.

Naomi asked, "Where's Bruno? Stephen, where did you take him?"

Stephen said dispassionately, "Somewhere fun."

Tessa shot Stephen a glance but said nothing more. She trusted that he knew where to draw the line.

Naomi balled her fists and declared vehemently, "You should teach him a lesson! Don't you even think about letting him go scot free. He's caused a lot of trouble for the women in Sudmere."

"You don't have to worry about that. Trust me on this," Stephen intoned coldly. Quentin glanced at Stephen and said, "Just don't take it too far, yeah?" Stephen swirled his glass, watching the red liquid slosh against the glass. "I won't."

Adrian Tatum received two videos and several photos at the Tatum residence in Sudmere.

The first video showed someone struggling in the sea. Unfortunately, the person taking the video couldn't zoom in further, making it hard for him to ascertain just who it was in the video.

The next video was taken on the deck of a large cruise ship. His son, Bruno, was drenched to the bone and lying on the ground.

All the pictures following the video showed a pitiful-looking Bruno from various angles.

Adrian immediately made a phone call. When he learned that Bruno had somehow offended both the

Jacobson and Yates families, henet

instantly had a public statement drafted. The contents naturally boiled down to him severing any and all ties with Bruno. Contént

Bruno's mother, Janice Kings, found out about it and got into a heated argument with Adrian. There were tears, screams, and even threats of suicide when Janice understood that Adrian refused to withdraw his decision.

In the end, Adrian lost his patience.

He shoved Janice aside and yelled, "Just look at the mess your precious son has caused! I can't believe you still have the audacity to cry about it. I've told him that he could fool around as he wished on one condition. He was not to provoke Stephen Jacobson in any way.

"Did he listen? No! Now, he's paying the price for his actions. The Tatum family

will be next if we don't cut ties with him now!"

"How could this happen? My son, my poor son..." Janice sobbed into her palms. She didn't bother getting up after being pushed to the ground. Instead, she continued to cry, grieving.

...

There were still two hours until Marissa's birthday bash later that evening.

Therefore, the group chose to pass the time in the lounge.