Chapter 234 The Culprit


    Chapter 234 The Culprit


    "Rose!" Upon seeing the woman, ck Panther and hispanions all bowed respectfully,


    showing an unusually deferential attitude.


    "I apologize for the behavior of my subordinates, sirs. Please forgive us," Rose''s gaze lingered on


    Billy for a moment before she smiled gracefully. At the same time, she was slightly surprised. She


    couldn''t sense any martial aura from any of the three individuals, wondering whether all of the three


    were above her in strength. Moreover, she felt an unprecedented aura of power from Billy. It was


    stronger than any dignitary she had encountered before.


    "Are you Rose?" Billy spoke casually.


    "I am indeed," Rose smiled again. "If the three of you don''t mind, would you like to sit upstairs?"


    "Sure." Billy nodded. The lobby had already gathered quite a crowd, and he didn''t want to discuss


    matters here.


    A few minutester, they arrived at a banquet hall on the sixth floor. Billy took a seat, while Judge


    and Stout stood on his left and right respectively. This was a matter of courtesy, but also a


    precaution in case of any unexpected events, allowing them to shield Billy immediately.


    On the other side, Rose sat on a sofa opposite Billy, with ck Panther and the old man standing


    behind her.


    "What should I call you, sir?" After a waiter poured tea for the two parties, Rose began the


    conversation.


    "My surname is Gardner." Billy spoke calmly.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "So, you''re Mr Gardner," Rose sipped her tea. "May I know what brings you to me?"


    "You should be able to tell me where Derek Hines is." Billy said.


    "Hmm?" Hearing this, the pupils of Rose, ck Panther, and the old man all slightly contracted.


    After steadying her emotions a bit, Rose spoke again, "I''m not quite sure what you mean, Mr


    Gardner. Someone like Mr Hines, why would you inquire about his whereabouts from me?"


    "He''s gone missing." Billy took a sip of tea and continued, "He''s my friend. If something happens to


    him, the consequences will be severe."


    "Mr Hines went missing?" Rose''s expression was one of surprise. After a moment, she put down


    her teacup and continued, "Mr Gardner, I''m truly sorry, but I can''t provide you with an answer to that


    question. Mr Hines... He was indeed dining at my restaurantst night. I even raised a toast to him.


    But I have no knowledge of what happened after that. He..."


    "Are you unwilling to tell?" Billy''s tone turned cold. "For your own sake, it''s better not to bring trouble


    upon yourself, because you won''t be able to bear the consequences."


    "How dare you speak like this?" ck Panther''s brows furrowed as he pointed at Billy and spoke


    with a deep voice.


    "Point your finger again, and you won''t have it anymore." Judge''s eyebrows furrowed as well.


    "What do you think this ce is?" ck Panther withdrew his hand and continued with a stern


    voice, "Mr Hines is a grown man. If he''s missing, how are we supposed to know where he is? If


    you''re looking for someone, go to the police station. What''s the point ofing to us..."


    Bang!


    Before he could finish, Judge''s swift movement sent ck Panther flying. A wisp of blood trickled


    from the corner of his mouth as he hit the ground. Both Rose and the old man inhaled sharply,


    confirming that Judge''s strength was indeed above theirs.


    "You dare to speak out of turn before my boss. When is it your turn to butt in?" Judge''s icy gaze


    fixed on ck Panther. "If there''s another time, I''ll cripple one of your arms."


    "Fuck!" ck Panther obviously wasn''t so easy to give in. After getting up, he rushed towards


    Judge.


    "Panther, stop!" Rose reprimanded.


    She knew that her subordinate would be no match for the other.


    "Can we continue?" Billy turned his attention back to Rose. "My patience has limits. You''d better


    make a quick decision."


    Exhaling a breath, Rose took another sip of tea.


    "I truly don''t know where Mr Hines went after I raised a toast to himst night. However, there was


    another group of people dining herest night. If something did happen to Mr Hines, it might be


    rted to them. In addition, someone broke into the surveince room of the restaurantst night


    and deleted all the surveince footage from the past few days. It was probably done by the same


    people."


    "Who are these people?" Billy furrowed his brows.


    "Members of Enssea Commerce Association," Rose took a deep breath before continuing, "As far


    as I know, they''ve been trying to recruit Mr Hines. However, he doesn''t seem interested and has


    turned down their invitations multiple times. There have been conflicts between them before."


    "Enssea Commerce Association?" Billy blinked. "Who are they?"


    "Enssea Commerce Association is an organization established by the four major families of Enssea


    half a year ago. Their goal is to control the entiremercial market of the city." Rose paused for a


    moment before continuing, "Recently, they''ve sent people to approach me, but I declined. Because


    of that, they hold a grudge against me."


    "Sponsored by the four major families of Enssea?" Judge asked.


    "On the surface, it does appear that way, but if my guess is correct, there''s probably someone else


    behind them." Rose replied.


    "The Doman family?" Judge continued.


    "Yes." Rose nodded.


    "The leader of the group fromst night, do you know who that person was and where we can find


    them?" Billy set down his teacup.


    "I don''t know if you have heard of Lord Buddha in Enssea?" Rose asked in return.


    "The figure in charge of the underground forces in Enssea?" Judge''s gaze narrowed. "Are you


    suggesting that he''s also a member of Enssea Commerce Association?"


    "Yes," Rose nodded again. "Enssea Commerce Association oversees all the grey areas of Enssea,


    and Lord Buddha is responsible for it."


    "The leader of that groupst night was a man named Scorpion. He''s the right-hand man of Lord


    Buddha. If everything goes as nned, he should be the one who captured Mr Hines."


    "What''s your rtionship with Lord Buddha?" Billy asked.


    "We''repetitors of sorts. I own several entertainment venues, and there have been conflicts


    between us from time to time." Rose continued.


    "Enssea Commerce Association wants me to join them, but in reality, they want me to align with


    Lord Buddha."


    "I hope you''re not lying to me," Billy said and turned to Judge. "Find Scorpion immediately!"


    "Yes!" Judge nodded, then took out his phone and made a call.


    "Mr Gardner," Rose''s tone sounded hesitant, "whether it''s Buddha Lord or Enssea Commerce


    Association, they can influence and control Enssea. They''re even capable of covering up the sky


    with just one hand. Furthermore, Buddha Lord not only possesses formidable personal strength, but


    alsomands many experts and specialists. If you go after them like this, I''m afraid..."


    Bang!


    Before Rose could finish speaking, the banquet hall''s door was forcefully kicked open. Immediately


    after, two figures flew in, twitching a couple of times before copsing to the ground, unconscious.


    "Hmm!?" A sh of rm crossed Rose''s eyes, and she stood up.


    The old man and ck Panther by her side both stepped forward with tense expressions as they


    focused on the door.