Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 106: Attempt to blackmail the Horaces

Chapter 106: Attempt to blackmail the Horaces

That day, that small hospital in the prefecture where Azrael was brought in, became like a setting for an action film.

Bodies were thrown in the air, and grunts and punches sounded accompanied by panicked shouting in the background. Everyone was worried at the lone man fighting the bad guys, while doctors twitched in annoyance.

That disinfectant-smelling place clamored from the fighting, disturbing the patients, but somehow giving entertainment to bored visitors.

Azrael Del Valle, as the main character in the middle of that chaos, armored with ultimate desire and unwavering willpower to escape the hands of the men of his malevolent father, halted after reaping another punch in the face.

It seemed that his father’s men were allowed to beat him to a pulp just so he wouldn’t be able to escape.

His ears rang. He shook his head to clear his blurring vision and continued lunging forward, but his punches lost force. The gash on his head throbbed, and soon he was subdued, unable to do anything.

The men brought him back inside, and Luis called a doctor. Azrael thrashed around, shouting that he wanted to see his family, eyes blazing with loathing toward those men, until the doctor, in order to completely heal his once again bleeding head, sedated him.

Luis watched from behind the doctor’s back, thinking anxiously, ’What could have made him like this? What did Mr. Arden tell him?’

He took the phone from his boss’ pockets and hid it somewhere, in case even that thing might be confiscated by Rage’s men.

At the same time, Knox was left staring at his phone with a pained expression. He called Azrael again, his phone just kept ringing in the first few calls. Thankfully, it was answered after the tenth or more.

A different voice came, but to Knox, it was a familiar one, "Mr. Luis, is Azrael...can I talk to him?"

"He’s not able to answer right now. I’m sorry, Mr. Arden, I have to do something."

The call ended, leaving Knox in great distress. A thought dashed in his muddled brain, ’He must be very angry. He doesn’t want to talk with me. What else can I do? I wanted to explain, but he ended the call. I should see him.’

Knox had decided. He walked out of the room, stashing the phone between his waist and his pajama. However, he hadn’t even reached the next door yet when from the corner emerged his father.

Their eyes met. Knox quickly lowered his head. He heard his father sigh, and footsteps came closer. A tap on the shoulder made Knox slightly lift his head again.

But his father didn’t say anything at all. He just went past him.

Knox thought he was free to go now, but two servants appeared before him, blocking his way. He excused himself, but the two were stubborn, giving his father a quick look and expressing their peril if Knox insisted on going out.

They were guilt-tripping the omega, and they succeeded when Knox spun around and went back to his room. He couldn’t push forward, lest they touch him and discover the phone. At least now, he has a way to contact Azrael again, if he can’t do anything to see him.

Chairman Nathaniel headed to his office, where Athan, Althea, Steve, Shawn, and his lawyer were. He turned to his daughter and asked, "Where is Knoa?"

Althea answered, "He wanted to watch the chef bake a chocolate cake, so he’s in the kitchen."

"I see. Then, let us proceed with this meeting," the chairman sat opposite the lawyer and Athan, next to his daughter. Steve and Shawn were seated on the other side, silently waiting for the chairman’s speech.

Shawn fiddled with his hands. He wasn’t sure why he was included in that meeting, but it seemed that the matter was grave since his uncle approached him with a cold look.

The lawyer, an older man whose age wasn’t too far from the chairman, and Steve, named George Gideon, opened the conversation by putting a piece of paper on the table.

It was a complaint, a formal statement against Shawn Williams, for illegally planting a harmful application on Chairman Rage Del Valle’s phone, resulting in the loss of personal and confidential data.

Shawn’s eyes widened after reading those bold and capital letters. His hand trembled slightly. Being in the presence of the chairman and his uncle, he placed his hands on his sides, balled into fists to hide the uncontrolled trembling.

"Chairman Rage Del Valle will file a case against Mr. Williams for this. They sent proof and even gathered a witness statement. Once proven by the court of law that those are genuine, Mr. Williams will have to face a verdict of five years to twenty years," Attorney Gideon stated.

Athan gave the lawyer an appalled look, "What?"

The lawyer turned to him and continued, "Accessing someone’s device system and obtaining information without spoken or written permission from the device’s owner is given five to ten years in prison. Intentionally damaging the system, corroding and corrupting the data, by knowing transmission will sentence you for ten years to twenty years. Chairman Del Valle was opting for the worst verdict Mr. Williams could get."

Athan gritted his teeth. He glanced at Shawn, noticing his hands shaking despite his efforts to hide it. He squirmed in his seat, wanting to approach the omega, and reassured him even a little bit.

Attorney Gideon added, "They had provided evidence of Mr. Williams’s wrongdoings and are preparing for another legal battle on top of the kidnapping case you filed against him, Chairman Horace. Also, he was intent on proving that his hands weren’t tied on what his subordinate had done."

"That’s absurd! Shawn and I were working with Montgomery’s agency about this hacking issue! We had no choice but to do this to find Knox immediately. Even his own son will prove that nonsense, Attorney!" Athan huffed. His voice was raised and uncomposed. "We could ask the agency to testify. If he’s still pushing on his innocence, we should provide the call history and message thread to—

"You’re not thinking properly, brother. If you gave that proof, then you’re basically shoving Shawn behind bars," Althea spoke strictly, cutting off Athan.

She turned to the lawyer and remarked, "They said they had evidence, but they haven’t filed a complaint yet and sent it to Mr. Gideon instead. Getting dragged into this issue, they’re bound to face losses and criticism from the public, so they’re not planning to proceed with another court case. The purpose of informing us this first must be to blackmail us."

Chairman Nathaniel remained silent, unfazed by what his daughter concluded. Attorney Gideon nodded, confirming it.

Silence settled between them for a while. A dark atmosphere, filled with contempt and repugnance, lingered in the room. How dare a boorish and barbaric family blackmail them? That thought was clearly etched on the faces of the Horaces.

They all look similar, staring at the piece of paper laid on the table. Attorney Gideon cleared his throat to somehow erase that dreadful atmosphere.

Shawn flinched. He muttered lowly, full of self-reproach and anxiety, "I...I’m sorry...b-because of me..."

Athan quickly interrupted him, "You did it to save Knox. Don’t apologize. And I was the one who asked you to do that. I’ve been asking you to do this and that, and I’m sure Steve had warned you the last time you did it, but I still...haa...I’m sorry this happened."

"This happened because you trusted a family closely related to that cruel person," the chairman’s voice erupted. It wasn’t accusing or anything else, just merely stating a fact calmly. "Even if there’s been a fallout between the new owner of that agency and the chairman, their mother, and their uncle are joined at the hips, always ready to support each other."

Athan clenched his fist. It didn’t seem like Kayla and Kayden Montgomery were trying to screw them over and secretly helping their uncle. They both have reasons not to do it, so it must probably be one of Kayla’s employees who helped Rage.

But who? Athan pondered. He looked at Shawn who had never once lifted his head the entire time of that conversation.