CHAPTER 41
CHRISTIAN'S POV
Reginald sat beside me, calmly sipping a cup of coffee as we discussed the docks and the shipments that moved through them.
"It was a smart move getting the Minister of Justice on our side," I said with a small smile. With him in our pocket, everything moved smoothly—no interruptions, no unnecessary inspections.
He didn't know exactly what I shipped.
But I was certain he suspected it was illegal.
Keeping him on my payroll, sending him on luxurious vacations every year… that was extremely generous of me.
"And don't forget the Chief of Police," Reginald added, chuckling. "And the Naval Chief."
I leaned back in my chair.
"Do you remember when those two District Attorneys tried to squeeze half a million out of us for each shipment?" Reginald burst out laughing.
I shook my head slowly, remembering the chaos that followed.
Those bastards were asking for money they didn't even make in a year.
Then again… maybe they did.
If there was one thing I had learned in life, it was this:
The world ran on money.
Without money, the world wouldn't even be where it was today.
Suddenly, the office door burst open.
Massimo rushed inside without knocking.
That alone was enough to tell me something was terribly wrong.
Reginald and I both looked up.
His hair was tied back, his breathing uneven. Panic clung to his face like a shadow.
"Are you going to speak or…?" Reginald asked impatiently. I was just as anxious.
Massimo swallowed hard.
"The shipment, boss… it was intercepted."
The moment the words left his mouth, silence fell over the room.
My eyes slowly narrowed on him.
Fear spread across his face instantly.
I stood up so quickly my chair scraped violently against the floor.
Within minutes, I was already striding out of the office, Reginald and Massimo rushing behind me.
The door of the black SUV was opened for me, and I slid inside.
"The harbor," I ordered the driver.
Reginald climbed in beside me while Massimo took the passenger seat in front.
Massimo had warned me before.
And I had listened.
Two ships of identical size had been scheduled to sail at the same time from two different harbors—a diversion.
So how the hell did whoever intercepted my shipment know which one was mine?
The question gnawed at my mind the entire drive.
I barely noticed when we arrived.
The moment we stepped out, several men rushed toward me. Most of them were part of the crew assigned to the shipment.
The captain pushed his way through the small crowd.
"Boss, I'm sorry!" he cried, his voice shaking. "I didn't realize how they got on board!"
His face was swollen, bruised badly.
They had beaten him.
In fact, everyone who had been on that ship carried bruises and swelling across their faces.
Someone had done a number on them.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to his ear.
"Go home to your family," I murmured quietly. "We'll discuss this once I'm done tracking down my shipment."
The man trembled.
My words weren't exactly a threat.
But they certainly weren't kind either.
"Is my ship still on the water?" I asked coldly.
"No, sir," one of the tech specialists answered nervously. "It's gone. Completely off the radar. We can't locate it anywhere at sea."
My fist slammed violently into the nearest car.
The metal dented.
Pain shot through my hand.
"FUCK!"
Rage burned through my chest.
Not wanting anyone to witness that moment of weakness, Reginald quickly ordered everyone to clear the area.
Within seconds, we were alone.
I paced back and forth, trying to force my mind to think clearly.
If that shipment wasn't recovered, it would be the biggest loss I had ever suffered.
Reginald finally broke the silence.
"I think we both know who did this, don't we?"
His voice was dark with anger.
I stopped pacing.
My jaw tightened.
"Find that motherfucker," I muttered as I walked back toward the SUV.
For months, I had been avoiding Daemon.
I didn't want to start a war.
But now…
Now I wanted his blood.
And even if he returned my shipment—
I would still kill him.