Chapter 48: Melvin Maw

At that moment, Tigra's heart surged with an intense urge to eliminate Aliki entirely. Previously, she had assured him that Sherise was just an ordinary person with no powerful connections. It was based on that information that he dared to brazenly target Sherise. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Sherise to be backed by a figure like Arius. Who was Arius? The leader of the Blood Moon Club, the undisputed king of Shiphay City's underground world. Tigra didn't even have the qualifications to carry Arius's shoes. If Arius had any interest in expanding his reach, Tigra's Tiger Gang would have long since been swallowed whole by the Blood Moon Club. And if that wasn't terrifying enough, there was Ruxley. Someone who commanded the respect and deference of Arius had to be a man of unimaginable power and influence. Just the thought of Ruxley's icy stare made Tigra tremble involuntarily, chills running down his spine. Thank goodness he had seen the writing on the wall and quickly apologized. Otherwise, he'd be a corpse by now. Aliki was left stunned by Tigra's sudden slap. Holding her throbbing cheek in disbelief, she stared at Tigra, completely lost as to why he would suddenly attack her. What had she done to provoke him? Tigra fixed his gaze coldly on Aliki, but he refrained from telling her about the terrifying figure backing Sherise. If Aliki was so set on going after Sherise, let her keep at it. She could face that overwhelming sense of hopelessness herself. Within moments, Tiger Gang had thoroughly trashed Stellar Group's offices, leaving behind a chaotic scene of utter destruction. Tigra then approached Aliki and growled, "You have three days to transfer thirty million to my account. If not, your Stellar Group will be finished." Tigra had just lost twenty million as compensation to Ruxley, and he wasn't going to absorb that cost without reclaiming it—along with interest—from Aliki. With that, he waved his hand and stormed out of Stellar Group with his men. Aliki stood amidst the ruins of her company, dazed and shaken to the core. She had been eagerly waiting for good news from Tigra, yet everything had gone disastrously wrong. What had happened? Why had Tigra suddenly turned against her? Just as Aliki was drowning in confusion, a young man in his twenties walked into Stellar Group. Seeing the state of the office, he was visibly alarmed and rushed over to Aliki. "Aliki, what on earth happened?" "Melvin!" Aliki cried, collapsing into the young man's embrace and sobbing uncontrollably. The man, Melvin Maw, was the eldest son of the Maw family, a prominent clan in Shiphay City, and also Aliki's boyfriend. The Maw family was a powerhouse in Shiphay City, with assets worth billions and ranking thirty-eighth in Sheyton Province's family list, far surpassing the power of Aliki's family. "Baby, don't cry. Tell me, who was it? Who had the audacity to lay a hand on you? Tell me, and I'll make sure they pay!" Melvin exclaimed, his voice full of concern as he took in the swelling on Aliki's face. "It... it was Tigra of Tiger Gang!" Aliki choked out between sobs, recounting the entire incident to Melvin. "Tiger Gang?" Melvin's brow furrowed upon hearing this. Tiger Gang was the second most powerful organization in Shiphay City's underground world, right behind the Blood Moon Club. Its strength was on par with the Maw family, and even they would think twice before provoking Tiger Gang. "But didn't you pay Tigra three million to go after Sherise? Why would he suddenly turn on you?" Melvin asked, puzzled. Aliki's eyes were full of grievance. "I don't know! I gave him the money upfront, and everything was going according to plan. Who knew he'd suddenly change sides?" Aliki had dealt with Tigra on several occasions before, and he'd never failed to do her bidding. Who would have thought things would go so awry this time? "Could it be that Sherise offered him an even higher price to make him turn against you?" Melvin speculated. Aliki's body trembled upon hearing this. "That's possible!" Tigra was notorious for his greed; anyone familiar with Shiphay City's underworld knew this well. If Sherise had decided to offer a hefty sum, Tigra could have very well switched allegiances on the spot. Melvin's expression turned serious. "The Maw family has some connections within Shiphay City's underground world. I'll reach out to our contacts to see what exactly is going on." "Damn it! That woman escaped once again!" Aliki seethed, gnashing her teeth. Frustration and unwillingness were etched all over her face. Over the past few months, she had pulled out all the stops to suppress Sherise, only to have her efforts thwarted time and again. Melvin tried to soothe her, "Aliki, don't worry. She won't be lucky for long." "Next week, Sherise is hosting a signing event to formalize contracts with several companies, right? I've already pulled some strings with the Maw family's influence, and those companies will breach their contracts to sign with Stellar Group instead." "When that happens, Noctis Group will suffer huge losses. Then, she'll be at your mercy." Aliki's eyes lit up with excitement as she wrapped her arms around Melvin's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "You're amazing!" With a malicious glint in her eye, Aliki smirked. "Sherise, just you wait. This time, I'll make sure you're crushed completely, and you'll never rise again!" Melvin grabbed Aliki by the waist, flashing a wicked grin. "Babe, after doing all this for you, how do you plan to thank me tonight?" Aliki leaned into him, her voice dripping with seduction. "Oh, you tease. Whatever you want, I'm all yours." Seeing Aliki's alluring demeanor, Melvin's breath quickened. One of the reasons he was infatuated with Aliki was her knack for pleasing men. As he envisioned her sultry moves in the bedroom, Melvin could no longer hold back. Scooping her up in his arms, he rushed into her office, driven by desire. While Aliki was busy fawning over Melvin, Ruxley had already left Noctis Group and returned to his villa at Riverside Gardens, ready to finally begin his alchemy.