Aaron Cheney finally realized he’d been had. He said blankly, "You’re only charging me a hundred for that piece of jade?"

Vera Xavier said lightly, "I only paid a hundred for the raw stone myself. By giving me a hundred, you’ve paid me back in full. Isn’t that enough?"

Aaron Cheney was stunned. That might have been what she said, but that wasn’t how it really worked. Besides, after the way she’d just toyed with him, he didn’t believe her excuse. He preferred to think she was just accepting a token payment for the jade. But if that was the case, he owed her a massive favor!

He couldn’t help but say, "Vera, this doesn’t feel right."

"What doesn’t? Do you think I charged you too much?" Vera Xavier said coolly. "How about this? You give me all of Nathaniel’s letters that you’re holding, and I’ll forget about the hundred bucks."

Aaron Cheney realized he was no match for her. In just a few exchanges, she had him completely tied in knots, leaving him utterly powerless to fight back.

He clutched his head. "Vera... Ugh, I’m leaving! I’ll bring you another letter tomorrow!"

With that, he practically fled.

Watching him go, Vera Xavier raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.

She decided she would have a serious talk with Nathaniel Nathan when he got back. ’If he wants to write me letters, he can send them directly to me. What’s this nonsense about leaving them with Aaron Cheney to deliver one a day?’

Then, to her own chagrin, she realized she was missing him again.

He was away on a mission, so even if she wanted to call him, she wouldn’t be able to get through.

She suddenly found herself worrying about him, wondering if this mission of his would be dangerous.

At that moment, Nathaniel Nathan was deep in a vast jungle on the border between Myrland and Yulara. Some time ago, local police had received a tip that a major drug lord was planning a large deal in the area. The law enforcement officers dispatched to the scene were all killed; there were no survivors. With no other options, the local authorities had requested support from higher-up departments.

In recent years, with the country’s reform and opening-up policies, the populace had become increasingly affluent. Foreign drug traffickers set their sights on the massive domestic market, leading to frequent cross-border drug deals.

Yulara is near Myrland and not far from the infamous Gilded Triangle, making it a prime location for traffickers to smuggle drugs into the country.

Countless officers sacrificed their lives here every year, and in turn, vast quantities of drugs were seized. It was a long and drawn-out war.

And this particular deal was the largest one in years.

After the company received the assignment, Seth Maverick directly ordered Nathaniel Nathan to lead a team to assist in the hunt for the drug lord.

The jungle was dense. Anyone without extensive experience would quickly get lost within it. The forest was deep and the paths treacherous. In addition to the traffickers, there were also various venomous creatures, making the mission exceptionally difficult.

Nathaniel Nathan and his team had been there for three days, but there was still no sign of movement from their targets.

Yet he remained perfectly calm, showing not a single trace of impatience.

At the company, in addition to his public role as Deputy General Manager, he was also a squad leader for The Phantom Company.

Most people only knew that their security company was formidable, but few were aware that operating above it was an even more elite unit: The Phantom Company.

They had no names. Few within the main company even knew who they were or where they were located. All that was known was that when the security company faced a mission it couldn’t handle, another, unnumbered unit would take over.

Because they had no official name, they were known as The Phantom Company. They answered directly to the chairman, Seth Maverick.