Stephen stared at him silently for a long moment. Then he let out a cold snort.

"Work with you?" he repeated mockingly. "You kidnapped my wife and daughter, threatened me, and dragged me to this filthy place..." His eyes darkened dangerously. "And you expect me to happily accept your offer?"

A dangerous light flashed in his eyes. "If you wanted a business partnership, you could’ve approached me properly. But instead, you chose threats and violence."

He shook his head. "No. There is no way I’ll work with you."

"I’m not interested in doing business with you, Mr. Miller," Dominic said calmly from the shadows. "I’m interested in ruling the world. And you can help me achieve that."

Stephen frowned slightly.

"You are powerful, wealthy, and most importantly..." Dominic’s lips curved faintly. "You are smarter than your other five friends. You have the capability to rule. Yet you still bow your head and follow orders like everyone else. Isn’t it frustrating?"

Stephen’s expression stiffened slightly.

Dominic noticed it immediately. "If we join hands," he continued, "we can crush the others one by one. No more taking orders."

Stephen’s eyes narrowed further as he tried harder to see the man hidden in the darkness.

"Who are you?" he demanded again. "And what exactly are you planning?"

Dominic chuckled softly. "You’ll know who I am soon enough."

He leaned back lazily. "But first, you need to agree to work with me. Tell me everything about your five friends, and help me destroy them."

A chill crept down Stephen’s spine. "You want to destroy the core team?"

Dominic’s fingers curled slightly against his knee. ’So they call themselves the core team...’

Outwardly, however, his expression remained calm.

"Only five of them," Dominic corrected coldly. "Not you. The core team will still exist."

A dangerous gleam flashed in his eyes. "But there will only be two members left. You and me."

Stephen stared at him for two seconds before bursting into loud laughter.

"You are not only delusional, but foolish too. You think you can destroy the core team. No, never..."

Dominic’s expression turned murderous. His patience was almost gone. "Since you won’t help me, there is no use in keeping you around." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He slowly raised a gun and pointed it directly at Stephen.

Stephen’s face turned deathly pale. Fear exploded in his eyes.

"N-No..." he stammered, stumbling backward. "Don’t kill me."

But Dominic didn’t listen. With a click, he unlocked the gun.

The sound nearly stopped Stephen’s heart.

"Please," he cried out in panic. "Don’t shoot. I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything—every detail about them."

Tears almost formed in his eyes as his composure was completely shattered.

"Start talking," Dominic said, still pointing the gun at him.

Stephen swallowed hard, his entire body trembling. Then he looked up cautiously. "Can I... speak to my wife and daughter first?"

"No." Dominic rejected him instantly. "You don’t get to talk to them until I get what I want."

"I just need to know they are safe."

"Every second you waste," Dominic said coldly, "their suffering increases."

Stephen’s heart sank heavily. He couldn’t gamble with their lives.

"Alright..." he whispered weakly. "I’ll tell you everything."

For a moment, hesitation flickered in his eyes. But the thought of his wife and daughter erased it completely.

"There are six people in the core team," he finally began. "But Mathias is the leader."

’Mathias,’ Dominic murmured the name to himself.

"He is not just powerful," Stephen muttered. "He is terrifying."

Even saying it seemed to make him uneasy.

"No one knows exactly how much money Mathias owns," he continued. "His legal businesses alone spread across dozens of countries—shipping companies, oil investments, technology firms, banks. But that’s only the clean side of his empire."

Stephen paused briefly before lowering his voice. "In the underworld, his reach is everywhere. Politicians protect him. The cops fear him. Judges owe him favors. Entire gangs operate under his command without even realizing whose orders they are truly following."

Dominic’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"He controls underground trade routes, private security networks, and even intelligence channels. Information reaches him faster than governments."

Stephen swallowed hard. "If Mathias wants someone dead in one country," he said grimly, "that person can disappear in another country before sunrise."

"I see..." A dangerous glint flashed through Dominic’s eyes. "So this is how Alejandro died."

Stephen fell silent. Then he nodded. "Alejandro stopped following orders. We warned him several times, but he kept violating the rules. Mathias was furious with him. So we planned to eliminate him. And Marco became the perfect pawn because he already hated Alejandro for not choosing him as successor."

He stopped talking abruptly. His eyes widened suspiciously.

"Wait..."

He stared toward the darkness. "Why are you bringing him up suddenly? What relationship do you have with him? Who are you exactly?"

"Do you want to know who I am?" Dominic rose to his feet and stepped out from the shadows. "Then look carefully."

Stephen’s face paled instantly as recognition dawned on him. "Dominic..." he whispered in horror, his throat turning dry.

"What? Surprised?" Dominic sneered. "You never expected me to reach the core team, did you?"

Step by step, he moved closer. "You thought Alejandro’s death would remain buried forever."

Stephen instinctively scooted backward.

"You people planned to kill me, too," Dominic said coldly. "And you expected me to stay quiet?"

Stephen trembled. At that moment, he finally understood why the underworld called Dominic the devil.

The man standing before him was truly terrifying. Dominic’s gaze alone felt enough to suffocate someone.

"I don’t spare my enemies," Dominic added coldly.

"No..." Stephen quickly shook his head. "You said you wanted to work with me."

Desperation filled his voice. "I can help you. I know all the secrets of the core team members."

Dominic paused.

Stephen hurriedly continued, "If you want to destroy them, you need me."

He paused for a moment. "But Mathias is extremely dangerous. No one truly knows what he is planning. He trusts nobody. He only gives orders. Defeating him won’t be easy."

Dominic remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"That’s my problem." His voice turned deadly cold. "But remember what you promised."

He stared directly into Stephen’s eyes. "If you betray me," he slowly lifted the gun again, "you’ll never see your wife and daughter alive."

Stephen’s breathing turned ragged. "No... Please don’t hurt them. I’ll help you. I swear I’ll never betray you."

Dominic lifted his chin slightly. "Go home and act normal," he ordered. "Continue your work as usual. Don’t let anyone suspect a thing."

He looked down at him, his eyes sharpening dangerously.

"My men will be watching you constantly. The moment you try something clever, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger."

Stephen quickly nodded. "I-I understand. I’ll tell everyone my wife and daughter went on vacation."

Dominic didn’t care about the explanation. "Now, tell me everything about the core team members."

Stephen had no choice left. One by one, he revealed the hidden secrets, weaknesses, and dirty dealings of every member of the core team.