Chapter 130: Chapter 130 Looking For A Collaborator Themselves

Seeing this, the businessman in the middle clenched his jaw before speaking once more.

"Mr. Walker, are you sure about this?" he asked, his tone growing noticeably colder. "Are you really willing to walk away? After all, you invited the three of us here knowing full well what kind of standing we possess in this city."

His words sounded harmless on the surface.

Yet everyone present could hear the hidden meaning behind them.

He was reminding Gideon of their influence.

Reminding him that they were not ordinary businessmen who could be ignored at will.

Should they decide to make things difficult for him, they could obstruct his ventures at every turn within the city. Whether through official channels, business partnerships, logistics, or local networks, they possessed enough influence to create endless problems for any outsider seeking a foothold here.

In other words, it was a threat.

A veiled one, but a threat nonetheless.

The businessman had already made up his mind.

If Gideon refused to compromise, then neither side would benefit. He would rather see both parties suffer losses than allow himself to be the only one standing on the losing end. In his eyes, Gideon’s most rational choice was obvious, and that is, to take a step back, allow them to save face, and continue working together.

Unfortunately for him, Gideon was not known for making decisions based on what others considered rational.

Especially not when someone was trying to threaten him.

The instant those words left the man’s mouth, the faint smile on Gideon’s face disappeared completely.

What remained was an expression so cold that the three businessmen felt a chill run down their spines.

Then Gideon smiled. It was not a wide smile nor an overtly threatening one, yet somehow it was far more terrifying than any display of anger. The three businessmen felt their blood run cold.

Not a single threat left his mouth — no harsh words, no raised voice, no declaration of retaliation. Nevertheless, that smile alone sent a sense of unease crawling up their spines, as though an invisible blade had been pressed against their throats.

A soft chuckle followed. Normally, Gideon’s deep, magnetic voice would have sounded pleasant to the ears, but at that moment, it resembled the tolling of a funeral bell. The smiles on the three businessmen’s faces stiffened.

Without bothering to say another word, Gideon casually patted Ashley’s shoulder.

"Let’s go." His tone instantly softened when addressing her, creating a stark contrast to the icy atmosphere he had left hanging over the businessmen. Before turning away, he cast a brief glance toward his assistant.

It lasted less than a second, and no words were exchanged, yet the assistant immediately understood.

’Deal with them.’

That single look conveyed everything. With that, Gideon led Ashley out of the private room while Gage followed beside them.

Gage’s mood was noticeably lower than before. Originally, he had accompanied Ashley because this meeting was supposed to be an opportunity for her. If the negotiation succeeded, she would have gained a valuable achievement to present when applying for an internship at their eldest brother’s company.

Instead, they were leaving empty-handed. The thought left him disappointed, causing him to become distracted as he walked. What he failed to notice was that the moment his attention wandered, Gideon had once again moved closer to Ashley, naturally shortening the distance between them as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

Meanwhile, the assistant remained behind. He stood quietly and watched until Gideon, Ashley, and Gage disappeared into the hallway. The moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere inside the room changed.

The warm and approachable smile that had been resting on the assistant’s face vanished, replaced by an expression as hard as forged steel. Slowly, he turned his gaze toward the three businessmen.

The politeness in his eyes was gone, and what remained was a coldness that made their hearts sink. If Gideon was the king who had chosen to leave the battlefield, then the man standing before them was the blade he had left behind.

"Gentlemen," the assistant said calmly, adjusting his glasses as he regarded the three businessmen with an icy smile.

"It wasn’t very wise to throw veiled threats at my master." The room instantly fell silent. Before any of them could respond, he casually pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The call connected almost immediately.

"Come deal with a few troublemakers," he said in an indifferent tone. "Don’t kill them. Just make sure they remember this lesson for the rest of their lives." The words were spoken so casually that they sent a chill down the three businessmen’s spines.

As he spoke, his gaze swept across them one by one, and the sinister grin on his face made his intentions far clearer than his words ever could. For the first time that day, genuine fear appeared in their eyes.

They were men accustomed to throwing their weight around. In this city, they were influential figures who could make others bend to their will, and most people chose compromise over confrontation when dealing with them. Unfortunately, they had forgotten that not everyone played by the same rules.

The assistant ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket before offering them a polite smile. "Have a pleasant rest of the day, gentlemen." With those final words, he turned and walked toward the door.

No one dared stop him. The moment he left the private room, the door clicked shut behind him. Several minutes later, a group of imposing men entered the room. Their broad shoulders, thick arms, and intimidating physiques instantly caused the expressions of the three businessmen and their assistants to change. Then the door closed once more, sealing them inside.

What followed remained known only to those present. The staff outside merely heard raised voices, panicked shouting, desperate pleas, and the sounds of furniture being knocked over.

Occasionally, there were dull thuds that made those passing by quicken their pace and pretend they had heard nothing at all. No one dared investigate, and no one asked questions. By the time the door finally opened again, the private room had returned to complete silence.

The three businessmen and their assistants were escorted out shortly afterward, their earlier arrogance nowhere to be seen. Their faces were pale, their clothes disheveled, and the confidence they had displayed throughout the meeting had completely vanished.

As for what exactly had happened inside the room, no one was willing to talk about it.

"Ash, now that we’re no longer pursuing a partnership with those three, are we going to look for other potential business partners?"

Gage asked from the front passenger seat, glancing at Ashley through the rearview mirror. After leaving the restaurant, Gideon had somehow managed to coax his sister into riding in the same car again.

As a result, the three of them were currently sharing the ride back, with Gage seated in front while Ashley and Gideon occupied the spacious rear seats.

"Well, they’ve already made their position clear," Ashley said calmly, leaning back against her seat. "Even if we approach someone else in the city, we’ll probably run into the same problem. If they’re willing to make things difficult for anyone who works with us, why would we go looking for humiliation ourselves? Besides, they aren’t the only avenue available to us."