America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

Rainy nights in Seattle always carry an indelible melancholy and ambiguity.

But in the executive suite at the Four Seasons Hotel that faced Elliott Bay.

The air, however, was dry and scorching, filled with the scents of top-quality fragrances and expensive alcohol.

"Click".

Chen An locked the door behind him.

This suite is extremely luxurious, with a Steinway piano placed in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

On that huge black piano lid, there were no sheet music, only a woman swaying in red-soled high heels.

Ava Green.

She had clearly been waiting for a while.

The camel-colored cashmere shawl was carelessly tossed on the sofa.

Her black silk slip dress shimmered like flowing water under the light.

Like a black mamba snake that chooses to shed its disguise at this moment.

"You're ten minutes slower than I expected, Mr. Chen."

Ava held the empty martini glass in her hand, looking at Chen An with a dazed expression.

A faint, almost imperceptible sneer played at the corner of his lips. "Are you downstairs still trying to appease your little lover?"

"We're checking to see if there are any of Old Joe's spies around."

Chen An took off his rain-soaked overcoat and hung it on the hanger with a calm and unhurried demeanor.

"After all, I'm now entering the enemy's boudoir."

"I wouldn't be surprised if a gun were pointed at my head right now."

"gun?"

Ava chuckled softly and lifted her long skirt.

Underneath her silk dress, she wore incredibly sexy garter belts.

He pulled out an extremely small Browning pistol.

She held the gun barrel as if it were a lipstick and casually tossed it onto the carpet at Chen An's feet.

"If there's a gun, you can point it at me."

She jumped off the piano and walked barefoot to Chen An.

She was very tall, but Chen An still had to look up at her slightly.

"I have said that I have come to surrender. I bring my sincerity and my body."

Ava stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Chen An's neck.

Her body was cold, a result of long-term stress and calculation.

But her breath was hot, carrying a desperate madness.

"Why me?" Chen An didn't push her away, but calmly looked into her eyes.

"Because old Joe is old, but he's not quite dead yet."

A hint of hatred flashed in Ava's eyes. "He wants me to take the blame."

"This operation against you has failed, and the board needs a scapegoat."

"Unsurprisingly, he chose me. That old bastard..."

"I worked for him for ten years, helping him launder countless amounts of dirty money, and in the end he wanted to throw me into a women's prison."

She gripped Chen An's collar tightly, her nails almost digging in.

"I'm not reconciled. I want him dead. And you're the only one who can do that, and the one capable of taking over."

"Chen An, conquer me. If you conquer me tonight, TerraPower will be yours tomorrow."

"And I... will be the sharpest knife in your hand."

This is the Queen's surrender.

It was driven by ambition, hatred, and a perverse pleasure.

Chen An smiled.

He reached out, grabbed Ava's slender lower back, lifted her up, and pressed her against the floor-to-ceiling window behind her.

"Great. I like this kind of transactional honesty."

"If you want to be the sword, then you must first learn... how to be used as a scabbard."

"Rip—"

The silk fabric emitted a melodious wail as it was violently torn.

Outside the window, Seattle is experiencing torrential rain and a dazzling night view.

Inside the house was a primitive ritual about the transfer of power.

Ava Green, the "femme fatale" known for her cold-bloodedness in the business world, completely sheds all her pretense and pride on this rainy night.

She left messy handprints on the glass window, and she let out a sound like a shattered divine eagle, unlike anything she had ever heard before, in Chen An's ear.

This is not the gentle ZA.

This is a war of conquest and being conquered.

It is the process of a new king planting his flag on the ruins of the old aristocracy.

………………

Two o'clock in the morning.

The wind and rain subsided slightly.

At the desk in the suite, Chen An, wearing a bathrobe and holding a cigarette, stared coldly at the computer screen.

Ava, like a cat whose strength has been drained, curled up in the chair next to her, wrapped in a blanket.

She was holding a cup of hot water, which Chen An had poured for her when he got up earlier.

Her makeup was a little smudged, but that made her look more real, even adding a touch of vulnerability that made her seem more endearing.

On the screen was a series of complex overseas account transaction records, as well as several encrypted audio recordings of phone calls.

That's irrefutable evidence of Joe Capone's money laundering, bribery of state legislators, and even his plot to murder a rival mine owner who unfortunately crashed years ago.

"That old bastard, he's really ruthless."

Chen An flicked his cigarette ash. "This alone is enough to put him in jail for the rest of his life, or even send him straight to the electric chair."

"That's a must."

Ava's voice was a little hoarse. "I also know the number of a secret safe deposit box he has in a Swiss bank."

"That's his retirement savings, about two hundred million US dollars. If we act quickly enough, we can freeze it before the order is issued..."

"No."

Chen An interrupted her, shutting down the computer. "Don't touch that money. It's bait for the FBI."

"If we didn't leave those hungry wolves some bones, why would they bite so fiercely?"

He pulled out the USB drive and played with it in his hand.

"Moreover, I don't need his pension. Swallowing TerraPower's market share and distribution channels is worth far more than two hundred million."

Chen An picked up his phone and dialed the number that had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Colonel Williams. And... FBI Senior Agent Smith."

(Not the same unlucky guy as before, but another one)

"I have what you want here. Information about the head of the biggest crime syndicate on the West Coast."

"I would like to apply for the witness protection program, Miss Ava Green."

"In exchange, this USB drive will appear on your desk in half an hour."

A chaotic commotion came from the other end of the phone, clearly indicating that the pre-prepared arrest team had begun its operation.

hang up the phone.

Chen An handed the USB drive to Ava.

"Go ahead. Hand it over to the police. Tomorrow morning, you'll be the heroic whistleblower who 'sacrifices family for the greater good,' not the scapegoat."

Ava took the USB drive, looked at Chen An, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

She originally thought Chen An would use this evidence to blackmail her, or treat her as a pawn to be discarded.

But he didn't.

He gave her a real way out, even a way to clear her name.

"Thanks……"

Ava stood up, the blanket slipped off, revealing her body covered in bruises.

She rushed over without hesitation and gave Chen An one last deep kiss.

"Boss... I'll come back to you after I get out of witness protection proceedings."

"When the time comes... remember to reserve the CEO's office at TerraPower for me."

"That's natural."