James took a deep breath, but it still couldn't suppress the pain in his chest. He choked out, "Mr. Baron, people like us… to put it bluntly, we're just tools for the boss to make money. It's because we can earn that the boss is reluctant to let go. But people like us are hard to control, so he has to use our families to keep us in line." "I've been an orphan since I was a kid. I don't know who my parents were. The orphanage director raised me, but I was bad at school and didn't have any skills, so I could only go out and run with the wrong crowd. I thought that was it for my life, but then I met Beth." "She was the light of my life, the person I wanted to protect with everything I had. So when she gave up everything to be with me, even cutting ties with her family, I swore I would make something of myself. I'd give her the best life in the world and show her parents that she wasn't wrong to choose me!" As he spoke, James' tears flowed even more fiercely. "Because I was in a hurry to make money fast, someone introduced me to Rachel, one of the boss' subordinates. Rachel offered me a job. She said as long as I wasn't afraid to die and was willing to work hard, I would definitely make it big. To keep my promise to Beth, I worked like my life depended on it. When I finally had money and the boss told me to bring them over to enjoy it, I was ecstatic. I had no idea it was a trap." Hearing this, Baron already had his suspicions. But he remained silent, listening quietly. James recalled the past, his eyes filled with anguish. "When Beth brought our son to me, I truly wanted to give them both everything I had. But right then, the boss sent a woman over, saying it was to celebrate my success and hold a banquet. I got carried away and drank too much. When I woke up, that woman and I were lying naked together. It was obvious what had happened." "I was furious, I wanted to kill that woman. But the boss said since I slept with her, he'd just give her to me. I said I didn't want her, that I had a wife and a son. The boss said successful men all have multiple wives, and that it was the only way people would respect me. It was only then that I realized I'd been set up." "That woman was sent by the boss to watch me. As for Beth and my son, the boss did let me see them, but he said Beth had to stay and work in the hold. I knew exactly what the women in the hold did. I couldn't let her go, but the boss said if I didn't agree, he had plenty of ways to make my family of three disappear." "I knew he wasn't bluffing. He was capable of it. I still had value to the boss. For my sake, he wouldn't make things too hard on Beth. As long as I was alive and useful, I could rescue her eventually. So, I demanded custody of our son from Beth right then. No matter what, she couldn't take the child down into the hold." "The women in the hold… they were the families of the men who worked for the boss, or their sisters. To put it bluntly, they were all our weaknesses. Hostages to control us." Hearing this, Shauna's brows knitted tightly. "Who is this boss? He's not human! The rule on the street is that you don't harm wives and children. This is just despicable!" Baron's gaze darkened. He had seen people like this before. Utterly without conscience. He looked at James' tormented expression and asked, "Even if you can explain away the situation with Beth, what about your son? You took custody of him, so why didn't you raise him properly? Why did you abuse him like that? Do you have any idea how close he was to not making it?" At Baron's words, James became agitated. "Close to not making it? Mr. Baron, does that mean my son was saved? Did Beth find a doctor? Is his illness cured?" Baron saw the genuine excitement and joy in his eyes and was puzzled. "With your resources, treating your son's leukemia shouldn't have been difficult. Why didn't you get him treated?" "My son's leukemia… I gave it to him on purpose." James' body trembled. "I locked him in a newly renovated house. It was full of formaldehyde. It would have been a miracle if he didn't get leukemia." "You're a bastard!" As a woman, Shauna couldn't bear to hear such a thing. She strode forward and slapped James hard across the face.The slap was crisp and loud. Baron made no move to stop her; he'd wanted to hit James himself. The force of the blow snapped James' head to the side, his cheek instantly swelling, but he just burst out laughing. He laughed and laughed until tears streamed down his face.