Mafia's secretary

Chapter 6: The Point of No Return

The words Xiao Zhan spoke hung in the air like a heavy weight. Yibo felt his pulse quicken as the realization slowly dawned on him: the game he had been playing was never just about being a secretary. Xiao Zhan had planned it all along. He had known.

Yibo swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure. You were always meant to be part of Sean Mafia. The words echoed in his mind, rattling the cage of his thoughts.

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The Aftershock

Yibo took a step back, his mind reeling. "What do you mean I was always meant to be part of Sean Mafia?" His voice trembled slightly, betraying the shock that surged through him.

Xiao Zhan's icy gaze never wavered as he stood up from his desk. "You were a pawn, yes. But not just any pawn. You were always meant to be an asset." He began to pace slowly, his steps deliberate. "When I first brought you into my service, I saw potential in you-your intelligence, your resourcefulness, your ability to blend in unnoticed. I needed someone like you close to me. I needed someone I could control."

Yibo's breath hitched. The weight of Xiao Zhan's words threatened to suffocate him. All the time he had spent working for Xiao Zhan, all the moments they shared-had they all been carefully orchestrated? Was he simply a tool, manipulated by the man he had come to admire, to fear, to desire?

Xiao Zhan stopped pacing and turned toward him, a smirk playing on his lips. "And you played your part so well, Yibo. You thought you were just doing your job-being loyal, serving the company-but I've been watching you. I needed to test you, to see how far you would go."

Yibo felt a sharp pang in his chest. "Test me?"

"Yes. There's always a moment when loyalty is tested. When someone has to make a choice: stay in the shadows, or step into the light and accept what's been laid out for you. You've reached that moment now." Xiao Zhan's eyes were cold, unfeeling. "You can walk away from all of this if you want, but once you know what I've shown you, there's no going back."

Yibo felt his heart race. Walk away? How could he? The truth was, he wasn't sure if he even had a choice. He had already crossed the line.

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The Offer

Xiao Zhan took a step closer to him, closing the distance between them. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, a cold promise that Yibo couldn't escape. "I've always known you had potential, Yibo. You've got the makings of a leader. A true heir to Sean Mafia. If you want it, the position is yours."

Yibo's breath caught in his throat. The proposition was both alluring and terrifying. Could he really take over this dangerous empire, one that Xiao Zhan had built from the ground up? Would he even want to?

Xiao Zhan's gaze softened, almost imperceptibly, as he studied Yibo's reaction. "You've always been the smart one, Yibo. But now, you'll need to make a decision. Do you follow me, continue down this path, and inherit everything I've built? Or do you walk away and risk losing everything you've worked for?"

Yibo stood frozen, torn between the possibility of power and the dark reality of the world Xiao Zhan had shown him. His mind flashed to the message from the unknown sender. Watch Xiao Zhan closely. Had this all been part of a larger game? Was there something deeper going on that even Xiao Zhan wasn't aware of?

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The Unraveling

As Yibo stood there, grappling with his thoughts, the door to Xiao Zhan's office opened. Liu Zhen stepped inside, his expression unreadable.

Xiao Zhan's eyes narrowed as he turned toward Liu Zhen. "What is it?"

Liu Zhen paused before answering, his tone low. "We have a problem. Cheng Rui... he's not just a traitor. He's been feeding information to the police. The authorities are closing in on us."