Mike looked away, lowered his gaze, and said blandly, "No, sir."

The little man didn't care whether Mike was lying or pretending. A pleased smile spread across his face, as if he'd seen through everything. "I don't care, Mike. Do you think someone like me would fear death? Still, I know you won't kill me because you have your son. You won't dare to kill me while he's not with you."

Mike clenched his fists, struggling to contain his emotions as the man mentioned his son. He'd had a video call with Nick a week ago and had ordered his men to intensify their search, but there were no leads. He sometimes considered the worst, wondering if the organization had already killed him. He even suspected the video calls were AI-generated images or pre-recordings, designed to manipulate him.

But each time, he'd carefully made his son perform specific gestures or recall private details and trivial memories from the past. The child had never faltered, always responding correctly. This gave him hope that Nick was still alive. After all, Mike owed his son everything. His life would be meaningless without Nick.

"I can give my life to you. Can you let him go?" Mike slowly raised his head, met the man's gaze, and made a decision. "Let's make a deal."

"A deal?" The man raised his eyebrows, intrigued.

Mike nodded. "Use any drugs in the lab to control me, just like you did to Austin and others. I'll accept it, as long as my son comes home."

"You're holding him hostage, so I'll do anything. Put me under any drug's influence, or poison me—I don't care. Just give me back my son. He's just a child. How could he possibly cause you trouble?"

This was the best solution Mike could devise. He wouldn't hesitate to trade his life for his son's.

However, the man remained silent, studying him intently, his head cocked. His cruel, cunning eyes, hidden behind a mask, scanned Mike from head to toe.

Mike stood still, allowing the man to observe him. He knew the man was devious and suspicious, trusting no one. Despite their long dealings, Mike hadn't earned his trust, nor had he even met the mastermind behind him.

He thought, No one, not even Rhea or Lily, can win his trust. I must do something to make him believe me before he'll release Nick.

"You can take my life, but my son is innocent and shouldn't be involved!" Mike stepped forward, pleading.

The man laughed gratingly, his Adam's apple bobbing with a chilling sound. His laughter always sent shivers down Mike's spine, not only because of his sinister demeanor, but also the unsettling sound itself.

"Mike, you think too highly of yourself," he said, still laughing. "Do you think I can't use the drugs on you even if I don't return your son? Do you think I can't just subdue you if I wanted to?"

Mike was baffled.