Never Judge

"I thought I told you to dispose of that man?!" Cedric asked Ian in an angry tone.

"You told me to get rid of him, not to just kill him and dump his body in some ditch. He deserved to suffer." Ian hissed as he glared at Cedric.

The two of them often disagreed when it came to the level of punishment a person should suffer. 

Cedric was one that believed in killing someone quickly and disposing of all of the evidence. He also preferred to let other people deal with the dirty work, thus he sent most of those that had crossed him to a prison run by the Laurences.

Once they were in that hell hole, he didn't care what happened. 

Ian on the other hand was quite different. He lived a brutal past and that affected how he dealt with things.

He was someone that thirsted for vengeance, and he knew that life wasn't just going to hand him everything. He had to take things into his own hands and deliver that justice himself.

Despite having grown older and wiser, Cedric knew that the desire for vengeance and to inflict the same amount of suffering remained in Ian's core personality. 

Cedric had expected Ian to have tortured Aiden's supporter long ago, then killing him once he was done. Such a prolonged torture was something he knew Ian reserved for the worst.

"Why did you keep him?" Cedric asked Ian with a frown. He was clearly unhappy with his assistant's decision.

"You know I don't keep them if they didn't do something deserving of such a long punishment." Ian explained. "Aiden was vile, not only did he kill auntie Priscilla and Mia, he tried to touch Camilla. Someone who is like a sister to us. I cannot let those that supported him get off that easily."

"So Aiden's men?" Cedric asked, he already assumed that Ian had sent them somewhere just as vile.

"In cages, under torture." Ian said with a shrug as if it were just a casual conversation. 

"How are you hiding all of this from Damien?" Cedric asked as he recalled Ian's friend who followed the law to the letter.

"Simple, he just thinks they all died when the military took over the compound." Ian told Cedric with a grin. "That branch of the army is loyal to Alexi, they will die for Alexi for some reason. They said there were no survivors, not a single soul." 

"And what do you suggest we do with your prisoner?" Cedric asked as he realized that Seth was trying to imply something.

"Use him as an example?" Seth asked over the phone, finally speaking up when Cedric asked a question.

"I wouldn't do it outright though." Leon said, finally speaking up. "You should wait for the Baron Family to make a move."

"I think they will start trying to black mail you tomorrow." Ian said as he thought of how the Baron family functioned.

In matters like this they needed to move fast. The longer it took for Cedric to make a decision the more likely he was to formulate a plan and backout.

"Cedric will be their main concern for the meantime, having someone like him on their side will be their strongest asset." Seth added.

"What else do you have on the owners of Sapphire Mining?" Ian asked Seth.

"I have a list of people who have been on their board." Seth said.

"Any visible connection to Lucius Ting?" Ian asked as desperately hoped that they didn't. It would only complicate things if they were linked to Lucius Ting.

"So far, none." Seth said, making Ian and Cedric feel a little bit better about the situation. "They are mostly old families, some from the Rajas. Do you remember them?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, from history class." Ian said as he tried to recall some family stories as well. "Luckily the Lim's weren't dragged into their craziness. We were too poor back then I guess."

"The Reyeses were a part of that group for a time, but they distanced themselves when they began talking about putting leaders approved by them in power." Cedric explained as he noticed Ian hesitating to ask. 

"Do you know what happened to them?" Ian asked Cedric.

Cedric nodded, he knew what happened to some of them.

"Most fled the country, those that were leaders were killed by the very people they placed in the government they had built." Cedric explained. "I would assume that those that are running Sapphire Mining and similar scams are from the smaller, more negligible families that remained."

"It's possible." Seth said. "I can send Ian a copy of the list. Many of them owe debts to several mafia families."

"So we already have an advantage over them or sorts." Cedric told his companions as he tried to figure out a way to get rid of them. 

"Guess who they owe the most." Ian said with a laugh as he scrolled through the list of names Seth had just sent to him through his email.

"The Laurences?" Cedric asked. Most people owed the Laurences since they were one of the oldest and most powerful families in the underworld.

"No, but close." Ian told Cedric as he turned the laptop around. "The Roccis."

Francesca Rocci's family, one of Ray's now most loyal factions. The fact that Cedric and Ram had helped Francesca helped Ray earn their loyalty and form a deeper bond.

"This should be an easy fix then." Cedric said with a nod as he smiled at the plan forming in his head.

"I'd still be careful of them." Seth warned. "They managed to survive one of the most brutal times for their family, don't go around underestimating them."

"Trust me Seth, if anything, Cedric will overestimate them." Ian told Seth as he rolled his eyes. 

"How long before you can set up a base here and bring your prisoner?" Cedric asked Seth.

"Give me two days." Seth said over the phone.

"Two days are enough." Cedric confirmed as he dropped the call.

"Are you finally agreeing to do things my way this time?" Ian asked Cedric with a cocky grin.

"Yes, it's about time these people realize that even if I'm a businessman, they shouldn't cross me." Cedric said with a nod as he leaned back against his seat.

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