Ulterior Motives | Lim Jaebeom

two

I spent the rest of the night making dozens of calls, cashing in favors, and moving a lot of money around. I needed to do everything in my power to sabotage Got7. They would definitely be planning some kind of retaliation against me, so hopefully this would keep them busy for a while.

By the time the sun rose, I had already reached out to thirteen of Got7's biggest clients and shareholders. Got7 ran a huge insurance company as a front for their more underhanded business dealings, and many of their top investors were involved with both sides of the company. I was even surprised that I had connections to most of these investors. Once I had dug up all the important names I needed, it was almost no work at all to get them to sell me their shares, all thanks to my reputation. In less than five hours I had become the owner of 24% of Got7's company. I even got two of their clients in China to cancel their LSD orders with Got7 and take me on as their new supplier. After that, I paid off some guys to make sure that all of their shipments to Thailand would go mysteriously missing ... and somehow end up in one of my coastal warehouses.

I bit my lip nervously; messing with Got7's business was definitely a dangerous move. But I needed to buy myself some time and figure out what they wanted from me last night before I faced them.

Taking two plates of eggs and bacon down to the basement, I found Yugyeom sitting in the corner of his cell on a makeshift bed of blankets. There were dark circles under his eyes, and blood smeared his cheek from where I cut him the other day. What an idiot. There was a working bathroom in his cell; he should at least clean his wounds with soap and water before they get infected.

He scowled at me as I slid his plate underneath the cell door. He made no moves to take the food as I settled down on the cold stone floor to eat my own breakfast.

"They're not going to pay you a ransom."

"They must not care about you very much," I said around a bite of eggs.

"They won't pay you anything because they'll come to get me."

I scoffed, "They don't even know where you are."

He looked away, but he seemed so sure of himself. He still hadn't realized that the only way he was leaving this basement was if I let him go.

"Provoking them like this is a mistake."

"Don't act like you guys didn't start this," I said, finishing my bacon, "I know you were planning on ambushing me last night."

He shook his head, "No we weren't. We were planning on meeting and negotiating with you."

I scoffed, "Bullshit."

"I guess you don't know that Yongchan and his gang are trying to hunt you down. They've even got a price on your head."

I must've looked stunned enough for him to continue, "He thinks that you're a threat and wants to wipe you out before you become too much of a problem."

I couldn't believe it. Yongchan, a freaking mafia boss thought I was a threat?? Seriously?

I swallowed hard, "And what could you possibly have offered me?"

"You're only one person; it isn't safe to operate alone. We planned on allying ourselves with you and giving you our protection."

"Why?"

He shrugged, "Mostly to spite Yongchan. We wouldn't have done it for free, but we thought it was a good deal."