As Alfred mentioned, they set up a new business again, and unlike their previous venture, their business now thrived. They also earned a lot of money because Alfred found a large amount of investment capital.
Ylona and Dyrus worked under his authority, too. They realized that Alfred was actually good at managing a business, so they entrusted most decisions to him.
Everything was going well until Ylona found out something, prompting her to confront Alfred in his office.
"I know we're friends, Ylona, but here in the company, I'm your boss. Learn to knock," Alfred said as he read documents on his desk. He didn't even look at her.
Ylona didn't respond. Instead, she slammed the documents in her hands on Alfred's desk, causing him to stop what he was doing.
"Embezzlement, bribery, connections to the black market, and even the money you used to establish this company, it's all from corruption," Ylona said, her anger barely contained.
"Yes. And so?" Alfred responded nonchalantly before pushing the documents Ylona gave him aside. "If that’s all you have to say, you can leave. I'm busy and have a lot to do."
"Alfred!" Ylona shouted because she couldn't hold back anymore, especially now that she saw that Alfred had no intention of explaining his actions. "I know we struggled with the business from the beginning, but this wasn't part of our agreement, was it? We weren't going to do anything illegal!"
"Not do anything illegal?" Alfred laughed before looking Ylona in the eyes. "Ylona, don't act innocent. You and Dyrus also benefited from what I did."
Ylona was speechless after hearing that. Alfred was right. Both she and Dyrus had a better life since they started working with Alfred. She could save money and take care of herself, while Dyrus could also support his family.
But she couldn't bear the fact that the money she spent came from illegal activities.
“I'm not trying to act innocent, and I won't start pretending now. I know I've done wrong, and I'll make it right.” Ylona removed her ID badge and placed it on Alfred's desk. “This is my last day working here. I’ll resign.”
“You can’t do that, Ylona!” Alfred stood up in shock and anger at what he heard. “You're in charge of the accounting department, even some of our clients. You can’t just resign because you feel like it! You need to finish all the work here!”
Ylona grinned. “Well, that's your problem now. You'll have to find my replacement as soon as possible.”
Ylona was about to leave when Alfred quickly grabbed her hand. “Ylona… I will not do this forever, okay? I just want to help you and Dyrus. I don’t want all of us to fail miserably. I want us to succeed.”
“But what about the other people affected by your stealing their money?” Ylona asked, still upset.
“I’ll stop doing that.” Alfred now held both of Ylona’s hands. “We have enough funds already. If that's your concern, I'll stop. Just don’t leave. We need your talent and expertise in accounting and strategy, Ylona. We need you to help the company thrive, and to help both me and Dyrus.”
Ylona felt a pang in her heart hearing Alfred's words, but she was stronger than her friends expected.
She shook her head and removed Alfred's grasp. “How can I be sure that you'll stop what you're doing?”
“I will give you all the documents, and the authorization to the hidden files. I’ll also include Dyrus's name there. That way, you'll see everything,” Alfred replied, sincerity evident in his voice.
Ylona fell silent for a few moments as she thought. She weighed her options. What Alfred did was unethical, but at the same time, she remembered the friendship the three of them shared.
They had been friends for so long, through thick and thin. ‘Perhaps… Alfred deserves a second chance.’
“Alright.” Ylona nodded, and Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. “But if this happens again, I won’t let it slide,” she added, issuing a warning.
“Yes. Yes.” Alfred nodded twice. “I promise, this won’t happen again.”
But that promise was broken because just a few months after their conversation, Ylona found out that Alfred hadn’t stopped engaging in illegal activities.
The documents Alfred gave her were fake. He pretended to hold the hidden files to avoid suspicion, but in reality, Alfred's actions only worsened.
He didn’t just build a company; he established a mafia where he sold guns, organs, and even women.
“H-Help me…” a woman spoke beside Ylona, catching her attention. “P-Please…”
“Hold on. You… have lost a lot of blood. Don’t speak for now, okay? I’ll treat you.”
Ylona gently laid the woman down on the floor. She left briefly to find a first aid kit. Fortunately, she found one and quickly returned to the woman's side. She also grabbed some food and handed it over.
“Just bear with it, okay? This might hurt a bit, but if I don’t take care of this, you might get an infection,” Ylona explained, and the woman nodded. “What’s your name?”
“E-Ella…”
“Ella…” Ylona smiled sadly. “I’m sorry you’re going through this, but don’t worry. I’ll try to reason with Alfred. He's my friend, and I believe I can bring him back to how he used to be.”
Despite her doubts, Ella nodded, allowing Ylona to treat her.
After a few minutes, Ylona finished treating Ella. Thankfully, she had been a volunteer in the ROTC before, so she had some knowledge of first aid. She believed that not only doctors but also nurses needed to learn how to treat injuries.
Everyone needs to learn it for their survival.
Ylona also treated the tons of women caged there, but Ella's wounds were still the most severe among them.
“What are you doing here, Ylona?” Ylona heard a voice from behind, and even without turning around, she knew it was Alfred. “Did you follow me? How did you get in here?”
“That’s not important, Alfred.” She bandaged the wound of the last woman she was treating before standing up. She faced the young man. “How could you keep this from us? I thought you stopped engaging in illegal activities… But why does it seem like you’ve gotten worse?”
“This is how we earn tons of money, Ylona,” Alfred replied, his voice cold. “Without doing these things, we won’t earn this much.”
“But we’re still earning, right? We’re not losing money. We’re not struggling like before, so what more are you looking for?”
“Power, Ylona. Power that I can only obtain through this kind of work.” Alfred held Ylona's chin to meet her gaze. “I’m also slowly gaining recognition in the black market. So why should I listen to you? Why should I stop?”
Ylona's body shivered, and she seemed to have trouble breathing properly after hearing those words from Alfred. Because of his wealth, he seemed like a different person.
“And if you’re thinking of leaving the company, I won’t allow it, especially since you already know what I’m doing.” Alfred tightened his grip on her cheeks. “I know you know, and I can find you no matter where you hide, so if I were you, I wouldn’t even attempt it.”
Ylona felt a chill run down her spine as she realized. This wasn’t the Alfred she used to know.
So she changed her plan.