Unmasking Mrs. Newton's Secret Identities novel Chapter 2022

At the Holland family headquarters across the city, Stanson endured an earful from a business partner over the phone.

Normally, he exuded dominance and arrogance, but today, he held his tongue, offering no resistance to the barrage of criticism.

The truth was, he had no defense. The failed weapons deal and the mishandling of the trafficked women had left him with little standing to argue. Being chastised was the least of his concerns.

"…Yes, yes, I acknowledge it was my mistake. Rest assured, it won't happen again. I'll await your further instructions. Goodbye."

As the call ended, the smile quickly faded from Stanson's face. In frustration, he spat on the desk phone. "Ugh! What an insufferable fool!"

At that moment, one of his men entered. "Sir, there's a Cathayan man outside named Colin Craig. He insists on meeting with you."

"A Cathayan?" Stanson's irritation flared up again. "I don't want to see him! Throw him out!"

For months, dealings with the Cathayans had only brought him trouble.

"But sir, he claims to represent Trinity Alliance."

"What? Trinity Alliance?" Stanson's eyes flickered with sudden interest. "Aren't they the same group that sabotaged our weapons shipment? I wasn't even looking for them, and now they've come knocking on my door. Bring him in!"

Moments later, Colin was ushered into Stanson's office, flanked by a team of armed guards.

Stanson lit a cigar, taking a long drag. The smoke billowed from his mouth and nose, wafting toward Colin with the breeze.

Colin casually raised a hand to shield his face from the smoke, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Mr. Holland, I—"

After a brief silence, Stanson raised a hand, signaling for his men to release Colin.

Colin straightened his clothes before speaking once more, "The goods we hijacked are being returned as we speak. As for the damaged portion, I trust this will make up for it."

He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and slid a check across the desk toward Stanson.

Stanson's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the long string of zeros. A grin crept onto his face as he quickly pocketed the check. "This is more than sufficient. The extra can cover my men's mental anguish. I didn't expect Trinity Alliance to be so generous.

"By the way, what kind of circles does your organization run in? I've never heard of you before."

Colin lowered his gaze, the shadow of his long lashes veiling the ambition in his eyes. "We're just taking whatever we can wherever we can. Compared to the Holland family, our scale is still quite small."