Chapter 1

Patrick’s face turned pale. He spread his arms wide and blocked the cabinet door.

“Mr. Miller, you can’t do this! Ms. Snow hasn’t signed off on the inspection yet. This isn’t proper procedure!”

I looked coldly at the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

“I’m the chairman of the Miller Group.

“It’s my cargo. I don’t need an outsider to sign off on it.”

After saying that, I gave the bodyguards behind me a look.

Two burly men immediately stepped forward and dragged Patrick away.

He kicked wildly, trying to shout something, but one of the guards drove a fist into his stomach. The air rushed out of him and he went silent.

The engineering crew clearly only took orders from me.

They stepped forward quickly and pulled down their protective masks.

“Zzzzt—”

The harsh buzz of electricity filled the air.

Sparks from the welding torch burst along the seam of the cabinet door, lighting up the dim harbor in flashes of orange.

Almost at the same moment, violent banging came from inside the container.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sound of flesh slamming against thick metal.

Clearly, the pair of lovebirds inside had heard what was happening and were panicking.

Unfortunately for them, the specialized freezer container was built for long-distance shipping.

Its soundproofing was excellent.

The noise coming out sounded no louder than distant thunder.

Under the crackling of the welding torch, it was barely noticeable.

The floating comments exploded across my vision.

[They’re already shivering inside, but they’re pressing even closer together. Guess they can’t bear to separate!]

[The male lead is cuddling Mandy right now, whispering that it’s so cold. No kidding. If you’re naked against freezing metal, of course it’s cold.]

[Mandy left her skirt in the car earlier. Bet she’s regretting that now.]

Reading the comments, I could almost picture the scene inside.

Then I calmly took out my phone and called Mandy's father, Vincent Snow.

“Vincent, the big surprise Mandy prepared for you is at the harbor.

“You might want to bring the media and come take a look.”

On the other end, my father-in-law’s sharp voice came through.

“A surprise? What kind of good intentions could you possibly have?

“Jeff Miller, don’t tell me you’re trying to find another way to annoy me.”

He snorted, his tone turning even more cutting.

“And Mandy is just as ridiculous. Always running around after you, no sense of dignity as a woman.

“You’re nothing like that boy Jonas Leedon. Such a thoughtful kid. Just a few days ago he even made me smoothie himself.”

Hearing the name ‘Jonas’, my grip on the phone tightened slightly.

Jonas Leedon.

The college kid I’d sponsored for four years. The one who I always treated like a younger brother.

The first time I met him, he was wearing a faded school uniform, and one of his shoes had a hole in the sole.

His eyes were timid, but full of hope.

“Mr. Miller, I want to stay in school. I want to get out of this small village.”

Those eyes moved me.

I paid for all his tuition and living expenses. I bought him new clothes and showed him the world outside.

After he graduated, I even made an exception and brought him into the Miller Group.

I thought I was nurturing a young tree reaching toward the sun.

Instead, I had raised a snake that would bite its master.

And how had he repaid me?

By wearing my pajamas and climbing into my wife’s bed while I worked late into the night?

Or by acting obedient in front of my father-in-law while quietly poisoning his opinion of me?

“Dad, you’re right,” I said, forcing down the nausea rising in my throat.

“Jonas really is a good kid.

“That’s why Mandy made sure to invite him too.

“She said this gift was prepared by the two of them together.

“You have to be there to unveil it yourself. Otherwise it wouldn’t mean anything.”

The moment Vincent heard Jonas was involved, his tone changed immediately.

“Well then. Since it’s Mandy’s way of showing filial respect, I suppose I’ll make the trip.

“Tell Mandy to wait for me. And don’t let Jonas overexert himself.”

After hanging up, I looked at the container door that had now been completely welded shut.

Overexert himself?

That was very possible.

After all, exercising in temperatures dozens of degrees below freezing could be quite exhausting.

While waiting, I turned to the operator at the control panel.

“Start the pre-cooling system.

“The trip to Antarctica is long. The internal temperature needs to be lowered to minus twenty degrees first.

“Switch it to preservation mode.”