Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1027: Not a bad side hustle

The Information Center wasn't completely illegal, nor was it entirely legal. It toed the line; they could get in trouble, but not too much. Just like those loan sharks who operated with unjust interest rates but stayed afloat because they were upfront about their terms. They're the types who found holes in the system and used it to get away from trouble.

Moreover, these information centers mostly focused on the personal lives of upper-class individuals; they were essentially the paparazzi of the rich. At least, that's how this particular information ring began or was supposed to be.

"... In other words, before the attack, we were already onto the group that had been using our name for their own purposes," the man explained under his breath, giving Hugo an overview of their organization's situation before the incident. "We'd heard that some people were receiving invitations like ours, which gave our boss a lot of headaches. Even so, we continued with our usual operations because the business needed to run, no matter what."

The man paused, trying to recall everything he could. "Then, one day, our boss started acting strange. I don't know why, but it all began after he took an interest in one particular case. He didn't tell us much—he did the digging himself."

'It's the baby swap,' Hugo thought, recalling the last few words the boss had uttered before he was shot and left for dead.

"And then, when the attack happened," the man sighed, "we were out investigating a case, so many of us weren't there. However, we retrieved some footage, though it was... misleading."

"That's where you saw me?" Hugo asked.

The man nodded. "But even before that footage, we'd already received a tip. That tip named you, Hugo Bennet."

Hugo smirked, laughing softly. It all seemed quite meticulous. His presence that night wasn't planned, but based on what he'd heard so far, someone had been working overtime.

"I see," Hugo replied, nodding in understanding as he stood and walked toward the man. "Keep talking while I untie you. You might get squeezed to death if you keep talking and breathing with these on."

"The problem is,

"Taken?"

business is still running under our name, but

boss there?" Hugo scrunched his nose, briefly amused by the idea. 'Not

assumed the military had taken an interest and

hand with the biggest intelligence agency in

military had access to Central Intelligence, it wasn't impossible for them to be running a more private operation with

narrowing as he noticed a tattoo peeking out from the man's nape. Though it seemed like Hugo trusted the man, he didn't. That would be a mistake. However, the tattoo looked

what?" Hugo continued, the ropes coming loose. He walked over to the table and sat on it, keeping his eyes on

the man replied. "Some of them

Hugo's forehead as he studied the man's stern expression. The latter held his gaze, his anger subdued as he

added. "It's become more dangerous and unforgiving. Even for minor mistakes, the ones

go there now, they

because they don't trust you, but because you know too much. Just

together how the structure of the organization had changed. Before, they toed the line, seeing how far they could push boundaries.

wouldn't order such drastic measures. We'd deny everything and move on. The worst we ever did was threaten people with their dirty secrets to keep them from interfering.

trailed off, his stern eyes locking onto

Hugo finished, watching the man nod.