"We''re all in it for ourselves." Michael shrugged. "Jeffery did his part for the Illuminati, so I''ll cut you some ck.


    He pushed the teacup to Juan. "But I don''t buy it that you''re all-in. Following in Jeffery''s footsteps sounds nice, but you killed him, which shows your ruthless nature. We need people like you. I don''t care if you''re Debra''s mole or chasing your angle. Save your energy. It''s pointless. Just do your job and back us up. I won''t say a word about it."


    "Should I thank you for it?" Juan scoffed.


    He''d thought Michael was forced into it, but now he saw how na?ve that was.


    Though young, Michael was already a core member, suggesting his connection to the Illuminati dates back a long time.


    Only intelligent and influential ones could enter the core circle. That meant he hadn''t defected midway.


    Michael sat down across from him. "Don''t look at me like that. We''re not the same, and you know it."


    "When''d you turn on Debra?" Juan asked.


    "Doesn''t matter," Michael said, smiling faintly. "We were never on the same side. She was just a stepping stone in my n. No ovep intended. Her showing up to boost my career? Total curveball. I should''ve said no, but I was curious and bored from waiting. I wanted to see what she''d do."


    He nced at Juan. "The rest is history. She made me her partner, handed me the best resources, and treated me like her best bud. We built the McKinney Group together."


    Juan''s voice chilled. "So, you never saw her as a friend from the jump, so no betrayal to speak of?"


    "Not quite," Michael said. "It was a new experience for me. But some people are just born enemies. I don''t wanna hurt her. She just needs to stay out of my way." "You think that''s possible?" Juan said. "You know what the Illuminati''s done."


    "Survival of the fittest," Michael shrugged. "Don''t preach right and wrong to me. You won''t sway me. I''ve said enough today. Hope you''ll y ball with us down the line. I can overlook some stuff, but others won''t. For old times with Debra, I''ve got your back today. You owe me one."


    He stood to leave, pausing at the door. "By the way, our master gave a kill order. Andrew must die."


    "What does that mean?" Juan asked.<fn4e74> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? Find1Novel</fn4e74>


    "He''s too sharp. Our master can''t stand him. Well, you won''t need to lift a finger. He is dying of some disease anyway."