Jason frowned at the sight of the notes, all with identical handwriting. But as the aroma of pastries wafted up from downstairs, Jason’s frown instantly relaxed. He stuffed the notes back into the paper bag, pulled open a drawer, and tossed it in. As long as the female pastry chef did not have the scent of ‘food’ on her, she could be trusted. Most people, sometimes, really are strange. One you’ve spent a considerable amount of time with, another you’ve never met. But just let the latter say a few bad words about the former, and the person involved will immediately lose judgment, becoming cautious and wary of the former, never considering the true nature of their time together. Jason wasn’t that kind of person. He believed more in what he saw, heard, touched, and perceived. Jason sized up the man once again. He never thought he would come into contact with such a person. Suddenly, Jason’s heart skipped a beat. He thought of a possibility. Then, as he looked at the man who claimed to be a persuader once more, his gaze became sharp. Griffin, on the receiving end of the stare, waved his hands repeatedly. “Mr. Jason, please don’t misunderstand,” “I have no ill intentions, I’m just a humble persuader, I only bring my client’s thoughts, and my job is to, as much as possible, persuade you.” “If successful, I’ll receive a handsome reward.” “If I fail, it’s no loss to me, after all…” “Being able to take on this task is already doing a favor for my employer. Mr. Jason, you should know, sometimes, people like me have no choice.” Griffin shrugged his shoulders with a look of helplessness. Jason didn’t say a word, just stared at him. This made the man who claimed to be a persuader somewhat uncomfortable; he always felt like Jason’s gaze was odd, as if looking at a dish. “How about we talk in detail somewhere else?” the other party suggested. “Right here is fine,” “With your intelligence, you surely know what I’ve come for.” “Yes, it’s about the missing women.” “I don’t know what my employer has done, I’m just responsible for persuading you to stop pursuing it.” “For this, my employer is willing to give you $2,000 as payment.” As he said this, the man who claimed to be a persuader paused for a moment, displaying an even more amicable smile, and whispered, “Of course, if you agree, it’s also my success, and I’ll share thirty percent of my reward with you, and promise one free help, so you won’t have worked for nothing.” The man who claimed to be a persuader didn’t stop speaking. After providing ample benefits, he continued, “I can’t reveal my employer’s identity.” “But he is someone important.” “In fact, Mr. Jason, with your smarts should understand, being able to keep things quiet with the diligent Edward investigating for so long, it means something.” Before he could finish, the man who claimed to be a persuader stopped. Offering benefits as a bargaining chip, then following with threats, has always been the persuader’s surefire strategy. Griffin was no exception. The only difference was that he expanded the range of the tempting chip. Offering the persuaded more. That was one of the secrets to Griffin’s success. Another secret was: thoroughly investigating the target of persuasion. Just time, he had done his homework well before coming. Jason, a veteran of the battlefield, had to leave the military due to post-traumatic stress disorder. He had stayed at a veterans’ hospital for treatment. But it was ineffective. Then, he sought treatment from the highly acclaimed Dr. Hannibal. Unfortunately, he had to leave before the treatment was truly complete, due to lack of money. And subsequently became homeless. This time, he was involved in a special incident by chance. So, to persuade him, money was all that was needed! As for the accidental involvement in special events? That was just a coincidence. There surely wouldn’t be much emotion involved. At worst, just offer more money. Griffin had seen such people more than once. Therefore, he was very confident. He could already picture Jason nodding in agreement. In fact, the next moment, he saw Jason nodding. Not only nodding, his nostrils flared slightly, and he even said a strange phrase,