bChapter /bb184 /b

    Briar nodded. “Yes.“.

    Ashton frowned. “Is this person you’re afraid of in Shoneport?”

    +13

    “Ashton, please stop asking,” Briar said, both amused and exasperated. ‘Is he always this obvious when he’s trying to get information out of me?‘ she thought.

    Ashton sighed. “Fine, I won’t ask again. But promise me–if you’re ever in danger iyou /ican’t handle, you’ll tell me.” Since Briar stayed quiet, he didn’t press further. ‘If I can’t ask her, I’ll just investigate myself,‘ he thought. Her records in Qathana were wiped, but if he were determined, he’d find something.

    “I promise that if I’m ever in danger, I’lle to you for help immediately,” Briar said earnestly. Yet, if that day were toe, she was sure she would keep as far away from Ashton as possible.

    Ashton looked at Briar for a long while before reaching out his hand. “Let’s go. Hamish and the others are still waiting for us.”

    Briar took his hand. “Okay.”

    As they arrived at the club entrance, Hamish and the others were waiting in the car, while police cars shed their lights incessantly. Hamish approached, nced at Briar, then grinned at Ashton. “Hey Ashton, everything alright? You didn’t give Briar a hard time, did you?”

    Ashton was at a loss for words. After handing them over to the police, the group got in their car and drove away.

    Back at Moonspring Estate, Briar leaned against the car door and looked at Ashton. With a yful smile, she said, “Ashton, how about I tuck iyou /iin and help you get a good night’s sleep?”

    Ashton raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. “Alright, I’ll stay over tonight and wait for you.” With that, Briar happily headed inside.

    Connor asked, “Mr. Wade, what about Xavion?” Earlier, Ashton had sent Xavion a message indicating that he had something for him to look intoter, Connor guessed it was likely concerning Briar. ‘But if Mr. Wade is staying here, he can’t just let Miss Jennings find out about it so openly, can he?‘ Connor thought.

    Ashton rubbed his forehead. “Connor, let/ Xavion know to hold off on checking into Briar for now. She’s probably already noticed something.” He’d underestimated entirely how clever Briar was. After witnessing her insane shooting skills, it was hard to believe he’d ever thought she was just some ordinary girl.

    ‘She probably offered to tuck me in just now just to stall me,‘ he thought.

    “So, are iwe /istill going to look into Miss Jennings?” Connor asked, surprised. ‘She caught on that fast?‘ he thought.

    Ashton sighed. “We still have to check her out, but since it’s not a good idea for us to do it ourselves, let’s just pay

    someone else to handle it.”

    b1/3 /b

    13:22 Thu, 21 Aug

    Connor immediately caught on. “Mr. Wade, you want to get someone from the Hacker Alliance to investigate for

    us?”

    +13

    “Yes, the tracking capabilities of the Hacker Alliance are among the best in the world. While our Dark Net primarily focuses on identifying dark organizations, the Hacker Alliance epts any assignment. They often gather information about individuals even faster than we can,” Ashton exined. Ashton truly acknowledged the talents

    of the Hacker Alliance.

    Connor nodded. “Alright, I’ll put in a request with the Hacker Alliance in a bit. How much are you willing to spend to dig up Miss Jennings‘ background?”

    The Hacker Alliance worked fast, but their fees were steep. Briar’s name had already shown up there once, and Ashton had paid a hefty sum to bury it. With a group driven by profit, they’d likely charge ieven /imore this time.

    “As long as they uncovered the truth, let them name their price,” Ashton said, radiating the confidence of someone to whom money had never mattered.

    Connor couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. “Alright.” He thought, ‘Man, he’s begging the Hacker Alliance to rip him

    off. ‘

    “That’s it. You can head back; there’s no need for you to keep watch here,” Ashton said, opening the car door and stepping out while waving Connor off.

    Half an hourter, after taking a shower and putting on fresh clothes, Briar was just about to head next door to tuck Ashton in when her phone rang with the special ringtone designated for calls from the Hacker Alliance. Confused, Briar answered the call. “George?”

    George’s voice sounded just as confused. “Bree, we just received a client order and need to rify something with

    you.”

    Briar asked, “rify what?”

    “Here’s the situation–about ten minutes ago, Shoneport’s heir, your contact, ced a premium order with us at the Hacker Alliance,” George said, sounding somewhat perplexed. “He wants us to investigate everything rted to your wiped records in Qathana.”

    Briar was speechless and still confused.

    George continued, “Given the high price and the Hacker Alliance’s motto–whoever pays is the boss–we never refuse a job if the money is right. However, we discussed it and thought, should you take care of this one?”

    ‘Damn, George, do you even hear what you’re saying right now?‘ she thought. ‘So I’m supposed to take the job and investigate myself?‘

    Recognizing how insincere that sounded, George cleared his throat slightly. “You know, you erased your records, so it’s not our ce to get involved. Since it’s your guy who’s trying to dig for information, why not just give him a hint or two? After all, he offered 30 million dors!”

    13:22 Thu, 21 Aug

    DA

    ? . 34% –

    ‘So that’s what matters, huh?‘ Briar thought in surprise.

    “What do you say? Are you taking the job or not?” George pressed.

    Briar rubbed her forehead. “George, if I turn it down, are you guys going to give the money back?”

    “Of course not! The Hacker Alliance would never jeopardize our reputation, you know that,” George replied, sounding earnest but insincere. “Ande on, with a guy like him who’s iso /iinfluential? There’s no way we’d risk offending him.”

    Briar let out a helpless sigh. “Alright, alright, I’ll take it. Just send the job over. I’ll make something up for him when I get a chance.”

    “Awesome! Already sent it your way. Okay, I won’t get in the way of you fobbing off your man. Later!” George

    sounded super hyped and hung up in a sh.

    Briar was at a loss for words. Five minutester, she sat at the edge of the bed, staring at Ashton, who appeared to be casually lounging in a bathrobe but was trying to provoke her. “Ashton, could you please put on some clothes?”

    ‘How is this man managing this? Just twenty minutes ago, he spent 30 million dors investigating me, and now he’s lying there, chest out, acting all casually and trying to charm me like it’s no big deal,‘ she thought.

    “Like this?” Ashton tightened his bathrobe, attempting to put on an innocent expression. However, the adjustment only made things worse–now even more of his skin was exposed, and Briar could see the designer logo on his ridiculously expensive boxers.

    Briar’s anger finally reached a breaking point. “Ashton, can you please behave for once? Every time I try to tuck you in, you have to start flirting with me again. Seriously, if you keep this up–Oh?”

    But before she could finish, the world spun. In an instant, Ashton had her pinned beneath him on the bed, capturing her lips in a kiss that was bothmanding and gentle, his hands holding hers firmly above her head. With that one dominating yet tender kiss, he silenced all her thoughts.

    After a while, Ashton, still hovering over her, spoke in a low, husky voice, “My love, isn’t this the perfect way to tuck

    me in? What do you think?”

    AD

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