Brandon pressed the gas pedal hard. “Hold on tight!”

    Ashton pulled Briar back into her seat. “Sit tight. Don’t worry. Leave it to Brandon–he definitely won’t let them get

    away.”

    Zayne was remarkably bold, walking up to Shoneport University’s front gate in broad daylight without a care if

    anyone saw him.

    Upon reconsideration, everything fell into ce. Sawyer was the school doctor at Shoneport University, where

    security had beenx recently. With unfamiliar faces around and guards not checking thoroughly, it was easy for Zayne to sneak in and meet Sawyer.

    Who knew, maybe that medicine bottle with the special logo that had turned up in the infirmary cab had gotten in the same way.

    As Ashton’s brow furrowed deeper, he wondered, ‘What’s the point of that medicine appearing right now? Who at Shoneport University would even take notice of it? Who would genuinely be interested?

    ‘The only people who would recognize that medicine are those who understand its specific purpose. Among everyone at Shoneport University, the person most likely to identify it was Briar. No one else.‘

    Ashton ced his hand on Briar’s shoulder, urging her to face him. He met her gaze with a serious expression. “Briar, I need you to remember every single detail of what happened when you took Leni to the infirmary. Every little thing.”

    Briar blinked, momentarily taken aback. However, upon noticing the tension in Ashton’s eyes, she sensed that something was amiss. Without probing further, she began to recount everything: how she had ditched Beatrice, how she took Leni to the infirmary, how she happened to notice that medicine bottle with the special logo, how she had discreetly snapped a photo, and how she left with Leni.

    By the time she finished, her brow was furrowed as well. It was clear that she’d noticed something unusual about the entire sequence of events. “Everything went way too smoothly,” Briar murmured.

    Ashton nodded. “Yeah, it was all too smooth. It all began when Beatrice, Robert, and Leni teamed up to set you up at thepetition. At first nce, it seemed like they were targeting you, but if you think about it, their real aim was to lure you to the infirmary, and then…”

    Briar picked up where he left off. “And then, as if it was all meant to happen, I just happened to find that medicine bottle in the cab.”

    Even though they were discussing something so profound, Ashton couldn’t resist gently kneading and ying with Briar’s soft earlobe. “Briar, they’re setting a trap for you.”

    “Yeah, if we hadn’t spotted Zayne walking by Shoneport University, I probably would have walked straight into their trap without realizing it,” Briar said, her face warming not only from the tingling sensation on her earlobe but

    13:24 Thu, 21 Aug

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    also from the silent chemistry between them.

    Ashton received a sharp nce from Briar, causing him to withdraw his hand and clear his throat before proposing his theory. “Sawyer probably knew about you long before you returned to Dasmieca.”

    Briar’s expression grew even colder. “Ashton, the only people who knew I wasing back–besides my two uncles—were the Jennings family.”

    It all came back to square one. Beatrice, as a member of the Jennings family, was right in the midst of everything that happened today. Although Briar managed to get her out of the way halfway through, she ultimately ended up discovering that bottle of medicine.

    “Mr. Wade, Zayne’s car has just arrived in the Davis family’s hotel underground parking lot,” Brandon’s voice

    suddenly interrupted their thoughts.

    Ashton nced out the window, his expression turning cold. “There’s no need to chase him. Just drive straight to

    the hotel entrance and call Alfred to let him know to turn him over.”

    Brandon’s eyes lit up. “Okay, noted.” He sensed that Ashton was angry, all for Briar.

    Ashton’s signature car was easily identifiable–everyone in Shoneport recognized it at a nce. So when Brandon pulled up to the hotel entrance, all the security guards and staff immediately knew who had arrived. The head of security rushed over, eager to inquire, but he didn’t even get a chance to see Ashton.

    The receptionist scrambled to call the hotel manager, and within a minute, the manager rushed out, lowered his head as he stood by the car. “Mr. Wade, I’m the manager on duty today. Is there anything I can do for you?”

    The manager was quick to respond. The Wade family’s businesses were everywhere–about a third of the hotels in Shoneport belonged to Ashton. If his car showed up at this hour, there was no way he was here to stay the night. If he wasn’t checking in, then he must be here for someone.

    Beforeing out, the manager had already called the owner, who was trying to find out what was going on.

    Ashton gave a slight nod, and only then did Brandon turn to the manager. “Someone just went down to your hotel’s basement. Mr. Wade is giving Mr. Davis half an hour to bring that person out. If he doesn’t, don’t me Mr.

    Wade for not saving the Davis family any face.”

    The manager looked utterly bewildered. “Oh… I’m not sure who Mr. Wade wants us to find.”

    Brandon nced at his watch and gave the manager a cold look. “You’d better call Mr. Davis right this second and repeat my words to him, word for word.”

    The manager didn’t dare waste a moment. He immediately called Alfred, rying every single word without missing a beat, and even stressed, /‘Mr. Davis, Mr. Wade is only giving you half an hour.”

    Brandon’s voice chimed in at just the right moment. “Correction–now you’ve only got 28 minutes left.”

    Alfred was stunned on the call; he had no clue what was happening. He sent his secretary to investigate, but they

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    found nothing quickly. Since Ashton showed up in person, Alfred’s team continued to dig into the business.

    connections between theirpanies but came up empty.

    35%

    As desperation grew, they found less, and as they found less, time flew by. Fifteen minutes had passed, and Alfred

    still didn’t know who Ashton wanted them to find. The manager had the security team review the surveince

    footage, which showed several cars entering the underground parking lot. However, they had contacted all the

    owners, and none were the ones Ashton was after.

    Twenty minutester, Alfred’s car arrived. He quickly got out and rushed to Ashton’s car, his big belly jiggling as he walked. Breathing heavily and sweating, he smiled and asked, “Mr. Wade, is there a misunderstanding?” He offered Ashton a cigarette while standing by the car door.

    Ashton epted the cigarette, offering Alfred a semnce of courtesy, and calmly stated, “Mr. Davis, you know my approach. Would Ie here in person to seek someone if I didn’t have a solid reason?”

    Alfred nodded quickly. “Of course, Mr. Wade. You’ve always been precise and fair. However, I genuinely have no idea what might upset you in this way. Could you please help me understand?”

    Ashton looked down at Alfred from his elevated position, speaking with a calm demeanor. “Alright, I’m not an unreasonable man. If your team truly can’t figure it out, ask your youngest son what he’s been up totely.”