Alfred was stunned. ‘How did my hopelessly lovesick son get dragged into this mess?‘ he thought.

    “Mr. Wade, are you saying my son Robert is the one who stirred up trouble?” Alfred thought he must be hearing things. His foolish son was constantly circling Beatrice, shuttling between Shoneport University and home every day, leaving little time for anything belse/b–let alone causing trouble. Besides, he and Ashton were worlds apart- there was no way their paths would ever cross.

    Ashton was constantly overwhelmed with work, leaving him barely a moment to catch his breath. Recently, he had be captivated by the legitimate daughter of the Jennings family, who had just returned and was now frequently appearing at Shoneport University.

    He couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Wait, hold on a second! Mr. Wade had been regrly visiting Shoneport University, and Robert practically lived on campus as well. The girls they liked were from the Jennings family?‘

    Alfred’d even heard that the newly returned legitimate daughter and Beatrice–whom Robert had a crush on- didn’t get along at all.

    ‘So, could it be that everything Mr. Wade did today was actually because of these two girls?‘ Alfred thought, suddenly connecting the dots.

    Indeed, Alfred was onto something, but he was only partially correct. Although he still had some doubts, the reality was that Robert had unknowingly offended Ashton–whether he realized it or not. It was now an undeniable fact.

    Under Ashton’s half–smirking gaze, Alfred pulled out his phone and called Robert. The phone rang, but no one answered. It continued to ring until it finally cut off. A cold sweat broke out on Alfred’s forehead. ‘What the hell is going on? Did that kid get himself into trouble and is now too scared to pick up my call?‘ he wondered anxiously.

    “Mr. Wade, could you wait a sec?” Alfred said awkwardly, giving Ashton a quick nod before trying again. He dialed Robert’s number three more times, but still got nothing. With no other options left, he finally decided to call Richard.

    Richard picked up almost instantly. “Hello, Dad.”

    Alfred wasted no time, “Hey, Richard, do you know where your brother is? I’ve called that brat a bunch of times, and he won’t pick up.”

    “I’m not with him at the moment. Let me check around and see if anyone has seen him,” Richard replied, aware that Alfred wouldn’t reach out unless it was urgent. “Is something wrong, Dad? Why are you looking for him?”

    Alfred nced at Ashton, who had already returned to his car. Through the partially open window, he could barely see someone else sitting beside Ashton in the backseat. “Did your brother get himself into trouble again?”

    He quickly informed Richard that Ashton Wade was demanding they hand someone over, and now the half–hour deadline was nearly up–but the hotel still hadn’t managed to find the person Ashton wanted. Richard was equaily

    shocked. “What? When did Robert ever get on Mr. Wade’s bad side?”

    While both were anxiously making calls, Brandon leaned against the car door, keeping an eye on the time. He even helpfully called out, “Mr. Davis, there are five minutes left. You might want to pick up the pace.”

    Alfred was freaking out. He turned around just in time to see several ck sedans rolling up to the hotel. They pulled in and parked right behind Ashton’s car. It was Ashton’s bodyguard squad.

    The car doors swung open, and several dozen men, all d in matching ck suits and white gloves, emerged. They marched in perfect unison towards Ashton’s car, bowing respectfully. “Mr. Wade, Miss Jennings.”

    Brandon waved his hand, prompting several people to swiftly take their positions to guard the hotel’s back entrance and the parking lot exits. Alfred was overwhelmed with anxiety, and his face reflected his turmoil. The Wade family typically preferred to resolve matters internally, rarely resorting to their bodyguard team. However,

    Ashton had arrived this time with full force.

    “Dad, Robert’s at the hospital with Beatrice!” Richard finally located Robert’s whereabouts. Fortunately, the

    hospital was one that the Davis family had invested in, so he quickly called them and asked to have Robert return his call immediately.

    With only three minutes left on the clock, Alfred stood before a line of bodyguards in ck suits as he answered

    Robert’s call. The moment he picked up, heunched into a furious reprimand: “You brat, be honest with me-

    have you been causing trouble againtely?”

    Robert was at the hospital with Halle and the others, nervously waiting outside the operating room while Beatrice

    was inside. He was already on edge, and now his dad was yelling at him on top of everything else. Frustration

    bubbled over. “Dad, what are you talking about? When have I ever done anything wrong? I’m at Shoneport

    University all day; what trouble could I possibly get into?”

    Alfred wasn’t buying it for a second. “Don’t y dumb. If you haven’t done anything, then why would Mr. Wade

    show up with a whole squad and surround our hotel? Why is he demanding that I hand someone over?”

    “Wait… M–Mr. Wade–he brought his people to surround our hotel?” Robert, who had earlier exuded confidence, now sounded anxious upon hearing Alfred mention it. ‘Oh no, did I screw up this time?‘ he thought, his self-

    assurance faltering.

    Alfred immediately understood there was nothing left for him to decipher. “You brat, are you still not going to confess? If you keep hiding the truth, I’m going to be taken away by Mr. Wade’s people today!” Alfred snapped.

    Robert stammered, “Dad, actually, I…”

    “Last minute,” Brandon’s voice felt like a death sentence hanging over Robert, making it hard for him to even

    breathe on the other end of the line.

    Alfred was frantic now,pletely losing his patience. He snapped, “Stop stammering! Just spit it out already!”

    Robert recoiled at Alfred’s deafening roar. “I–I just partnered with Beatrice and the others to set up Briar. We

    13:24 Thu, 21 AugA.

    wanted to teach her a lesson, and I even allowed the helper to bring a hideout to our family’s hotel…”

    $.35%

    “What? Which room is he in? Tell me now!” Alfred felt like the world was spinning, his legs nearly buckling. ‘That’s it. We’re done for,’ he thought, panic flooding his chest.

    Not only had they conspired to frame Briar, but they had even concealed the culprit right in their hotel. That was a clear case of being caught red–handed–there was no way to talk their way out of it. ‘How am I ever supposed to

    face Mr. Wade now?‘ Alfred thought, utterly lost.

    “He’s… He’s in my private suite,” Robert stammered, finally confessing.

    Alfred was too panicked to continue scolding. Still clutching his phone, he hurried over to Ashton’s car. “Mr. Wade,

    we found him–he’s hiding in Suite 2 on the 29th floor…”

    Even before Ashton gave the order, Brandon was already leading his men into the hotel, heading straight for the 29th floor. Ashton wasn’t worried about catching the culprit. If Zayne dared to stay openly at the Davis family’s

    hotel, he had likely covered his tracks and assumed no one in Shoneport would challenge him.

    But what Zayne didn’t realize was that, in Shoneport, there wasn’t anyone Ashton couldn’t handle if he chose to. Not only was Zayne on the blocklist of the 121 Overseas Mercenary Organization, but the mere fact that he and

    Sawyer had targeted Briar meant there was no chance Ashton would ever allow him to leave Shoneport alive.

    Meanwhile, Connor had received the news and hurried over. As soon as he jumped out of the car, he sprinted

    forward, barely able to contain his excitement, a broad grin on his face. “Mr. Wade, where is he? Give him to me! I need to interrogate him!” Nobody knew how thrilled he was when Brandon told him they had finally located Zayne’s hideout.