Betrayed, Then Back For Blood

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 place. Sawyer was the school doctor at Shoneport University, where

security had been lax 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 cabhad

gotten in the sway.

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 placed his hand on Briar’s shoulder, urging her to face him. He met her gaze with a serious expression.

“Briar, | need you to remember every single detail of what happened when you took Leilani 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 Leilani 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 Leilani.

By the tshe 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 Leilani teamed up to set you

up at the competition. At first glance, 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, | just happened to find that

medicine bottle in the cabinet.”

Even though they were discussing something so profound, Ashton couldn't resist gently kneading and playing

with Briar’s soft earlobe. “Briar, they're setting a trap for you.”

“Yeah, if we hadn't spotted Zayne walking by Shoneport University, | 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

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Chapter 191

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also from the silent chemistry between them.

Ashton received a sharp glance 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 | was coming back-besides my two

uncles—were the Jennings family.”

It all cback 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 glanced 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 glance. 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 | 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.

Before coming 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 blame

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 glanced 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, relaying 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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13:24 Thu, 21 Aug J

Chapter 191

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

connections between their companies but cup empty.

35%

As desperation grew, they found less, and as they found less, tflew 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 surveillance

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 minutes later, 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 accepted the cigarette, offering Alfred a semblance of courtesy, and calmly stated, “Mr. Davis, you know

my approach. Would | chere in person to seek someone if | didn’t have a solid reason?”

Alfred nodded quickly. “Of course, Mr. Wade. You've always been precise and fair. However, | genuinely have no

idea what might upset you in this way. Could you please helpunderstand?”

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 to lately.”

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