Betrayed, Then Back For Blood

Chapter 231

Chapter 231

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On the tablet was the latest message from Connor. The message was brief, just a few words.

[There's trouble at the border. Cquickly.]

Along the border, order or chaos had always been dictated by Connor's mercenary group. After years of

dominating the region, their sheer presence alone commanded obedience from all factions.

But if even Connor said there was trouble, then things must be serious.

‘I wonder who's behind all this chaos at the border. Now I'm so curious,” Briar thought.

She lowered her head, mulling over the words for a moment before handing the tablet back to Ashton. “The

border’s in chaos. Is it a good idea forto go?”

Ashton kept his expression neutral, but inside, he was secretly amused. “Of course it is. You're just going to have

sfun.”

‘She is blatantly testing me,’ Ashton thought. ‘She’s testing my limits, to see just how much trouble I'll let her

stir up before | step in.”

But now they were heading to the most lawless stretch of border in the world, where even a random passerby

could have ties to factions too dangerous to cross.

With Briar’s ability to stir up trouble, there was no way Ashton would dare let her do whatever she wanted.

Hearing Ashton’s words, Briar just smiled and said, “Alright, I'm just going to have sfun. As long as no one

messes with me, I'll behave myself.”

She meant it. If nobody messed with her, she could promise to be good. But if someone started something, all

bets were off.

‘Also, judging from Connor's message, if my guess is right, the ones behind the sudden chaos at the border are

probably the mysterious Darius and Boyden," Briar thought.

With Briar’s promise, Ashton looked pleased as he picked up the documents on the table and lowered his head to

get back to work.

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

Briar unbuttoned her coat and lounged back lazily, pulling out a gto kill time. With no inteon the plane,

she could only play offline classics, like that old Snake Geveryone used to play on their phones.

lan scooted over to join her, and the two played side by side, betting a hundred push-ups on whose snake

would crash first.

After more than ten hours in the air, lan racked up nearly two thousand push-ups. By the tthey got off the

plane, his arms were trembling nonstop, barely able to stay still.

The border in November was even colder than Shoneport.

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Fortunately, before they set out, Ashton had already prepared a full-length black down jacket for Briar. With her

hands tucked in and the hood up, it blocked almost all the cold wind.

As for Ashton, even facing the biting wind, he just changed his thin jacket to a black wool coat, looking like the

cold didn’t bother him at all.

“Mr. Wade!” Connor and his men had been waiting at the tarmac for ages. The moment they saw Ashton and

Briar step off the plane, all his guys shouted out in perfect unison.

Couldn't blthem. Compared to the Victoria Hotel in Qathana, which Ashton never even bothered to visit,

these guys stationed at the border were practically poor souls exiled by him.

After turning the mercenary group into a powerhouse, Ashton walked away and left it all behind.

He left everything to others. Even the budget allocations for the border went through Jalen, not him.

Connor stepped forward with two of his most trusted men and introduced them to Briar. “Miss Jennings, they're

Riley and Artemus. | want them to be your temporary guides. Things might be chaotic here, but the scenery’s

great, mountains, rivers, plenty of places to explore. Let them show you around and act as your bodyguards.

Around here, anyone with half a brain will know to stay out of your way.”

Connor knew what lan could do, but even the best couldn't handle everything alone. Out here on the border,

flying solo usually meant asking for trouble.

Riley and Artemus bowed again and greeted in unison, “Hello, Miss Jennings.”

These two were Connor's top men, and they knew all about Briar. Far from the delicate young woman people

assumed her to be, she was a true force, brutally skilled in combat and ruthlessly efficient in her methods.

And on this border, strength was the only thing that mattered.

Ashton looked over the two hulking, bear-sized Riley and Artemus, nodded in approval at their fighting skills,

then turned to Briar and said, “Theyre not much to look at, but their skills are solid. Each of them could take on

ten men at once. If you wander off and run into trouble, they'll be able to hold the fort for a bit.”

Riley and Artemus were speechless, thinking, ‘Sure, Mr. Wade was praising us, but why did it sound so off? That

hurt a little.”

Since Ashton thought these two were good, Briar could only nod, albeit a bit reluctantly. “Alright, you two can

calong.”

‘Actually, these two are Ashton’s eyes and ears, right?‘ Briar thought. “They're probably here to keepfrom

running off.

As soon as Briar gave the nod, Riley and Artemus swiftly moved behind her, exchanging looks with lan, who

was all skin and bones.

‘Wait, is this twig Miss Jennings’ bodyguard? With that build, if things go south, is he protecting her, or is she

going to have to save his skin?‘ Riley and Artemus couldn't help but wonder.

lan bristled with hostility as he thought, “The aura coming off these two is intense. Just how many people have

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Chapter 231

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they taken down to get that kind of vibe? Why did they send two heavy hitters to stick to Briar? Does that mean

this border trip is going to be even more dangerous than we thought?”

Riley and Artemus stared hard at lan. ‘Wait, this guy looks familiar. Have we tangled with him somewhere

before?’ they wondered.

Anyone who'd ever gone up against Riley and Artemus was never sharmless type. They were all ruthless,

dangerous people.

They assumed lan must have sreal skills.

The moment the three of them sized each other up, the air was thick with mutual hostility and wariness.

They were all hardened veterans who'd seen their share of bloodshed, able to spot danger in an instant.

“Hey, you look kinda familiar. Wanna find stto go a few rounds?” Riley forced a grin, still unsettled by

the way lan was staring him down.

lan never backed down from a fight. He casually swung his still-trembling arms behind his back and said, “Sure,

bring it on.”

Briar was speechless when she saw that.

The car drove back for an hour before pulling into a sprawling estate nestled halfway up a mountainside. There

were five mansions in total, built on the hillside with the unique architectural style of Dasmieca.

These magnificent estates radiated grandeur while retaining timeless elegance. More importantly, the five

manors stood in perfect synergy, each capable of transforming into an independent stronghold when danger

arose.

The grounds were perfect, the facilities top-notch, and it could accommodate a large number of people. Briar

quickly did the math and figured it could probably house around two thousand people.

But such an impregnable stronghold cat a steep price. The annual maintenance costs alone were

astronomical.

She figured only someone as loaded as Ashton could afford to keep it up.

Their car pulled up onto the lawn of the central mansion, and a man in his sixties, with perfectly combed hair

and dressed in a crisp black tailcoat, immediately stepped forward to open the door for Ashton.

“Welcome, Mr. Wade. Welcome, Miss Jennings,” he said with a respectful nod.

Ashton turned to Briar and introduced him, “This is Mr. Vince. He used to serve my grandfather back in the day.

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