?Chapter 1308:


    Suddenly, a cheeky voice floated from behind. “Look who it is—Mr. Wall himself, working the room alone? Enjoying the fruits of your own empire?”


    Without ncing back, Noah recognized the voice instantly. ine strolled over, carrying his drink and radiating his trademark easygoing charm, though the cleverness in his eyes never wavered. He took a quick survey of the elegant crowd, then grinned slyly. “Mr. Wall, need a wingman tonight? You’ve got half the socialites here watching your every move.”


    Noah offered him a cold, detached look. Some things about ine never changed, and his teasing was certainly one of them.


    Choosing not to respond to the banter, Noah dropped his voice to get straight to the point. “Did you learn anything new about Sutton?”


    All yfulness slipped from ine’s face, reced by a rare seriousness as he considered the question. He drew in closer, lowering his tone so only Noah could hear. “You know, the whole thing gets stranger the more I look at it,” he said, slowly swirling his champagne. “I’ve gone through those Eastwood Mountain police case files more times than I can count. There’s not a single clue. Everything looks perfectly normal.”


    If Sutton’s death was just an ident or the result of a personal grudge, then every scrap of evidence seemed to support that narrative. Nothing was out of ce. Nothing had been missed.


    ine shook his head, a trace of sarcasm in his tone. “Eastwood Manor is a circus all its own. The manager could barely form a sentence—sweating bullets the entire time. Every employee who was on duty that day? Fired a month ago. Their personnel files? Magically destroyed in some freak fire.” He let out a dryugh. “Rounding up everyone for proper questioning is going to be a slow process, I’m afraid.”


    Someone had to be orchestrating things from the shadows, and they were moving with impressive speed. Noah listened closely, his eyes sharp with silent contemtion.


    ine swept his gaze over the mingling guests before something caught his eye. He shot Noah a knowing nce. Amid the whirl ofughter and clinking sses, a familiar silhouette emerged—moving gracefully, charming others with polite conversation and an easy smile.


    Noah followed ine’s gaze, a frown tugging at his brow as he recognized the neer. Alex had made an appearance. Questions formed instantly: what business did Alex have at this event? Across the crowded room their eyes met briefly. In response, Alex offered a wless, practiced smile that revealed nothing.


    ine lowered his voice, leaning in. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall sending an invitation to anyone from the Howe family,” he murmured, sarcasmcing his words.


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    Alex advanced through the crowd, ss in hand, his expression untouched by ine’s taunt. Hisposure remained icy as he replied, “I came for Sadie, to see if there’s anything I could help with.”


    ine bristled, squaring his shoulders and stepping subtly between Noah and Alex. “It almost sounds like you think Wall Group can’t handle its own affairs,” he challenged. “Noah is here for Sadie, and everything is under control, Mr. Howe.”


    No care was spared for Alex’s dignity. To ine, Alex’s feelings for Sadie were hardly a secret, and that affected politeness— that pretense of genuine concern— grated on his nerves. Noah met Alex’s gaze with an indifferent calm, his voice smooth and steady. “Mr.?Howe, we have a busy program today. Please forgive us if we don’t give you our full attention.”


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