<b>Chapter </b><b>463 </b>


    “Protect Gracie,” Shermaine said coldly. “I’m on my way.”


    Jasmine wanted to respond, but before she could get a word out, Mandy abruptly cut the optical feed.


    Fuming, Jasmine red at her, thinking, ‘Just wait until Shermaine gets here. You’re gonna regret everything!


    This woman was deranged. Malicious to the core. She was the one who issued a challenge to Shermaine, and now that she’d lost, she couldn’t ept it. So she resorted to taking them hostage just to get another shot at Shermaine.


    ‘Please let Shermaine bring enough firepower to wipe this ce clean,‘ Jasmine thought.


    She nced around. There were at least a few dozen people here.


    Mandy, after shutting down the optical feed, turned her gaze to Jasmine. She scanned her slowly, her eyesnding on the baby in her arms.


    Gracie, bundled up in her adorable bunny–eared hat, was being held tightly to Jasmine’s chest.


    “What the hell are you looking at? Don’t tell me you’re deranged enough toy a hand on a baby,” Jasmine snapped, not backing down for a second.


    Mandy didn’t respond with violence, but her tone was sharp. “Is she yours?”


    “Of course she’s mine.” Jasmine wasn’t about to say otherwise. She wasn’t stupid.


    But Mandy wasn’t buying it. What kind of woman gets a full–body spa, goes swimming, and spends days flirting around right after giving birth?


    Meanwhile, Shermaine had barely left the room these past few days.


    Mandy let out a coldugh. “You think lying to me is going to work? All I have to do is run your ID, and I’ll know whether or not you’re really her mother.”


    Jasmine’s expression faltered.


    “She’s Boa’s kid, isn’t she?” Mandy pressed on.


    Jasmine said nothing.


    Meanwhile, Shermaine had already pulled up Jasmine’s location through her opticalputer. With a quickmand, a map appeared on her screen. Without hesitation, she turned and headed out.


    Simon’s men didn’t understand what was going on, but when they saw Shermaine moving to leave, they rushed forward to stop her<b>, </b>which was a big mistake.


    One swift kick from Shermaine sent a man crashing into the wall. There was a sickening crack as his ribs snapped.


    He crumpled to the ground, face pale, unable to move.


    The others fell silent.


    Shermaine dusted off her coat, her voice icy. “Anyone else tries to stop me, that’s what you’re getting.”


    No one dared move.


    Some, noticing her sudden urgency, guessed something was wrong. A few slipped away to find out what had happened.


    The information came back fast.


    Mandy had taken a woman and a baby hostage, someone staying in the same suite as Shermaine, someone clearly close to her.


    <b>08:27 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b>7 <b>Jul </b>


    <b>Jul </b>G


    “Do we intervene?” someone from Shirley’s camp asked. “Mandy brought in mercs and hitmen. We’re short–staffed. If we get involved, we <b>may </b><b>not </b><be </b>


    back alive.”


    “We wait,” another said. “If we see an opening to earn a favor from Boa, we take it,”


    While they were deliberating, Shermaine had already arrived at the restaurant. The guards posted outside didn’t stop her when they saw she was <b>alone</b>,


    Inside, Jasmine was nked by two men. Every time she so much as moved, they pinned her down.


    The second she saw Shermaine, she shouted, “Goddess! She took Gracie!”


    Shermaine froze. The words hit her like a de.


    Mandy had taken Gracie from Jasmine’s arms. A storm of rage surged inside her. Her aura turned ice cold. On the far end of the room, Mandy <b>sat </b><b>sipping </b>wine, holding Gracie in one arm. When she saw Shermaine approaching, she smiled. “So the baby really is yours.”


    Simon’s woman of interest, it turned out, was no innocent. She had a child and clearly <i>no </i>man in sight. Which meant this baby probably <b>belonged </b><b>to </b>some random guy. ‘Just another wild woman with a bastard kid,‘ Mandy said inwardly.


    Disgusted, she mmed her winess against the floor, ss shattering everywhere<i>. </i>“I can’t believe I lost to a woman like you.”


    Gracie squirmed in her arms, clearly ufortable with how clumsily Mandy was holding her. Her big, pretty eyes welled with tears and <b>began </b><b>to </b>spill


    over.


    Shermaine’s heart clenched tight. She had never felt this furious. Her gaze burned red, deadly. “You shouldn’t haveid a hand on my daughter.”