?Chapter 1154:


    His original n was to slip unnoticed into the presidential suite and catch Maia off guard. However, the moment he set foot inside the Marclif Hotel, two men spotted him immediately. They weren’t ordinary bystanders. They cornered him without hesitation and demanded answers.


    Austen had nearly fallen into their grip in that brief scuffle. Thinking back on it made his expression harden, and bitterness glimmered in his eyes.


    Their suspicions turned out to be true. Maia did have an organization standing behind her. From the way those two fought, Austen could tell that the group backing her possessed frightening strength.


    At that point, he couldn’t deny that Raegan and Rosanna’s strategy seemed more practical than his.


    Right then, the sound of footsteps broke through the silence from behind him.


    Shadows tightened over Austen’s face as he broke into a sprint and fumbled to dial Raegan’s number.


    “Raegan, you need to get here fast. Someone’s on my tail,” he whispered hoarsely, forcing himself to ignore the throbbing pain.


    Once the call ended, Raegan wasted no time. She shouted orders to her team, “Move now! Astral Avenue. Third intersection. Hurry!”


    Engines red to life, and the tires shrieked as the vehicle sped off, throwing dust into the night air.


    Seated inside, Raegan gripped her hands together with quiet intensity. She hadn’t questioned Austen about the details, yet the edge in his voice revealed the truth — his attempt had copsed.


    Worse still, the hunter had now be the prey.


    Could it be Maia’s operatives? The thought confirmed what Raegan had feared. Maia was far from ordinary.


    “I warned him not to jump ahead. The only way is to dismantle Maia step by step,” Raegan muttered under her breath. “But…”


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    Austen let his impatience take over. What a fool.


    During that time, Austen managed to slip away once more. Rather than heading straight for the third intersection, he chose to veer off course on purpose.


    Even with all their skill, his pursuerscked the sharp instincts needed to keep up with someone who excelled at disguise the way Austen did.


    While weaving through the streets, he discardedyers of clothing and even altered his hairstyle to throw them off. Only a single road separated him from Raegan’s car, and once inside, he’d finally be beyond their reach.


    Just as relief crept in, a tall figure blocked the path ahead.


    The stranger stood against the light, and Austen couldn’t see the face clearly, though something about the outline stirred a faint recognition.


    Still, no memory surfaced, and he doubted that the figure had anything to do with him.


    Most likely, it was nothing more than a passerby…


    That assumption was shattered the instant the shadowy figure lunged forward and swung a punch at Austen.


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