?Chapter 450:


    Elliana and Adah walked back to the car, where An’s vehicle remained exactly where they had left it.


    Adah cast a contemptuous nce at An’s sleek sedan before sliding behind the wheel of her own car.


    Elliana settled into the passenger seat beside her.


    “How about we hit the Will Bar?” Adah proposed, her fingers drumming against the steering wheel.


    Elliana shook her head firmly. “Not tonight. Take me back.” An inexplicable unease had settled deep in her chest, like a stone dropped into still water. The ripples of apprehension made any thought of entertainment impossible.


    Recognizing the genuine reluctance in her friend’s voice, Adah started the engine without argument and pulled away from the curb.


    The moment their taillights disappeared around the corner, An and Manley stepped out of the spa’s marble entrance and hurried toward their waiting car.


    An imed the driver’s seat with practiced ease.


    Manley studied his friend’s determined profile. “An, you’re actually going through with this chase? We’re strangers in Podgend, where the rules bend differently than back home. This could spiral into something we can’t control.”


    “Get out if you’re having second thoughts,” An replied without breaking his stare ahead.


    Manleyughed, the sound rich with familiar camaraderie. “Since when do I back down from anything? I’m simply suggesting you keep your head clear. Sure, it’s remarkable that someone finally caught your attention, but I worry you’re walking straight into quicksand.”


    An’s jaw tightened with resolve. “How can I discover if it’s quicksand without testing the ground myself?”


    Manley nodded slowly. “Fair enough. Tonight, I’m riding this adventure with you to the end.”


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    An fired up the engine and pulled into traffic, following the distant glow of his target’s brake lights.


    They had barely traveled two blocks when Manley’s phone erupted into urgent ringing. Myles’s name shed across the screen. “Mr. Swain, you and Mr. Shaw must return immediately. We desperately need your assistance!”


    The panic threading through Myles’s usuallyposed voice sent ice through Manley’s veins. His entire demeanor shifted to steel. “What’s happened?”


    Myles’s words came rapid-fire. “It’s Mr. Evans. Something catastrophic has urred!”


    “We’re already turning around!” Manley snapped.


    An caught the gravity bleeding through his friend’s tone and pressed for details. “Tell me what’s going wrong.”


    Manley’s knuckles whitened around his phone. “Cole’s in serious trouble, and Myles is asking for our help. We need to move now!”


    An’s gaze flicked once more toward Adah’s car, torn between desire and his friend’s safety, before he yanked the wheel hard left and elerated back toward Cole’s ce. Colemanded respect as one of their most lethal operatives, backed by Myles, Aron, Hugh, and an entire squadron of elite bodyguards, with Jason personally supervising operations. For Myles to sound this desperate meant they faced something truly catastrophic.


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