<b>Chapter </b><b>3 </b>
<b>Chapter </b><b>3 </b>
<b>Two </b>minutester, Briar slipped on her ck helmet, jumped on a sleek ck motorcycle parked in the Jennings family’s driveway<b>, </b>and took <i>off </i>humming, ready to make a quick delivery.
Camden and Beatrice only dared to step outside after she was out of sight. They started cussing up a storm–but it was way toote. Briar was already
gone.
While riding, Briar’s phone pinged with a file on Ashton. She tapped it open and stopped short at the photo.
He was tall with broad shoulders and a sharp jawline. A pair of gold–rimmed sses sat on his nose, masking the sharpness in his gaze. His lips were tight -an expression worn by men used to control and authority.
Briar gave a low whistle. “Perfect,” she
muttered.
Ashton was built like a dream. A little cold, a little dangerous. Just her type.
Any hesitation Briar had about this job disappeared the second she saw his face. She grinned, twisted the throttle, and sped up.
An hourter, Briar pulled up in front of a massive mansion, skidding her bike to a smooth stop right next to a shiny ck SUV. Her motorcycle looked rough, all scratched up and worn, but she didn’t care.
As soon as she cut the engine, a tall man in a suit approached, followed by a group of bodyguards.
Briar took off her helmet and eyed Ashton as he got closer. No surprise, he was even better–looking in person.
She stayed seated, one leg on the ground, totally calm. Meeting his stare, she asked, “Ashton?”
Ashton looked a little surprised that the courier was <b>a </b>girl, but he nodded. “Where’s the medicine?”
Briar pulled a small, clear stic bag from her pocket and held it up between two fingers. “Where’s the money?”
The bag looked like something off the street–just two tiny ck pills inside. It didn’t look like anything special.
Ashton’s eyes drifted to Briar’s wrist, where a simple ck hair tie stood out against her skin. Her chill attitude, the way she handled herself–it threw him off for a second.
After a couple of seconds of silent observation, a cold glint shed behind Ashton’s sses. He suddenly changed his mind. Instead of taking the pills, he pulled out his phone and transferred half the payment. Then he said, “Come with me. I’ll pay the rest after the pills are tested.”
Briar nced at the bodyguards, then back at Ashton. She didn’t like the vibe, but she wasn’t fazed either.
After a short pause, <i>she </i>slipped the pills back into her pocket, got off the bike, and followed Ashton, hands in her jacket, face unreadable.
The Wade family was the oldest and most powerful n in Shoneport. Their mansion looked more like <b>a </b>museum–fancy and old–school. It had several courtyards, but only one was lit up. A crowd of anxious–looking people stood gathered at the entrance.
In families like this, it was hard to tell who really cared. Nobody knew if all that concern was real or just for show.
When Ashton walked in with a young girl, every head turned. All eyes were on her–curious<b>, </b>suspicious, maybe a little judgmental.
Surrounded by all these political and business heavyweights, most people would’ve been shaking. But Briar was cool as ever. She didn’t even tone <b>down </b>her attitude one bit.
She walked into the courtyard like she owned the ce, Ashton right beside her
With Griffin on his deathbed, the Wade family was staring down a major storm over their wealth and power<i>. </i>So when Ashton brought in a stranger at a time like this, everyone tensed up.
13:33. Mon2OR JUS
<b>Chapter </b>3
But because Ashton hatt a reputation for being cold and tolthroat<b>, </b>no one dared stop thair. They just kept quiet and kilmant the can be the ana
<b>Griffin </b><b>used </b>to run with President Steven back in the day. When he stepped down for health reason, the higher ups made sure he got the men inakary doctors <b>in </b>the country
Right now, those same doctors were gathered around Griffin’s bed, and they lookedpletely stumped. Griffin had dipped into another ciana, with ne warning signs and no symptoms.
This was his sixth one this year, and each onested longer than the fast. This time, he’d been out way past what they thought wm cafe. His vitals we dropping fast. They’d nearly dered him dead twice.
Word got out, and suddenly the whole Wade family swarmed the house, dragging inwyers and kicking up drama. They crowded around Gaffer’s bed, refusing to leave, each one acting like they had the final say.
It took Ashton losing his temper and swearing he’d found an experimental drug to make them clear the room.
So when Ashton walked in now with a young woman at his side, the doctors looked a little anxious. “Did you get the medicine?” one of them asked.
Ashton didn’t say anything and turned to Briar.
Without missing a beat, Briar held up the clear stic bag. Inside were two small ck pills that rattled lightly as she handed them over.
The doctors stared at it like she’d just handed them a bag of candy. The packaging was cheap, and the pills didn’t look like anything special.
“Miss, has this been clinically tested?” one doctor asked hesitantly, not taking the bag. “What are the side effects? What’s in it?”
“No clinical trials,” Briar said tly. “The side effect is drowsiness. And as for what’s in it–that’s ssified.”
The doctors didn’t look impressed. But Briar ignored them and turned to Ashton. “You asked for one pill. I brought an extra. You can test it if you want. I’ll wait thirty minutes.
“But I’ll tell you now–these pills work. Combine them with acupuncture, and your grandfather will wake up in half an hour.
“And you don’t have time to waste. At the rate he’s going, he’s got maybe an hour left. You’d better decide fast.”
Before Ashton or the doctors could respond, someone scoffed from behind them.
“What a joke. The best military doctors in the country are still working on this, and some random girl shows up acting like she’s got all the answers, huh?”
“Ashton, where did you even find her? Experimental drugs are risky enough. If something goes wrong-
“Yeah<i>, </i>Griffin’s pulled through before. Let’s stick with what we know. No need to gamble now.”
“She’s just a kid. What does she even know about Griffin’s condition? Giving him an hour to live, huh? She’s full of it.”
“And acupuncture? What kind of outdated nonsense is that? <i>Isn’t </i>that Tristan’s thing anyway? If he’s not here, what’s the point?”
As the crowd kept murmuring, Ashton turned slowly to face them. His voice stayed calm but carried weight. “If you don’t want to get kicked out again, shut up.”
The room went silent. Then Ashton turned back to Briar. He looked her dead in the eye. “You know traditional medicine?” he asked. “You can do acupuncture?”
It didn’t sound like a real question—more like a quiet demand. His tone was cold and steady–and hard to argue with.
Something about the way he looked at her made Briar uneasy. She’d seen that look before, though she couldn’t ce where. <b>“</b>A little,” she replied.
<b>Chapter </b>A