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    Reece and Hamish had just lifted their cup, ready to take a sip, when the words reached their ears. The sex that went down almost came right back up.


    Coughing, Hamish shot Briar a thumbs–up, his admiration sincere. “Priar, your love for Ashton is truly one of a kind!”


    Reece, meanwhile, cast Ashton a look that hovered somewhere between envy and pity. “Ashton, it looks Per Briar will love you deeply for the rest of her life. And when you die, she’ll love you even more


    Reece and Hamish thought, ‘Of course she would. She would love Ashton enough to split open extract the bones one by one, and carefully preserve them as a specimen.


    his


    corpse


    ‘Maybe she’d even hang the skeleton in her bedroom, and talk to it every day.


    ‘Hiss–just imagining it was enough to make one’s scalp prickle!


    Completely unaware of the scenes they had conjured in their minds, Briar remained utterly absorbed in the data scrolling across her microputer screen. Their conversation washed over her as though it didn’t exist at all.


    But only Briar knew how distracting Ashton’s searing, probing gaze had be.


    In the end, she could only hesitate, then reluctantly turned her head to meet Ashton’s eyes. “Hubby, don’t look at me like that.”


    The corner of Ashton Wade’s eye twitched violently. She had called him “hubby” in front of everyone. It seemed that the girl was truly flustered.


    Ashton pondered, ‘Was she afraid I’d press for details? That’s very interesting


    Ashton felt a pang of jealousy, wondering what kind of dazzlingly handsome men those thirty–seven skeletons Briar had hidden away once belonged to.


    Yet, in the end, Ashton said nothing. He only reached out, pulled her into his arms, and lowered his head so that his cheek brushed lightly against the curve of Briar’s neck. “Alright, I won’t ask anymore.”


    ‘Not asking didn’t mean I couldn’t investigate in secret! Ashton thought.


    Briar remained expressionless, enduring the teasing, knowing nces that used them of shamelessly unting their affection.


    Even Alexia and Alex, the bona fide young lovers in the group, couldn’t bear to watch and scooted a little farther away.


    Briar was speechless as she thought, ‘If it weren’t just to shut Ashton up, I would never lower myself to such humiliating public disys of affection.


    Half an hour slipped by in no time.


    6:04 <b>Sat</b>, Sep <b>27 </b>


    :


    <b>99 </b>


    125 Vouchers


    In the final minute before the explosion, Brandon and fan dragged Harith Lopez out, battered, broken, and unconscious. Without hesitation, they tossed him into the open ground outside the courtyard.


    The area had already been cleared, so when Hairth’s body exploded in front of everyone, it didn’t cause much of amotion, aside from the unpleasant sight of flesh and blood scattering in all directions.


    Reece volunteered to handle the aftermath. He pulled out his phone and instructed his men to call a cleaning


    crew.


    Brandon, meanwhile, removed the memory card from the camera and handed it to Briar. “Young Madam, this contains the full record of Harith Lopez’s interrogation. Please review it.”


    In truth, everyone had already watched the full interrogation of Harith Lopez on Briar’s miniputer. Watching it again was less about curiosity and more about the slim hope of uncovering some overlooked detail.


    “Alright, good work.” Briar took the memory card, inserted it into herputer, and pulled up the footage. She set the device on the low table in the centre of the room so that everyone could see.


    The image was crystal clear. Too clear. The scenes were brutal, the sounds raw and bloody. Yet no one looked away. This was their only path to any real clue from Harith.


    Unfortunately, despite Brandon and Ian’s seamless, merciless interrogation, Harith had little to reveal. As for the true mastermind behind him, the hidden boss, he had chosen silence. Silence to the death.


    “Damn it! How is this bastard so tight–lipped? He’s still not talking?” Reece eximed.


    Even after watching the footage twice, Reece, who was no stranger to ruthlessness, felt his skin crawl at the interrogation methods he had just witnessed.


    And yet, Harith had endured it all, giving up nothing. Not a single word. That alone, Reece had to admit, deserved a measure of respect.


    Hamish stroked his chin thoughtfully. “If Harith refused to reveal the mastermind’s identity even at that point, doesn’t that in itself suggest just how powerful the man must be?


    “Powerful enough that even on the brink of death, he wouldn’t dare utter a single word.” Reece nodded, conceding the logic.


    Ashton also agreed, “Exactly. For someone to terrify a man as fearless as Harith, what level of power do you think they have?”


    No one needed further exnation. Everyone present was a veteran at reading between the lines. They immediately understood the implication of Ashton’s words.


    Alexia nced worriedly at Briar before asking Ashton, “If this man is really that formidable, then what do we do? If we can’t beat him, won’t he simply turn the tables and wipe us out?”


    It hasn’t been easy for Briar to make it this far.


    If Ashton’s suspicion was right, that the mastermind was truly too exalted to touch, then the consequences for


    6:04 Sat, Sep 27 A


    Briar would be devastating.


    Briar scoffed nonchntly. “Kill me? They’ll never get the chance.


    ???


    1266 vouchers


    Her words,ced with cold indifference and quiet arrogance, left a faint unease in the hearts of those present


    Ashton pulled Briar closer into his arms, his gaze softening with warmth as he murmured, “You’re right. They’ll never have that chance.”


    Before, Ashton had been unsure who Briar’s true enemy was–the one who had killed her mother. That uncertainty had left her vulnerable. But now that the target was clear, there was no reason to hold back


    His father’s warning had not only guided him toward where to dig, but also reminded him of something deeper–t


    -the unshakable stance of the Wade family.


    Ashton’s words might have been few, but the meaning beneath them was unmistakable. He would protect Briar to the very end.


    Hamish and Reece exchanged a nce, and in each other’s eyes, they saw a knowing smile.


    To shield his beloved, even to the point of angering all under heaven–this was Ashton.


    Hamish chuckled, “Don’t forget, with the Wade family’s ce in Shoneport, even the highest powers in Dasma wouldn’t dare cross them directly.”


    Reece chimed in with confidence, “Exactly. Not to mention, you’ll have the support of <i>both </i>my family and Hamish’s. Rest assured, this won’t be hard to handle.”


    Jan leaned back against the sofa with his arms crossed, his face solemn. “If that’s the case, we can get revenge for Briar soon! Right, Ashton?”


    But his words had a disingenuous tone.


    Ashton nced atn briefly. Just as he was about to speak, the sound of engines rumbled through the courtyard. Shouts and cries erupted one after another.


    His gaze shifted,nding squarely on Reece. “Have your men gotten this timid?”


    Reece’s lips twitched. “After <i>a </i>st like that, who wouldn’t be shaken by the sight?”


    With that, he rose, straightened his jacket, and strode toward the door. “I’ll go supervise them myself. You all


    continue.”