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Briar rolled her eyes at Ashton. “Am I supposed to thank you?”
Ashton put on a gentle, loving expression. “You’re wee. It’s my duty.”
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Briar couldn’t hold back any longer. She snatched a grape from the table and tossed it at Ashton. “Have some shame, Ashton.”
Ashton deftly caught the grape, peeled it, and held it to Briar’s lips. “Don’t be mad. Come on, open up.
Exasperated by Ashton’s roguish teasing, Briar’s anger dissipated. She opened her mouth, took the grape, and ate it.
The others at the table exchanged nces, then quietly stood up and left.
They were already full and had no appetite for the couple’s public disy of affection.
*****
By 7:00 pm, it was already dark outside.
Dressed head to toe in ck, with a cap pulled low, Briar came down the stairs with a cold,manding presence that instantly caught the attention of those waiting below.
Frank had insisted on staying after learning that Briar and Ashton had big business to handle tonight.
His eyes lit up when he saw Briar’s unusual attire. Right in front of Ashton, he whistled at her and eximed “Wow! Briar, you look so damn cool!”
Although Frank was a skilled fighter, he had the features of a pretty boy. No matter how hard he tried to look fierce, he couldn’t muster a sinister and intimidating aura.
Of course, Frank knew this wasn’t by ident. Connor had deliberately raised him to keep that innocent temperament. But still, he was jealous.
He was envious of Briar. One look was all it took to know she was not someone to be trifled with.
Ashton shot Frank a look, and Frank immediately quieted down.
Ashton picked up the car keys, got up from the sofa, and walked toward the main entrance with Briar.
At the door, Ashton paused, then turned to Frank. “If you can promise to behave and not wander off, I’ll give you three minutes.”
Frank’s eyes widened in disbelief. After a moment, he pointed to himself and asked, “Ashton, are you saying you’re actually taking me along, the dead weight and all?”
“At least you’re self–aware.” Ashton smiled as he nced at his watch. “One minute left.” <fn1c93> Checktest chapters at Find[?]ovel</fn1c93>
Frank sprang to his feet and rushed to Brandon. “Brandon, quick! Give me a gun and a box of those gourd
bombs…”
Brandonughed and shook his head. He wanted to say that with Ashton and Briar around, Frank likely wouldn’t get a chance to make a move, but he still did as asked and got him the equipment.
As he helped Frank load the gear into the car, he couldn’t help but add, “Stay safe, and don’t wander off
Frank nimbly climbed into the back seat and gave Brandon an “OK” sign. “Don’t worry. I won’t wander off
After all, he was with Ashton this time, not Connor. With Connor, he’d be caught if he took even one step our of line.
Ashton only had eyes for Briar. If there were any danger, he would protect her first.
Once the door was shut, Ashton drove off with an impassive Briar and an ecstatic Frank.
<b>** </b>
Meanwhile, at Summit One.
Building One was the crown jewel of the Summit Vis. Residents here were of the highest status, shrouded in secrecy. All anyone knew was that it housed a figure no one dared offend.
Many residents had no idea of this mysterious person’s true identity.
That was just how people were. The more mysterious and unknown someone was, the more others would try to get close and find out more.
Because of this, security at Building One was no joke. Not just the vi’s own security system, but also the private guards of the “important figure,” who patrolled daily.
“The internal security for Building One switches posts every thirty minutes, with a one–minute handover gap They also have passcode verification during the swap. Getting close with normal methods is impossible”
Ashton parked the car in a small wooded area about a mile away.
Briar looked down, summarizing the security situation for Summit One while typing on a miniatureputer.
Sitting in the back seat, Frank grew restless and asked anxiously, “Ashton, does that mean we can’t sneak in<b>! </b>Did we make this trip for nothing?”
Ashton stayed calm, giving Frank a reassuring look. “What’s the rush? If such a small obstacle can scare <b>you </b>off, you’ve got no business talking about following Connor to the border someday.”
Frank scratched his head, embarrassed. “So what do we do? There’s only a one–minute <b>gap </b>during the handover. Even if we run at full speed, they’ll still spot us<b>.” </b>
For normal people<b>, </b><b>yes</b>. Charging in would definitely <b>get </b>them <b>caught</b><b>. </b>But <b>Briar </b>and <b>Ashton </b><b>were </b><b>not </b>ordinary people.
8:40 Tue, Sep 30
Still typing, Briar hit the final Enter key. “Done. Sync your watches”
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She raised her wrist to check her watch. “It’s 20:45 Shoneport time. In five minutes, we’re going over thepound wall at the southwest corner
Ashton and Frank both checked their watches, syncing the time. “Okay, Ashton said simply
Only Frank was stillpletely bewildered. “Wait, Briar. We’re just going to climb over the wall? ht that too dangerous?”
Briar handed him the miniputer, not bothering to exin. “See for yourself”
Frank took the miniputer. After a moment, a sleazy smile appeared on his face. “Isn’t this Len Ernest? This old guy is still so wild at his age?”
When Briar handed him the miniputer, he must have identally touched something, because the surveince feed switched from the corner of the wall to the interior of a certain room.
Inside, two stunning foreign women were wrapped around an old man with snow–white hair.
The white–haired old man was none other than the former leader of Dasmieca and the current head of the Ernest family, Len.
Ashton’s face darkened instantly as soon as he heard Frank’s tone. He snatched the miniputer from his hand and switched the feed back.
Ashton cursed under his breath, switched the screen back, and warned Frank irritably, “Don’t look at things you’re not supposed to see.”
Frank replied with an innocent look, “Oh, got it.” It was not what he wanted to see anyway.
<b>But </b>Frank seemed to think of something and asked, “Hey, Ashton. Don’t you think those two women looked a
little familiar?”
Ashton nced at Briar and answered hesitantly, “They do look… a little familiar…
Frank, not noticing Ashton’s suddenly awkward expression, pped his thigh after a moment of thought. “I remember now! Weren’t those two foreign women the ones Uncle tried to send to your bed a while ago Ashton, you…”
Finally realizing the tense atmosphere in the car, Frank slowly looked up at Briar, who was radiating a cold aura. He gulped nervously. “Briar, Ashton didn’t agree. You have to believe…”
Briar said coldly, “Frank, get out of the car. I need to talk to your brother.”
Frank only had time to shoot Ashton a sympathetic look before he scrambled out.