?Chapter 913:


    The guard smirked, speaking with deliberate slowness. “Ah, Mr. Pierce, you may not have heard, but your dear physician, Edward, has been used of attempting to poison Mr. Harrison. And, well… considering he’s your personal doctor, people might start whispering that you had a hand in it. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, it would be best if you stayed out of this.”


    Dayton’s jaw tightened, his eyes shing with barely restrained fury.


    “What the hell are you insinuating?” Alden snapped.


    Before anyone could react, he stepped forward and delivered a brutal kick to the guard’s stomach.


    The man let out a strangled cry, his bodyunching backward like a ragdoll before crashing against the wall with a sickening thud.


    Alden followed, pressing his boot against the downed guard’s face, his voice a low, dangerous growl. “Who the hell do you think you are, talking to the mayor like that? Do you have a death wish?”


    The guard let out a strangled whimper, his face twisted in agony.


    The surrounding guards drew their weapons, ready to retaliate, but Dayton’s men weren’t the type to be intimidated. The moment the guards lunged forward, Dayton’s soldiers countered with swift, precise force. Within moments, the guardsy sprawled across the ground, groaning in defeat.


    Just then, the grand doors of the Harrison mansion creaked open. A well-dressed man stepped into view—the Harrison family’s butler. Wearing a polished smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, he offered Dayton a deep bow, his voice dripping with feigned politeness.


    “Oh, Mr. Pierce. I must apologize. It seems our gatekeepers were rather uncivil. I hope you won’t take offense.”


    He dabbed an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead with a pristine handkerchief, shaking his head as though dismayed. “Mr. Harrison is simply concerned about how this situation might affect your reputation, you see. He…”


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    Dayton cut him off with a slow, confident smirk. His voice was smooth yetced with an unspoken warning. “I’ve never needed to worry about my reputation, because I don’t make reckless choices. But those who do tend to trip over their own lies sooner orter.”


    The butler’s mask ofposure faltered for a split second, his face flushed in embarrassment.


    But he recovered quickly, his smile stiff as he gestured toward the entrance. “Well then, Mr. Pierce, since you’re so sure of yourself… please,e inside.”


    At this moment, from where I was standing, I had a clear view of the butler’s side profile.


    The moment he finished speaking, his eyes unintentionally flicked to Alden. His pupils shrank abruptly, and a look of sheer disbelief shed across his face. But in the blink of an eye, he regained hisposure, turned on his heel without a word, and proceeded to lead the way.


    I didn’t miss a single detail of his reaction, and unease instantly settled in my gut.


    What could have possibly shaken such aposed man?


    Then, a realization struck me—just earlier, Alden and I had been ambushed by a gang of thugs. The memory resurfaced, and a gut feeling told me that this wasn’t a coincidence. There had to be a connection.


    Without hesitation, I leaned in toward Alden, shielding my lips with my hand as I murmured something under my breath.


    He paused briefly before nodding in understanding. Without drawing attention, he adjusted his pace, discreetly passing quiet instructions to a soldier beside him.


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