?Chapter 969:


    When SecondBest saw the responsee through, he nearly leapt out of his chair. Did this mean Nightshade might actually be considering the offer? He didn’t waste a second and immediately messaged Elena. “El! Nightshade replied. He wants to know who the protection is for.”


    Elena’s phone vibrated softly. She excused herself from theb, stepped aside, and quickly typed her reply. “Wesley Spencer, CEO of the Spencer Group in Houis.”


    SecondBest immediately passed the information along to Nightshade.


    When Wesley spotted his own name in the message, a slow, amused grin tugged at his lips. Elena had always acted indifferent, keeping her words razor-sharp—but behind the scenes, she was prepared to spend eighty billion just to protect him. What she didn’t realize was that he was Nightshade.


    Staring at his screen, SecondBest grew increasingly uneasy as he waited in silence for Nightshade’s reply. Was the dy because of Scarface? Sure, Nightshade held the top rank among assassins—but it had been five years since hisst mission. Maybe even he was doubting whether he could defeat someone like Scarface, who was still in his prime.


    Just as SecondBest considered sweetening the deal by adding another twenty billion to round it up to a hundred, a message from Nightshade came through. Only three words appeared. “I’ll take it.”


    SecondBest let out a loud sigh of relief and quickly passed the good news on to Elena.


    Elena hadn’t really expected SecondBest to secure Nightshade’s agreement. She kept her response simple. “Understood. Thanks.”


    “Always an honor,” SecondBest replied, ever the charming gentleman. A faint smile touched Elena’s lips. There was always something about SecondBest’s slightly outdated, chivalrous manner of speaking that amused her.


    Next, SecondBest requested contact details from Nightshade.


    Wesley, already imagining Elena reaching out to him directly, couldn’t help but find it all very entertaining. He instructed his team to encrypt the information thoroughly before sending it off. After all, Elena was El—the most skilled hacker in the world. If the data wasn’t secured properly, she’d crack it in seconds. And where would the fun be in that?


    Spotting the uncharacteristically bright mood on Wesley’s face, Arion raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Spencer, did Scarface get hit by a truck or something? Why are you smiling like that?”


    Wesley kicked out a leg and lightly struck him. “Even that wouldn’t make me this pleased.”


    Grimacing and rubbing his leg, Arion muttered to himself, “Then what’s making you so thrilled?”


    Wesley’s grin only widened. ying this game with Elena proved far more entertaining than anything else.


    By midday, the relentless group of inquisitive researchers finally allowed Elena to leave. When she arrived back at the vi from the research institute, she found Wesley lounging on the sofa, his gaze fixed on her with an unreadable expression.


    Elena paused briefly in the entrance and then bent down to switch into indoor slippers before heading toward the living room.


    The dining table was alreadyid out with an inviting spread of dishes.


    Wesley’s lips lifted into a rxed smile. “Done with work atst?”


    Elena gave him a nce and replied, “Yes.”


    Her cool tone didn’t seem to bother Wesley in the slightest. He stood and approached her, his voice low and gentle as he said, “You must be hungry. Come on, let’s eat.”


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