Chapter 164
Frank’s smile froze, and he quickly said goodbye to Joshua before hurrying over. Feeling guilty, he didn’t get in the car right away. Instead, he bared dver to the driver’s window and said in an awkward but still polite tone, “Hey there, handsome! Are you waiting for someone?”
Connor shot him a look and uttered, “Quit messing around. Get in already.”
Frank immediately replied, “Got it!”
He quickly and obediently slid into the passenger seat, buckled his seatbelt, and placed his hands neatly on his lap. “Alright, let’s go.”
The car quickly pulled away, leaving the rest of the group standing at the entrance of the lab building in silence.
Mason couldn’t hold it in as he exclaimed, “Damn! Since when did Prince Frankie become such a simp?”
Ted chimed in uncertainly, “Uh… maybe it’s just guys attracting guys?”
The others burst out laughing.
The comment was just a joke, but Thomas’s eyes flashed with something more profound as he watched the car disappear into the distance, deep in
thought.
‘Guys attracting guys?‘ Thomas wondered.
Lost in thought, Thomas didn’t notice Charle, who patted him on the shoulder and urged, “Thomas, what are you thinking about? Let’s go.”
“Alright,” Thomas said, shoving those little thoughts to the back of his mind. He said goodbye to Joshua along with everyone else and followed them
out.
“Hamish and Reece said they wanted to join us for dinner later,” Ashton said as he drove. “If you don’t like big groups, I can ask them not to come.”
Briar preferred quiet, and Reece could be a handful at times, but she shook her head, knowing the three of them probably had something to discuss. She replied, “There’s no need to, let’s all go. Food’s always better with more people.”
Ashton was relieved he didn’t have to send his buddies away.
Briar skillfully fished a box of chocolates out of the drawer, tore it open, popped one into her mouth, and started munching away while scrolling on her phone.
When they hit a red light and the car slowed to a stop, Ashton glanced over at Briar’s chipmunk cheeks and suddenly asked, “Girlfriend, is that chocolate
any good?”
Briar was already teamed up with her squad in–game, about to parachute in. She tilted her head slightly, sparing Ashton a bit of attention as she asked, “Huh? You want some?”
As she spoke, she absentmindedly grabbed a piece of chocolate and stuffed it into his hand, then went right back to her game.
Ashton was momentarily speechless at her response
‘Man, my girl’s totally immune to romance,‘ he thought.
The light turned green, and Ashton started driving again, fiddling with the piece of chocolate Briar had given him, his mina eisewhere.
They ended up at a restaurant owned by the Hamish family, and it was one of the top five star spots in Shoneport.
As soon as Ashton’s car pulled into the underground parking lot, a valet was already jogging over to guide them. VIPs like them always had their reserved. spots.
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Chapter 164
As the car stopped, Briar’s game ended right on cue. She glanced out the window, slipped her phone into her pocket, and reached for the dodo Ara
here?” she asked.
Ashton reached out, his hand closing gently but firmly around her wrist, keeping her in her seat. He said, “Hold on. I need you to do me a favor
Her eyes were soft and dewy, making her look irresistibly cute. She probed, “What kind of favor?”
Ashton opened his palm to reveal the piece of chocolate he’d been fiddling with the entire ride. He asked, “Girlfriend, can you help me unwrap this?”
Briar’s big eyes were full of confusion as she clarified, “Are you serious?”
‘He’s got two perfectly good hands. Why can’t he unwrap it himself?‘ she grumbled inwardly.
As she looked into Ashton’s relaxed yet attentive gaze, she felt herself give in. She took the chocolate from his hand and slowly unwrapped it. It had become a little soft and smudged at the edges from being held for a while, but it was still good. “Here you go,” she said.
“Feed it to me,” Ashton said, not missing a beat as he pushed his luck even further.
Briar looked up, and the light from the parking lot streamed in and illuminated half her face. Her fair skin was glowing when she chuckled, “Boyfriend, you sure are needy today!”
Ashton’s dark eyes never left Briar as he replied, “Girlfriend, your boyfriend’s only asking for this one little thing. Can’t you spoil me just a bit?”
Briar tightened her grip on the chocolate but still lifted it to his mouth. “Open up,” she said.
Ashton went along with it and bit down on the piece of white chocolate. But the next moment, his fingers gently cupped Briar’s chin, using a little trick to coax her lips open, and slipped half the chocolate into her mouth.
At such close range, their lips inevitably brushed together. Even though all she tasted was chocolate, Briar felt lightheaded, almost tipsy from the
moment.
It took Ashton a while to finally let go of Briar. By then, her face was a deep, bright red. He stated, “This chocolate is way too sweet. I’m not used to it.”
Briar pursed her lips and shot him a glare as she thought, ‘This guy is acting all innocent after getting his way. “You bought me this chocolate, so don’t tell me you don’t know how sweet it is?” she asked.
Ashton’s lips curled up into a wicked, flirtatious grin as he replied, “Honestly? I’ve never actually tasted it.”
Briar stared at him in silence.
“Hey, what are you two up to in there?” The window was
suddenly tapped, and Reece’s cool, handsome face appeared.
Briar quickly opened the door and was the first to hop out.
“Hey, Briar!” Hamish, grinning from ear to ear as he followed behind Reece, called out in greeting.
Aside from her slightly flushed cheeks, Briar didn’t look the least bit embarrassed when she greeted, “Hey, Hamish.”
Ashton got out of the car as well, and the four of them headed into the elevator, chatting and laughing as they made their way straight to their private floor.
Since Hamish was bringing friends over for dinner, the restaurant manager had gotten the heads–up way ahead of time. food was served right away, and even the wine had already been decanted.
Briar realized that when you ate with this group, the menu was basically just for show, as nobody bothered to order anything.
as they sat down, the
And sure enough, Briar’s guess was spot on. The three of them did have something to talk about. Barely ten minutes after sitting down, the conversation turned to serious matters.
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Chapter 164
Furthermore, the serious discussion surrounded Briar.
“Ashton, my guys intercepted this on the international darknet. Take a look,” Hamish said, placing a few photos in front of Ashton, Sinos Achton vind wearing disposable gloves and busy peeling shrimp for Briar, Hamish thoughtfully swiped through the pictures to Ashton could see them al
Ashton just glanced at them, but his face immediately darkened. He questioned, “Did you find out who’s behind it?”
The photos showed a bounty posted on the darknet a few days ago. Someone was offering 66 thousand dollars to hire a hitman to go to Dasmieca and kidnap a college student named Briar. The notice even included her photo.
The remaining photos were of the IP address and the intermediary who posted the bounty,
“Yeah, we traced it. It’s someone from Dasmieca…” Hamish glanced at Briar, who was quietly eating, and so–called sister, Beatrice.”
said flatly, “It’s the Jennings family, and it’s her
Ashton kept his eyes fixed on his task, focusing intently on peeling the shrimp without pause. However, both Hamish and Reece sensed an immediate drop in temperature, making the atmosphere around them feel uncomfortably cold.
15
