Chapter 167
Archie’s concerns were valid. The visitors at his club were either wealthy or influential individuals. If word spread that there were drugs hidden in his establishment, especially involving his sister, it would lead to a complete disaster.
With so many people around, how could he expect to keep everything quiet?
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
By the time he got there, the place was in complete disarray. People from the other private rooms had heard the noise and rushed over to see what was happening.
The crowd was tightly packed, and if it hadn’t been for Reece and Hamish working hard to manage the situation, things could have escalated even more out of control.
“Mr. Goodwin, Mr. Hamish, thank you,” Archie said after he saw that Leyla’s hand had been bandaged and the powder on her face had been wiped off. He looked at the two of them with gratitude.
Reece brushed off the issue, claiming it was no big deal. Although he felt pretty annoyed, he kept his face calm. He said, “When we arrived, the place was already a mess. We need to be careful about the fallout from this. Your club is still new, and people are paying close attention.”
While his comments were unclear, anyone familiar with the situation would have understood it.
The folks at the club all had some sort of power or connections behind them, and one might never know who would try to betray him.
There was also the problem with Leyla, who had been caught doing drugs in front of a lot of people. If they didn’t handle it right, things could turn really
ugly.
Archie expressed his gratitude to Reece again.
He was feeling even more anxious about Leyla and Ashton, who were still in the next room and hadn’t shown up yet. Their group typically steered clear of such problems and avoided anyone involved in them.
If Archie didn’t manage the situation properly tonight, there was a serious risk that their company could lose its chance to work with these important people in the future.
Once Archie arrived, Reece and Hamish felt there was no reason to stick around any longer.
They quietly observed everyone who had gathered to see the disturbance, just in case any problems arose later. After glancing at Beatrice, who looked pale and scared in the corner, they calmly headed back to their private room.
Once the door closed behind them, their expressions shifted to serious.
Ashton and Briar were sitting on the couch, with Ashton peeling an orange for Briar. Noticing the troubled looks on Reece and Hamish’s faces, Ashton asked, “What’s going on with you two?”
With a cold demeanor, Reece replied, “Leyla’s been ‘using the powder‘.”
In their group, “using the powder” was a code for drug use.
Hamish frowned with disdain as he added, “From/Archie’s reaction, it seems like he probably knew about it all along.”
Both Reece and Hamish had military backgrounds and strongly disapproved of such behavior
They were used to being around friends and family who stayed away from drugs, and people typically behaved themselves around them.
But Leyla had some nerve; she had run into them right at the entrance of the club, knowing they were close by, and still decided to do drugs.
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Not only that, but she made a big scene in front of everyone. Hamish thought, ‘Was she doing these all for show? Does she not have any conjun
Ashton remained quiet but nodded slightly. Just then, Hamish noticed him take out his phone and send a message,
Reece leaned in to take a peek before letting out a chuckle.
It seemed they had been unnecessarily worried; their friend Archie was still as fair and tough as ever.
If it were just Reece and Hamish involved, the worst that would happen to Archie would be losing his club.
But with Ashton now aware of the situation, it was clear he wouldn’t let it go unnoticed. Furthermore, one should not forget that Thiago from the Wade family was a high–ranking official in the provincial police.
While the three of them chatted, Briar quietly enjoyed the oranges that Ashton peeled for her, keeping her head down as she played on her phone, pretending not to care about their conversation.
However, if Ashton had turned around at that moment, he would have seen a sly grin on Briar’s face, despite her calm appearance.
She was fully engrossed in her game, almost like a villain in a story.
Archie probably didn’t grasp how serious it was. If Ashton and his friends or even club attendees found out about Leyla’s drug use, it would be a big deal.
No matter how messy things got, there was always a way to bury the issue if you had enough money to pay off the right people.
But if those nosy tabloid reporters in Shoneport caught wind of the story? By the next day, everyone in the city would be aware of Leyla’s situation.
That would put a lot of pressure on public opinion, and that was Briar’s real plan for revenge against Leyla. With Ashton and his friends watching cut for tabloids, Archie wouldn’t dare go after them himself.
Just thinking about it filled Briar with a sense of satisfaction.
After finishing one orange, Briar reached for another, but Ashton was quicker. Even while chatting with Reece and the others, he made sure to keep an eye on her. The moment he saw she wanted more, he picked up an orange and started peeling it for her, making sure she didn’t have to do any of the
work herself.
“Having too many oranges isn’t good for you, just have this last one,” Ashton reminded her, his tone gentle but firm. “We’ll be heading out soon, as the police will be here any minute.”
Briar took the orange from him as she uttered, “Oh.”
She figured it must be Thiago’s men who would be arriving soon.
“Wow, it’s really rare for us to get out and enjoy ourselves…” Reece said with a hint of frustration as he looked at Briar, who was following along quietly. “But, of course, someone had to ruin the good mood.”
Hamish laughed in response, “Next time, let’s just hang out at your place. We can enjoy ourselves there without all this messy crap.”
“Deal,” Reece agreed.
After Briar slowly finished her orange and lingered for a few more minutes, the group finally stood up and left the private room.
Ashton and the others left without drawing any attention to themselves. Only the security guard stationed at the door n wouldn’t dare stop these VIPs. Instead, he respectfully saw them out.
As their car pulled out of the club’s parking lot, they passed right by two police cars.
Briar watched curiously as the police cars finally stopped at the club entrance. She asked, “Ashton, did you call them?”
them coming out, but he
“Yeah, we’re just good, law–abiding citizens. When something like this happens, of course, we let the professionals take care of it,” Ashton replied,
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nodding with a straight face.
Briar thought, ‘Law–abiding citizens? Seriously, who’s he talking about?
‘Is this the same Ashton who runs a massive operation across the border? Is he calling himself a law–abiding citizen?
‘Playing by the rules while taking people out on the side?‘
After Leyla’s drug scandal broke, Briar didn’t need to pay much attention to it. The media was filled with stories about it, and social media was buzzing Béatrice, who had gone out with Leyla that night, found herself in the spotlight too, thanks to the relentless paparazzi. For a while, headlines covered Leyla’s drug use and rumors about Beatrice’s possible involvement.
“Javier, please listen! Let me explain! I had no idea Leyla was using drugs. I just happened to run into her one day, and she asked me to check out her brother’s new club. If I had known it would turn into this big deal, I would never have gone!” Beatrice’s voice shook with emotion as she spoke to Javier, her face pale and tears welling in her eyes.
D
