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Halle and Camden searched everywhere but couldn’t find Briar. Instead, they stumbled upon an unconscious Beatrice in a small grove. “Beatrice!” Halle’s high–pitched voice echoed through the woods, startling a flock of birds into flight. “Beatrice, what happened to you?”
Camden rushed to Beatrice’s side, his eyes wide with rage and shock as he took in the unnatural angles of her right
arm and leg. “Mom, Beatrice’s right arm and leg… they’re both broken.”
Halle staggered, her heart sinking. Beatrice Jennings was a remarkably talented dancer. A broken arm could be treated, but a broken leg was a dancer’s worst nightmare. “Who did this? Who harmed Beatrice?” Halle felt herself
on the brink of losing her mind.
Beatrice was Halle’s most tremendous pride, the one thing she could present to the world. If Beatrice’s leg was truly broken and she could never dance again, any hope of the two of them rising to the elite would be lost.
Camden had already called an ambulance and informed Edgar about the situation. It was a serious matter, and as
the head of the Jennings family, Edgar would demand answers from Shoneport University.
Meanwhile, Briar walked over to the gym bleachers, located Ashton and the others, and took a seat. She leaned in
and whispered, “Ashton, was it your group that stopped Robert?”
Ashton took Briar’s hand and gently played with her fingers. “I thought you might need someone to keep him
occupied for a little while.”
Hamish couldn’t take it anymore. “Can you two stop being lovey–dovey? I’m about to throw up from all this affection,” he said. ‘Honestly, they should be discussing something serious, yet they’re still flirting and acting all
romantic,‘ Hamish thought in frustration.
Ashton shot Hamish an annoyed look, brushing off his teasing. He firmly squeezed Briar’s fingers. “You don’t seem
well. Did something happen?”
Briar paused for a moment before opening the photo she had taken in the school infirmary and showing it to
Ashton. “Have you ever seen this logo on any medicine?”
Ashton lowered his gaze and examined it closely, furrowing his brows. “It seems familiar, but it’s not something
typically found on regular medication. Is there an issue with this logo?”
Briar’s voice was so soft that the noise in the stands nearly drowned it out. “My mom took this drug before… and it made her go crazy.”
But Ashton absorbed every word, and his expression shifted immediately. “Are you certain you saw it correctly?” He recalled the email from the Legendary Hacker Bree, which stated that Briar had returned to Dasmieca to investigate her mother’s death./
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Today, Ashton had Xavion look into Rosalia’s death and, as expected, found suspicious details. As the beloved only daughter of the Grant family, Rosalia had been sheltered all her life. It didn’t add up that someone so gentle would suddenly run away just because of a miscarriage.
What was more unsettling was that Rosalia was found in a hospital, having lost her sanity. In just a month, she went from a typical woman to a severely disturbed patient. Even with possible abuse during her absence, such a rapid decline was hard to comprehend.
Unless Rosalia’s mental state had already begun to decline before she left home, it would have taken someone like Edgar–the man who slept beside her every night–to turn a pampered, privileged lady into a psychiatric patient without the Grant family suspecting a thing.
As Ashton reflected on Briar’s apparent disdain for everyone in the Jennings family, especially Edgar, he began connecting the dots. He was stunned when Briar said her mom had lost her mind after taking medicine bearing that logo.
“Let’s get out of here; this isn’t the right place to talk,” Ashton said, pulling Briar up while giving Hamish a meaningful glance.
Hamish immediately dropped his playful grin, nodded, and waved them off to reassure them they could go without worry. Ashton guided Briar through a temporary passage, quickly exiting the stadium–just as they passed Robert, who was rushing in to find Briar.
Ashton’s car was parked in the lot next to the gym, with Brandon waiting inside. When he saw Ashton guiding Briar -her face pale and distressed–into the car, he remained silent. He started the engine and drove away.
“Ashton, something seems off about Sawyer,” Briar said once they were in the car. Her voice was still tense, but the anger simmering beneath the surface was unmistakable.
Ashton nodded. “I understand. Don’t panic yet. I’ve asked Hamish to track Sawyer–he won’t move without us knowing. If his drug matches the one that affected your mom, there’s a bigger operation behind it. Otherwise, such a drug wouldn’t still be around after all these years.”
Briar took a deep breath. “Yeah.”
“There are indications that Sawyer’s background information may be fabricated. Xavion is investigating the matter, but it will take some time to uncover the truth. So far, we’ve discovered that he was a top student at Foothill Academy overseas, where he specialized in human cell biology experiments.
“Oh, and Sawyer’s father is Zayne,” Ashton added, dropping another critical information.
Briar’s mind worked fast, instantly catching Ashton’s meaning. “So, the one supplying Sawyer with those drugs is probably Zayne.”
Ashton nodded. “Exactly. The timing is far too coincidental. Just recently, Zayne fled illegally back to Dasmieca from overseas, Sawyer has an underground lab, and now you’ve discovered this drug in the school infirmary.”
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Ashton furrowed his brows even deeper. “Briar, everything began happening right after you returned to Dasmieca. I truly believe they’re targeting you–they’re doing all of this to get your attention.”
“Plus, the timing of Edgar giving me those photos is highly suspicious,” Briar remarked coldly, her disdain for Edgar intensifying.
Ashton pulled Briar into his arms, gently stroking her back. “I know you’re keeping many secrets, but look at
what’s unfolding now–someone’s watching you. Promise me that, no matter what happens, you’ll come to me
like you did today. Deal?”
Briar remained silent, lowering her gaze. Noticing her quietness, Ashton’s tone became more serious. “Briar,
please behave. Don’t make me worry about you.”
Briar finally nodded, her voice soft. “Okay.”
Ashton pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Good girl.”
The car pulled away from the gates of Shoneport University and had just merged onto the main road when they spotted a plain black Jetta. Brandon shot a glance at the driver, then abruptly turned the car around and accelerated after it. “Mr. Wade, that’s Zayne in that car.”
Briar shot up from Ashton’s arms, and if he hadn’t quickly reached out to catch her, she would have hit her head on the roof and ended up with a bump. “We need to catch up to them…” Briar urged, her voice laced with urgency.
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