Chapter 247
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When the alarm went off, Briar, who was already sitting up against the headboard, became fully alert. She threw off the covers and adjusted her pajama top, which had ridden up to expose her midriff.
She shot Ashton a glare, but he just gave her a pleading look back, which made her laugh. “Morning run?”
Ashton nodded and followed Briar into the bathroom. They both got ready quickly, and twenty minutes later, they were at the villa’s entrance doing warm–up exercises.
Briar went for a 6–mile run almost every morning.
Ashton’s morning workout routine was usually longer and more intense than Briar’s. But since they got together, he had split his exercises into two sessions: one in the morning and one in the evening.
They jogged side–by–side along the paths of the villa community, the atmosphere warm and pleasant. It would have been perfect if someone thoughtless hadn’t come along to interrupt.
After running around a corner at a fork in the road, Briar lowered her voice and whispered to Ashton, “Someone’s following us…”
Ashton nodded. “You keep running. I’ll handle it.”
Ashton had noticed the person as soon as they started following them. He didn’t act immediately because the path they were on offered no cover. If he made a move and the person had a gun, Briar could get hurt.
Briar glanced at Ashton. His eyes were deep, showing no concern for their pursuer.
It made sense. A man who could lead a band of wild mercenaries wouldn’t be bothered by such a small problem.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you at the end of the path.” Instead of offering to help, Briar turned and continued running. “Be careful. Stay safe.”
Ashton smiled as he urged Briar to go on, then stopped. He stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for the person behind them to appear.
Their pursuer probably didn’t expect to be discovered so quickly. Peeking around the corner, they froze upon meeting Ashton’s cold gaze.
Briar ran along the path at a steady pace with her eyes downcast. At the end of the path, she saw a familiar figure standing by the roadside.
Seeing Briar, the woman smiled and waved at her. “Hey, Briar! What a coincidence!”
Briar narrowed her eyes and quickly ran over. “Jasmin, what are you doing here… Wait, was it Mr. Cadman who was following us from the beginning?”
Jasmin’s smile froze. “Us? Briar, didn’t you come out for a morning run by yourself?”
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Chapter 247
Briar said, “Ashton stayed at my place last night…”
They looked at each other speechlessly, both with a bad feeling.
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Jasmin asked in a trembling voice, “If Mr. Cadman goes up against Ashton, what are his chances of winning?”
Briar took a deep breath. “Jasmin, you should be asking what Mr. Cadman’s chances of survival are now that he’s been targeted by Ashton.”
Jasmin’s face turned pale. “Then what should we do? They must have already confronted each other…”
Briar sighed. She no longer wanted to ask why the two men had come to play a tracking game. Passing the distraught Jasmin, she turned and ran back. “Let’s go. We have to hurry back and save him. I hope we’re not too late.”
Jasmin was a top tech expert at their DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base, responsible for the base’s weapon R&D, and she rarely left the base.
Jabari was the liaison for the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base, responsible for external communications. Known respectfully in the underworld as Mr. Cadman, he was Jasmin’s husband and also a high–ranking civilian officer. As for his combat abilities… well, they were hard to put into words.
It had been three minutes since Briar and Ashton separated. In that time, Ashton could have easily taken down twenty weaklings like Jabari.
Although Ashton was always indulgent with Briar, he wasn’t nearly as tolerant with others. Since this was Briar’s villa, Ashton believed the intruder was stalking her, not him.
That made Ashton even less inclined to show mercy.
Briar was afraid Ashton would show no mercy and be utterly ruthless.
She hoped they wouldn’t witness a gruesome scene.
She hoped Ashton would be less violent, considering it was broad daylight,
And she hoped it wasn’t too late.
Before Briar could get close, Jasmin, who couldn’t keep up with her pace, panicked and shouted from behind, “Ashton, spare him! He’s one of us.”
Briar was speechless.
It seemed her cover as a member of the DDC Vanguard Base was about to be blown.
Fortunately, Jabari was still alive.
Briar ran over to find Ashton holding Jabari against a tree with one hand. The gun Jabari had been holding was now in Ashton’s hand. Jabari, still conscious, struggled as his feet dangled in the air.
“Ashton, let him down. They’re my… friends.” Briar met Ashton’s searching gaze and gave him an awkward yet
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Chapter 247
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polite smile. “I’ll explain later.”
Ashton nodded, let him down as requested, and returned the gun he had been toying with. “Jabari, remember to work on your tracking skills when you get back to DDC Vanguard.”
Jasmin rushed over at that moment, pulling Jabari aside to check him from head to toe. Seeing no injuries. other than a few footprints and messy hair, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness you’re alive,” Jasmin said.
Jabari’s face paled, then flushed, and paled again. In the end, he could only remark, “Yeah. I’m alive.”
Heaven knows, when he came face–to–face with Ashton and saw that murderous look in his eyes, he had already picked out his own burial spot.
If he had known there was a man with Briar, he would have left much sooner.
Fortunately, however, he and Ashton recognized each other.
After all, his face was highly recognizable internationally. He was the sole public representative of the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base, and everyone who worked with DDC Vanguard knew him.
Ashton’s 121 Overseas Mercenary Organization sometimes cooperated with their DDC Vanguard Base. Although he and Ashton had never officially met, they were still familiar with each other.
However, Ashton was indeed as sinister and ruthless as rumored. Even after recognizing him, he still beat him until he ached all over and left several muddy footprints on his clothes. It was utterly humiliating.
But looking at Ashton’s unfazed expression, the anger he was about to voice turned into: “Thank you for the reminder. I will.”
He was a top–tier administrator; he wouldn’t need tracking skills.
If he had not come looking for Briar today and had left his bodyguards behind, he could not have been hung from a tree by Ashton.
“Let’s go inside and talk.” Briar was amused to see Jabari gritting his teeth, helpless against Ashton. To avoid escalating the tension between them, she pulled Ashton to walk ahead.
