Chapter 249
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Kameron Beard was the leader of the five instructors, including lan. His power was on par with the elite instructor Louie.
With both top instructors personally involved, it seemed the ongoing disappearance of mercenaries had severely compromised the internal security of the DDC Vanguard Base.
“Now that even they’re involved, we should have some leads soon. Besides, as an elite instructor at the DDC Vanguard Base…” Briar’s voice trailed off. Her eyes met those of Ashton, who had appeared on the stair landing at some point.
He held a phone and seemed to be on a call, likely having come downstairs for something urgent. However, he paused at her last words.
Briar swallowed hard. She waved for Jabari and Jasmin to hurry away before asking in a soft voice, “Ashton, why did you come down?”
Ashton ignored Jabari and Jasmin, who were fleeing as if for their lives, and said into the phone, “Reece, I’ll call you back. I need to handle a family matter first.”
On the other end of the line, Reece had also heard Briar’s last words. Afraid that Ashton might lash out at Briar in anger, he added a well–meaning reminder before hanging up, “Alright, you get to it. And… uh, domestic violence isn’t a good look for a real man. Watch yourself.”
As the phone screen went dark, Briar’s heart was in her mouth. She sank deeper into the sofa, offering him a strained, sweet smile, hoping it would be enough to make him listen to her explanation.
Ashton slowly approached the sofa. Seeing the girl trying to disappear into the cushions, he gripped her shoulder to stop her from struggling. He then placed his other hand on the back of the sofa, trapping Briar between it and his body.
He said, “Babe, since you’re a world–famous master hacker, you should be able to look up who I clashed with during my years abroad. Five years ago, I had a run–in with an elite female instructor from the DDC. Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base. She even managed to ambush me, leaving me unconscious for three days and nights.”
With every word Ashton spoke, Briar’s head sank lower, until she wished the ground would swallow her whole.
The incident Ashton mentioned was one of Briar’s many great accomplishments before she became an elite instructor at the DDC Vanguard Base. She had actually forgotten about it before she joined Ashton’s 121 Border Mercenary Organization.
After all, she wouldn’t dwell on a defeated opponent.
But she was terrified of Ashton finding out–not because she feared he would take revenge for that past gunshot, but because the person she was five years ago was a ruthless figure who hated evil and was consumed by killing, a far cry from who she was now.
If Ashton found out about her past, as meticulous and cautious as he was, he would surely unearth her other
Chapter 249
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secret identities as well.
With nowhere left to retreat, Briar stopped backing away. She threw her arms around his neck and said. “Ashton, if I told you that I… I forgot about the incident you just mentioned, would you believe me?”
Ashton was speechless.
Ashton’s hands itched, but he took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to pin the girl down and spank her hard. He desperately reminded himself that domestic violence was never the answer and wouldn’t solve anything.
Ashton said, “Honey, you promised me last time that you weren’t hiding any secret identities from me. Do you remember that?”
He couldn’t get physical with her, so he’d just have to reason with her.
Briar felt incredibly guilty. “I remember! So, are you mad at me now?”
Seeing that he’d scared her enough, Ashton sat down. However, he didn’t release his grip on Briar’s shoulder, preventing her from making a sneaky escape. “I’m not exactly mad,” he said, “but I can’t keep finding out about your other identities from other people, can I?”
Briar stared up at the ceiling light, avoiding Ashton’s intense gaze. She couldn’t look at him, knowing she would soften if she did. The truth was, she still had many secret identities. But revealing one meant uncovering another layer of her past.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk about her past. Some things were just too embarrassing to bring up.
No youth was complete without a touch of recklessness–and Briar wore hers like a banner.
All the trouble she had caused just a few years ago could fill a book.
Ashton let out a laugh, exasperated by her blatant refusal to confess. “Honey, you know my interrogation techniques… Most people can’t handle them. Do you want to give them a try?”
Resting her chin on her hand, Briar shook her head without a second thought. “No thanks. Besides, would you have the heart to leave me all weak and bruised… hmm?”
Ashton captured her lips in a fierce, punishing kiss, pressing Briar hard into the sofa. As if to punish her for her disobedience, he didn’t hold back, his full weight pinning her down. Unable to move, her eyes widened in shock, and her heart pounded.
“Well… Ashton, you… stop… my pants…”
Briar tried to plead with him, realizing Ashton was serious this time.
He tore her clothes open and pulled down her pants in one swift motion. A chill ran through her as the cool air hit her skin, starting from her chest and spreading across her body. Her hands were pinned above her head, held fast in his single–handed grip, making it impossible to escape.
Briar had been ready to be with Ashton, but not like this–not when he was taking her in a fit of rage.
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But Briar couldn’t escape or resist his increasingly forceful kisses. Finally, she gave in, lying still as his lips moved from hers, down to her chin, along her neck, and lingered on her collarbone…
In the end, it was Ashton who restrained himself. He let out a helpless sigh. “Babe, you’re just taking advantage of the fact that I can’t bring myself to hurt you.”
Briar let out a soft sigh of relief. Then she heard Ashton continue, “But this time, you have to tell me the truth. How did you become an elite instructor at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base?”
There was no avoiding what was to come. Briar sat up from Ashton’s embrace and straightened her disheveled clothes. “Ashton, you know the standards for becoming an elite instructor at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base better than I do, don’t you? I got in based on my skills, of course!”
Her casual remark made Ashton’s brow furrow tightly. After a moment, he pulled her into his arms and tenderly kissed her temple. “You must have suffered a lot.”
The selection process for instructors at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base was the most difficult and rigorous in the world. Not even the world’s top ten mercenaries were guaranteed a position as a standard instructor, let alone the even more prestigious role of an elite instructor.
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Chapter 250
Chapter 250
