Chapter 121
After replying to the message from Ashton, Briar didn’t even glance at the two fresh corpses lying on the ground
with their eyes were con la death. She simply stepped over them, opened the door, shut it behind her, and
quickly left the restroom.
Before leaving, she even flashed a devilish smile toward a certain corner.
The person hiding in the corner gritted his teeth in silence,
If looks could kill, he would've torn Briar into pieces a thousand times over.
His two companions were dead. They were killed by this very woman, yet he couldn't reveal himself.
Because he couldn't win. If he showed up, he'd just be throwing his life away.
He had to take advantage of the chaos and clean up the bodies before anyone found them, erase all traces of
what happened.
Otherwise, if Ashton’s men caught wind of it, the trouble they'd face would be far worse.
Avoiding the security cameras’ blind spots, Briar stashed her silenced pistol and found another restroom with
fewer people. She washed her hands for a long time, making sure the scent of gunpowder had faded before
leisurely returning to the screening room.
Almost the moment her figure appeared, Ashton stood up to greet her, took her hand, and led her back to her
seat. In a low voice, he asked, “What took you so long?”
“The restrooms at the entrance were being cleaned. | had to use a farther one,” Briar explained.
Ashton didn’t suspect anything and nodded.
Watching Ashton’s overly eager expression, Stephen shook his head in helpless amusement.
It was just a trip to the restroom. Anyone unaware would think Ashton’s girlfriend had run off.
The movie was excellent, and the premiere received a great response. Many fans were moved to tears by the
characters. After the screening cthe premiere ceremony, where fans and reporters were allowed to enter.
Stephen went on stage with the rest of the cast and crew to thank the audience, pushing the atmosphere to its
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtpeak.
Ashton and Briar had no interest in the ceremony. A few minutes before the movie ended, they quietly slipped
out,
Now, the two of them were walking hand in hand toward the parking lot, from afar looking like a sweet couple in
love.
Brandon was already waiting by the car. He looked at Ashton, who had fallen in love at rocket speed, and the
calm, detached Briar. He silently
crushed his cigarette.
He remembered Xavion’s words clearly, but never got involved in Ashton’s love life. Xavion had said, “Ashton’s
got money, power, and looks. So what if he suffers a little for love? Besides, he’s robbing the cradle here! If
things go too smoothly, he won't know how to cherish it.”
Brandon thought Xavion made a lot of sense,
Outside the cinema, plenty of fans and reporters were still waiting. So instead of taking the original route, Ashton
led Briar through a shortcut to the neighboring commercial building’s/parking lot.
The whole way, Ashton never let go of Briar's hand. She tried several times to pull away, but he wouldn't budge.
The harder she pulled, the more he stared at her with that handsface of his until she finally gave up and let
him hold on.
1/3
10:51 Fri, 15 Aug O
Chapter 121
But in her heart, she was uneasy. Ashton had grabbed her left hand, and her left hand was her dominant
shooting hand.
Finally home, Briar retrieved her hand, waved at him with a smile, and said, “Good night, Mr. Wade”
Then she turned and ran upstairs without looking back.
Standing by the car door, watching her disappear into the house, Ashton’s smile vanished the moment her
bedroom light con. His face turned grim. “Brandon, pull the cinema surveillance.”
Brandon instantly tensed. “Mr. Wade, what's wrong?”
“There was gunpowder residue on her hand.” Ashton’s voice was ice cold. “By morning, | want a satisfying
answer from the head of cinema security.”
Brandon's face changed. “Gunpowder? Got it. I'll get them on it immediately.”
That night, there had been a large flow of people at Bright Cinema. Most security staff had been deployed to the
outer perimeter. Internal security was indeed weaker than usual. Even Brandon had been stationed in the
basement parking lot, afraid someone might approach
Ashton’s car.
No one dared plant bombs on Ashton’s turf, so that left only one possibility. Someone had fired a gun inside the
cinema.
Hopefully, Briar hadn't witnessed it, or Ashton would truly be furious.
Unaware of the looming storm, the cinema manager turned pale when notified by Brandon.
Someone was killed in the cinema, and it happened while Ashton brought his girlfriend here.
That night, every staff member inside and outside the cinema was summoned for questioning. Eventually, it was
discovered that three new employees hired last month were missing, and footage from 8:00 to 9:00 pm had
been deleted. This was big.
When the cinema manager tremblingly reported all this to Brandon, he was stunned.
Brandon said, “Mr. Wade, something really did happen...”
Briar had just finished her shower and was sitting in front of her computer, drying her hair. On-screen, the chat
window was flashing rapidly.
Larry: [I got word that they've sent assassins after you to Dasmieca’s Shoneport. Be careful for the next while.]
Briar: [Already taken care of.]
Larry: [You ran into them?]
Briar: [Yeah, just a couple of amateurs. Barely took any effort.]
Larry: [Alright, just glad you're safe. Did you tell DDC Vanguard about this?]
Briar: [I didn’t mention it. No need to trouble them with something this minor.]
Larry: [Got it.]
After finishing the chat, Briar’s phone buzzed with another message from Ashton. [Briar, | have to head out
tonight, so try to get srest early.]
[Okay.] Briar arched her brow. ‘Heading out this late? Looks like Ashton’s pulling another all-nighter,” she
thought.
2/3
Chapter 121
She put down her phone and glanced at her left hand. The gunpowder smell was gone, but she wasn’t sure if
Ashton had picked it up villa holding her hand for so long.
But then again, he just messaged her casually, so he probably hadn’t noticed.
With that thought, she went into the bathroom to blow-dry her hair, then crawled into bed and comfortably went
to sleep.
Meanwhile, down in the basement of Bright Cinema...
“Mr. Wade, we found the three people, but two of them are already dead. Their tof death matches exactly
with the deleted footage, between 8:00 and 9:00 pm.” Brandon pushed open the heavy iron door and walked in
quickly, whispering in Ashton’s ear.
Lounging on the sofa, sipping from a wine glass, Ashton wasn’t surprised at all. He nodded. “Bring him in.”
Brandon replied, “Yes.”
Soon, the cinema manager arrived, dragging in a tall, thin man. Behind him, two icy corpses were being carried
in. Upon seeing the black clad men with batons standing beside Ashton, the tall man’s legs began to tremble
uncontrollably.
He had heard. This rich scion from Shoneport was ruthless. Once in his hands, hoping for life or even a clean
death was a fantasy.
NovelEnglish