Chapter 97
Chapter 97:
When Rylie glanced over her shoulder, Brad’s gaze trailed after her. Brock took the cue to make a quick exit, backing out and stammering, “Sorry, sorry, I’ll let you two carry on p>
The door swung shut behind him.
Rylie let go of Brad’s chin and stepped back, her subtle fragrance slipping away, leaving Brad with a faint sense of loss that he didn’t care to admit.
“Looks like your people have things under control,” she remarked, already moving toward the door. “I’ll head out now p>
Brad straightened, smoothing his jacket before following her to the exit. “Let me walk you out. The rest of this auction isn’t worth sticking around for. The real entertainment’s over p>
Rylie slipped out the door, passing Brock as he quietly dealt with the last of the cleanup—his practiced efficiency clear in every move. There must have been no shortage of people hoping for Brad’s demise.
She didn’t bother asking who had put out the latest hit. Still, as they descended the stairs together, Brad offered the explanation with the casual air of someone chatting about the weather. “There’s been a recent oil discovery just offshore. Owhea wants in, so their navy’s been running exercises close by p>
Rylie’s brow creased as she recalled the headline. “I remember seeing something about that. Didn’t our fleet run drills as well p>
Brad let out a quiet laugh, adjusting his cufflinks. “That was my command.” His tone shifted, a cold edge sharpening his words. “One of Owhea’s surveillance planes wandered too close and got shot down. They’ve been seething about it ever since p>
Rylie arched a brow, her curiosity piqued. “So these assassins were sent by Owhea p>
“Odds are high their intelligence service is behind this,” Brad replied evenly, as if he were reciting stock prices. “They’re fond of shadow games like this p>
Thinking back over Brad’s headline-making career, Rylie chuckled. “You’ve eliminated more than a few of their operatives since you took command—and you manage to do it all in the name of duty. Not much they can say about it, can they p>
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Catching sight of her laughter, Brad found himself distracted. Her smile had a way of outshining everything around her.
Noticing his lingering gaze, Rylie touched her cheek in confusion. “What is it?” Brad halted beside her and reached up to gently remove a fallen blossom from her hair. “Just the wind,” he murmured.
Rylie faltered for half a second, awkwardly lowering her hand.
The two stepped into the corridor. The suspicious waiter Rylie had noticed earlier had long since vanished.
Meanwhile, inside the hall, Paola scoured the crowd for Rylie. She finally caught a glimpse of her leaving through a side door, accompanied by a tall man she didn’t recognize. Who could he be?
Paola turned to Johnny, who was already rising from his seat, clearly bored. “If Miss Owen has lost interest in the jewelry, then it really must be dull tonight. Paola, I’m heading out p>
Quick to react, Paola stood as well and whispered, “I just spotted Rylie leaving with a gentleman. No sense in staying here either. Johnny, mind giving me a lift p>