Aquila thought to himself, 'It seems Lawrence had his plans set from the start, now holding us in his grip, just waiting for the right moment to succeed and then possibly pinning everything on us.'"Too bad his calculations are off," Everett said, a dark glint crossing his eyes. "Pack up, we're preparing to leave.""Where to?" Aquila asked softly.While they were under control here, he knew venturing out could be even more dangerous, unless they planned to leave San Joto. However, Everett seemed not inclined to depart from the city."Let's get out of the hotel first," Everett said, his gaze slightly darkening. There were always places in the vast San Joto where they could take refuge.Aquila hesitated for a moment, then inquired, "What about the woman? Should we bring her along?""Let her follow for now. If we find ourselves cornered, we can still use Emma," Everett stated as he stood up."Alright, I'll call her," Aquila responded.Soon, the three of them gathered in the corrid
"I'm here," Doretta said timidly, standing at the entrance of the factory."Just the two of you?" Lawrence's expression darkened, his displeasure evident. To him, Everett and Doretta were not the main threats; Aquila was the real concern."What else?" Everett shrugged nonchalantly, his demeanor exuding a sense of inevitability. He had intentionally separated from Aquila to ensure that, at this moment, he would still have a bargaining chip. If they had all been captured by Lawrence, the outcome would have been predictable.Lawrence demanded coldly, "What happened?"Someone approached and reported in a low voice, "They split up during the escape. We have people pursuing them, but there's no update yet.""Then we wait," Lawrence said, regaining his composure, his tone steadying.His next actions would depend on whether Aquila was caught or had indeed managed to escape.Everett stood his ground, confronting Lawrence, both seemingly awaiting news about Aquila.The factory was eerily
Doretta's pupils contracted slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, she decided to stay put. She figured there was no need to follow; Everett wasn't likely to escape today. By threatening Lawrence, Everett had sealed his fate—if Lawrence managed to take him, the odds would not be in Everett's favor.Everett knew this as well; his earlier outburst was a desperate measure. He still planned to find a way to escape; being captured or returning with Lawrence wasn't an option, as it would likely lead to his death.Seth, leading his team, glanced at Doretta. She subtly gestured toward the back door, and understanding her hint, Seth directed his team to pursue.Ten minutes later, the operation inside the factory concluded.The captured men from Lawrence's group were sent to the police station by Max's team.As for Lawrence and Everett, Seth and his team pursued them, determined not to let Everett get away.Once everything settled down and quieted, Doretta slowly approached Jared's car
Doretta seemed convinced that Everett's threat had been effective, forcing Lawrence into a corner.Nicole's complexion turned a shade paler. Everett's brief words were a mere threat, but they clearly indicated the gravity of the past events.Reflecting on it, Nicole realized how someone had detected her return to San Joto despite her concealed identity and even her lost memory, managing to ambush her precisely at the airport.Everything started to make sense. Lawrence didn't want her back, hence the elaborate setup. To protect her children, she had stayed away from San Joto, concealing her whereabouts and living on Crescent Island with Nolan and Lana."Is there anything else?" Jared's voice was deep and somber."That's all I heard. I thought it was crucial to inform Nicole," Doretta replied."Max, escort her back," Jared instructed, then looked at Nicole, who remained silent.After Max took Doretta away, only Nicole and Jared were left in the spacious living room."With the tru
After briefly biting her lip, Nicole calmly responded, "It's alright, he probably realized there was no hope and thus abandoned Everett.""So, you mean Lawrence initially helped Everett but then gave up on him?" Preston surmised."Right," Nicole confirmed, giving a brief rundown of the events.Preston remarked, impressed, "I thought Everett was incredibly skilled to escape from such an encirclement. It's unbelievable." He had been shocked when he heard Everett was captured, hardly believing it was real. It turned out Everett's escape was facilitated by Lawrence's secret assistance."Does this mean all of Everett's associates have been rounded up? There shouldn't be anyone else, right?" Lulu speculated with a slight frown.She pondered, 'It must be so, especially if even Lawrence has abandoned Everett. It's unlikely anyone else would assist him now.'"Great, finally, everything is settled," Preston looked around the group. "Should we head back to Grandpa's place tomorrow?""I thi
"Perhaps," Ian muttered, his head drooping. He genuinely didn't know how he'd been detected, but it seemed a plausible explanation now.Lawrence sighed and said, "It seems we need to be more cautious in our future endeavors."He was well aware that Jared was not an easy adversary, especially with Zane's support. Even though Nicole wasn't as physically formidable as before, her other capabilities remained intact, not to mention her possession of the Fire Crest and Water Crest."Sir, about the matter Everett mentioned..." Ian began hesitantly, his unease palpable, "if he were to reveal it..."The threat Everett held over Lawrence could severely compromise him if made public."Eliminate the threat. The dead don't talk," Lawrence stated coldly, his eyes harboring a ruthless glint.Even though Everett had blackmailed him, Lawrence never intended to spare him. Those who knew more than they should weren't worth keeping alive."Understood," Ian responded quietly.With a final nod to La
At that moment, Nicole was processing the news as well."How could this happen?!" Lulu exclaimed in disbelief.Nicole shook her head. "No one knows yet; everyone is investigating."However, she couldn't shake the feeling that this incident might be connected to Lawrence.Everett had leverage over Lawrence with his knowledge of Lawrence's secrets and had even used this as blackmail. Now that Everett was caught, it seemed unlikely that Lawrence would let him off the hook, especially if it meant keeping his secrets safe.But Lawrence probably hadn't anticipated that Everett's threats would be overheard by Doretta, and they could now conjecture the whole situation clearly."It's really something with Everett," Lulu shook her head. "After all the effort to capture him, he just ends up dead."Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she blinked rapidly, "He didn't commit suicide, did he?""No," Nicole shook her head, confident despite the lack of details, "I'm sure Everett wouldn't commit
Nicole looked straight into Jared's eyes and said, "I think you might be on his radar too, so we both need to stay alert and ready."Jared nodded. "Got it." He was all set to confront Lawrence once and for all.When they reached the Riddle family manor, they parked the car and joined Lulu and Spencer."June and the rest are already inside; let's head in," Lulu said, eyeing Samuel's car parked close by."Sounds good," Nicole agreed.They walked into the living room and saw June and Samuel talking to Benjamin."Have you seen Nolan and Lana?" Benjamin looked around, wondering why they weren't there yet, even though Jared and Nicole had arrived."Mom and Dad are picking them up. They'll be here soon," Nicole told him.Just then, Daniel and Gloria came in with Nolan and Lana, and not long after, Dexter, Emma, Ellar, Stanley with Tia, and even Preston showed up."Dexter mentioned, "Emery's caught up with work; he couldn't come.""That's fine," Benjamin said, knowing Emery was swamp