Betrayed, Then Back For Blood

Chapter 224

Briar slept until two in the afternoon, missing lunch entirely.

Ashton was no longer in bed. When Briar came downstairs, she saw Brandon standing by the dining table with a conflicted expression, as if holding back words, while Ashton, an apron tied around his waist, was stepping out of the kitchen.

He carried a bowl of thick soup, its murky surface dotted with shreds of what appeared to be stew meat.

Seeing Brandon’s reaction and Ashton dressed like that, Briar raised an eyebrow. “Ashton, did you cook this?” she asked.

Ashton turned at the sound. “You’re up? Perfect timing. I made some soup. Come have some.”

Briar felt a little touched, dashed over, and plopped herself down at the table, propping her chin on her hand, her eyes full of anticipation. She pretended not to notice the kitchen trash full of butchered ingredients and a shattered casserole dish.

Ashton placed the bowl of soup in front of her, grabbed a spoon, and gently stirred it to cool it down. “It’s my first time cooking. Give it a try.”

Briar took the spoon, scooped up a little, blew on it, and then took a bite, tasting it seriously. “It’s yummy. You’ve got some serious cooking talent, Ashton!”

Ashton let out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad you like it.”

‘All those hours I spend slaving over the stove are worth it,‘ he added in his mind.

Briar seemed to love the meat soup Ashton made. Her slender fingers never left the spoon as she ate it spoonful by spoonful, finishing every last drop.

Having someone polish off his very first homemade dish like that boosted Ashton’s confidence.

Full and satisfied, Briar wiped her mouth, stood up, and flashed Ashton a smile before asking, “Shall we head out now?”

It was time to go and deal with the Garzas.

She was just too sweet, and Ashton couldn’t find any reason to refuse her, so he nodded. “Okay. Let’s go now.”

the complicated look off his face

the gusts, gently smoothed out her messy hair, and pulled her hoodie up over her head. “I noticed you always liked wearing hats back when you

something he’d seen when he was looking into her before. There were some

she was five, Briar had worn hats in public, like baseball caps and hoodies, anything to shield her face. Few photos of her without one

“Yeah, I’m good–looking. Wearing

a loss for

but the way she showed off still made both

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Chapter 224

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his family and took shelter in their secluded safe house outside the city. They thought they were being discreet, but the truth was, Ashton’s people

from the start.

basically, from the moment they left the villa to the second they pulled up at the

and Briar got out together, Qeturah, who was sitting in front of the surveillance monitor, jumped up

lost it, shouting, “Dad! Dad! They’re here! They found

a spoiled, incompetent brother,‘ Manny thought, looking at Qeturah, who was scared out of his mind, her face full of contempt and

so terrified she could barely speak. “This is the end. Our

move, and everything was lost. All the years of hard work by the Garza family, and in the end, it all ended up ruined in Hayden’s

show Mr. Wade and Miss Jennings

got up, and went to open

black immediately surrounded the Garzas. If the Garzas hadn’t been

exhaustion. Knowing full well Ashton and his people wouldn’t let them off easy,

suit, standing up and bowing

the most pitiful, respectful

‘Do these people seriously think that just because they’re bowing and scraping, Mr. Wade and Miss

exactly

had already uncovered all the Garzas‘ overseas labs, those were just their foreign operations, and they didn’t touch anything in the domestic market. Ben thought maybe Ashton just wanted to stand up for Briar and wouldn’t