chapter535

Within ten minutes, all three news stories shot to the top of the trending list.

Everyone was talking about it. Government departments took notice right away and sent out waves of police to investigate. The whole city felt like it was buzzing with chaos.

Tonight, the streets were packed with fender benders and staged accidents. Police hotlines rang nonstop. You couldn't go a block without spotting police cars flashing their lights or officers hurrying around. The whole scene was wild and restless.

Connor finally walked out after nearly three hours of questioning. The first thing he saw was this chaos, and then, right outside the main entrance, was the one person he had been thinking about all night.

Lydia waited for him under the streetlights, her small frame looking even more distant and cold in the shadows. The second she saw him, though, her eyes softened just a little.

"You okay?" Lydia raised an eyebrow as Connor walked up to her.

He gave her a crooked, reassuring smile. Yeah, I'm fine.

"Good. Let's go home."

On the drive back, police were everywhere, but Lydia kept to the regular roads. She didn't choose any extra-safe routes or go out of her way to avoid trouble. As they got close to Connor's villa, he spotted dozens of tactical officers marching people out of some private club. What had started as a suspicion was now a certainty. Someone had set all this up.

"Lydia, thank you for everything tonight," Connor said quietly.

She let out a soft snort. "You'd better know how much work this took."

He knew she'd gone to a lot of trouble, all just to keep him safe.

While Lydia and Connor made it home without any problems, things looked very different at a military command center somewhere in the city. A man slammed his fist on the desk, face twisted with anger. "Useless!"

The subordinate standing in front of him kept his head down. "Connor was too smart for us, sir. He figured out what we were planning. There were police everywhere along his way home. Our people couldn't risk making a move."

This was the Capital, after all. If their people hurt the police or got caught, it would turn into something much bigger than just an attack on Connor.

?

"Idiots!" the man barked again. He'd gone through all the trouble of luring Conporout,

a for Conner to get..

home safely, and now his own plans were exposed. This was a huge setback.

The subordinate swallowed hard. "It's our fault, sir. We didn't react fast enough."

"Find out who helped him tonight. I want names."

"Yes, sir!"

The man's lips curled in a dark smile. "All right, Connor. If you want to play, let's play."

His low laughter echoed in the dimly lit room. On his shoulder, an insignia stood out in the shadows.

Back at the villa, Lydia sat across

from Connor. She didn't say a

just stared at him with an icy let

that made his skin crawl. .net>

Connor tried to lighten the mood with a shaky grin. See? I'm back in one piece."

Lydia scoffed. And you're actually proud of yourself?"

He reached for her hand, but she pulled away before he could touch her.

Connor sighed, giving in. "They said someone spotted me in the Triangle. They thought I might have leaked star s crets, so they brought me in for questioning."

"So, who's your enemy?" Lydia asked quietly. She already had a guess, but she wasn't sure.

Connor didn't want her to get mixed up in this. He kept his voice gentle. Lydia, let me handle it."

She crossed her arms. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"