?Chapter 1172:


    A reckless choice. Maybe the only one they had left.


    She steadied herself, her voice low but clear. “Where can I find Stuart now?”


    Sixty minutester, the living area in Sadie’s private ward was thick with tension.


    Tina returned, nked by grim-faced bodyguards. Among them walked a man, a hood covering his features.


    He moved like a tightly coiled wire.


    “Sadie,” Tina murmured, stepping toward the window where Sadie stood watching the horizon. “He’s arrived.”


    Sadie pivoted slowly. Her stare locked on the veiled figure. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly.


    She approached and gave a discreet nod.


    The guards released the man’s arms and pulled away the hood.


    The man in front of her matched the photos in the documents she had pored over.


    This was Stuart. But in person, he felt heavier—his stare burdened, his posture taut with suspicion.


    Being dragged in like a prisoner had clearly set him on edge.


    He massaged his wrists, ncing around before fixing his gaze on her.


    “Ms. Hudson,” he croaked, guarded. “Want to exin what the hell I’m doing here?”


    Sadie didn’t flinch.


    She examined him closely. This was the infamous brain-hacker—the evil genius who rewired minds likeputer boards.


    And for Noah’s sake, she had no option but to take that plunge.


    Her spine straightened. Her voice carried authority. “Dr. Lawson, considering your coboration with the Burgess Group, I think you could understand me.”


    Then she ordered, “Come in!”


    Sadie’s voice sliced through the silence, crisp andmanding. The two bodyguards stationed by the door responded instantly, stepping forward with two heavy ck suitcases gripped in their hands.


    Your escape begins at g?lnσν???s


    Metal sps clicked open one after another, revealing thick stacks of bundled cash arranged in perfect rows. The sight seized Stuart’s attention immediately.


    Stuart’s eyebrows furrowed, forming a subtle crease across his forehead. The audacity struck him like a p. Did this woman honestly believe she could purchase his cooperation? What kind of man did she imagine him to be? Perhaps she had mistaken him for someone like his brother—the type who would sacrifice anything and anyone for the right sum of money.


    Ice-cold disdain surged through his chest, yet his expression remained perfectlyposed, revealing nothing of the contempt brewing beneath the surface.


    He moved across the living area with unhurried steps, settling onto the plush sofa with practiced ease. His posture appeared rxed, though every movement carried calcted purpose.


    “Ms. Hudson, if you have something to discuss, then speak inly.” His voice emerged cool and measured.


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