(93 )
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In Beloris, if you were one of the big shots, guns were nothing new–but you never, ever shed them in front of regr folks. Solvaria was dead serious about gun control, and Grady had made such a scene that even the government people saw it. Now that the officials caught him in the act, there was no easy way out of this mess.
Soon enough, the cops arrived, packing bulletproof shields and live firearms.
One of the officers shouted, “Don’t move!”
Grady quickly realized he’d been set up–someone had slipped that gun on him on purpose.
The only person who’d gotten close to him was that waitress. He wasn’t used to being treated like this–back in Raventon, nobody dared mess with him.
“Damn it! You bitch! You think you can y me?” he yelled.
He raised his gun, but the cops were quicker.
The ordinary folks at the scene were screaming in terror–most of them had only seen gunfights on TV before, never in real life. Those with nerves of steel didn’t waste any time, they whipped out their phones and started filming, then sted the footage all over online tforms.
Grady took a bullet to the shoulder, but he refused to back down. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to aim and fired straight at the waitress.
The waitress was so terrified she passed out cold, and by pure luck, the bullet missed her.
Seeing Grady still firing, the cops didn’t hesitate—they unleashed a barrage of bullets.
When someone was waving a gun around and threatening people’s lives, there was no time for questions–the police just pulled the trigger and ended it right there.
Grady was hit by over a dozen rounds, shock and disbelief swirling in his eyes as he slowly copsed to the floor.
The government official next to Charles let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “Thank God he’s dead. Imagine if a guy like that was still loose–who knows what kind of chaos he’d bring. Mr. Sinir, are you alright?”
Charles chuckled quietly, catching Grady’s lifeless, wide–eyed stare out of the corner of his eye–clearly, the man hadn’t gone peacefully.
Charles’s lips tilted in a faint, almost ironic smile. “Honestly, I’m a little shaken. In broad daylight, out in the open, someone actually had the guts to pull a gun.”
The official gave a weary sigh. “He got what wasing to him. Let the cops take it from here. This way.”
The group slowly walked away.
11:04 Wed, Sep 24 ..
(93<b>) </b>
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Thest spark in Grady’s eyes faded away, and even as he died, his eyes never left Charles–they were locked on him until the very end.
Maybe he realized what had really happened, but at that point, nothing he said could have changed a thing.
News of Grady’s death spread like wildfire, and it didn’t take long for Vivian to hear about it.
She’d been getting chewed out by the higher–upstely over thatst project, and now, all of a sudden, someone nearby told her that her uncle Grady had just been shot dead right there. She was stunned.
‘No way!‘ Vivian thought, her mind reeling.
‘Grady was untouchable. How could those cops dare make a move against him?‘ she wondered, still in shock.
Her <i>face </i>went pale as a ghost, and when she sat down, her nails dug deep into her palms.
Cedric stormed in, his face twisted with rage.
Vivian shot up from her seat, her voice trembling with urgency. “Cedric, what’s going on? Did you find out anything?”
Cedric mmed his hand down on the table, ring furiously. “Word is, he opened fire on a civilian, and the cops just put him down on the spot.”
Vivian was on the verge of breaking down, slumping hard into her seat. “No way. Uncle Grady can be clueless sometimes, but he’d never be dumb enough to show up with a gun in a ce like that.”
Even if Grady never thinks before acting, he still wouldn’t do something that stupid.
Cedric rubbed at his brow, his frustration in. “I’ve already checked the security feeds. Now that Grady’s been caught shooting a civilian, the higher–ups are all watching closely. We need toy low for a while–don’t stir up any trouble, especially now.”
Vivian swallowed, forcing herself to calm down. “Think we can pay someone hush money? We can’t let this blow up.”
If word gets out, the whole Andrade family will be put under a microscope, and we’d be looking at an even bigger mess.
Cedric wed at his hair, practically vibrating with anxiety. “If the witnesses were just regr people, we could probably buy our way out. But Charles was there, and so was that newly appointed Minister Howard- he’s got a rep for being a total straight arrow, won’t take a cent. Throw Charles into the mix and this is pretty much impossible.”
Vivian’s pupils contracted, her lips quivering. “You mean… Charles was there too?”
Cedric tilted his head back, looking utterly defeated. “Yeah. He was having dinner with Minister Howard. They were pretty far from Uncle Grady, just made a bit of small talk.”
Vivian swallowed, suddenly ovee by a sixth sense–was Charles really behind all this?
11:04 Wed, Sep 24 …
A
<b>93 </b>
55 vouchers
But she instantly dismissed the thought. “The Andrade family’s always been an asset to Charles–why would he go so far? Why use such brutal means?‘
‘Is he really doing all this just for Ynda?‘ Vivian’s mind raced, trying to grasp the real reason.
‘No way. Charles would never do something this insane. To him, women are just background decoration,‘ Vivian thought.
She shook her head, murmuring softly, “No, it definitely wasn’t him.”
Cedric shot upright, tension shing across his face. “Who?” <fn2e09> Chapters first released on F?nd-Novel</fn2e09>
Vivian went paper–white, forcing a shaky smile. “No one.”
Cedric narrowed his eyes, his stare turning fierce. “Are you saying Charles did this?”
“No way! Cedric, sure, Charles ditched the deal this time, but with the way things are between us, there’s still plenty of ways for us to team up. Why would he cut himself off for good?” she insisted.
Vivian’s heart hammered in her chest, and a tiny voice inside her kept wavering, crying out warnings she tried to ignore.
But she refused to believe it.
Cedric felt a wave of relief wash over him–he’d been on edge the whole time. If Charles really was the one who set this up, they’d be looking at a world of trouble.
<b>***** </b>
Ynda arrived at the set around 8 PM. The scene tonight was set in a shadowy alley.
Ian was in the middle of a fight; his character’s shirt was ripped open by a knife, showing off those sculpted V- lines on his abs.
Some of the girls on set looked ready to scream, but managed to hold it in, cheeks flushing red as they mped their hands over their mouths.
Ian’s moves were ridiculously smooth–almost unreal. Even Simone couldn’t hide her surprise.
After the scene wrapped up, Simone turned to Ynda. “Did you ever get him a professional fight coach?”
Ynda shook her head, her eyes full of admiration.
Simone clicked her tongue twice. “Wow, you lucked out–his moves are sharper than the coaches themselves.”
Ynda thought for a moment, guessing it was probably becausen used to do underground fighting.
When the fight scene wrapped up, the set erupted in apuse.
Ian bowed, then made his way over to Ynda.
11:04 Wed, Sep 24 …
Ynda was wearing a hat, her face still covered up.
Simone stood up and called out to the crew, “Alright, take a break! Bring out the cake!”
Soon enough, a cart rolled in, and the set erupted in birthday wishes.
“Happy birthday, Ian!”
“Thanks for all your hard work, Ian!”
Ian looked surprised, ncing at Simone and nodding slightly. “Thanks, Ms. Sinir.”
Then he nced over at Ynda.
Ynda naturally stood beside him and said, “Make a wish.”
Most of the time, Ian kept to himself, just quietly sitting alone, always looking a little distant.
But now, he put his hands together and made his wish, looking totally focused.
Seeing how seriously Ian was taking it, Simone grinned. “So, what did you wish for?”
<b>93 </b>
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Ian shot a quick sidelong nce at Ynda, but kept it cool as he blew out the candles. “If I say it out loud, it
won’te true.”
Everyone started passing out slices of cake, and the set buzzed with a warm, friendly vibe.
Ian had a few more scenes to shoot that night, so he was stuck on set for now. Still, it was impossible not to notice the barely concealed anticipation flickering in his eyes.
He nced over at Ynda and lightly tugged her sleeve. “Come to my dressing room.”
Ynda arched an eyebrow at him, then headed over to Simone instead, throwing back a casual, “Give me a
minute.”
Ian just stood there, a flicker of something deeper in his eyes as he pressed his lips together.
Ynda made her way over <i>to </i>Simone, seeking her advice on a couple of things, and soon the two were deep in conversation.
They shot a few more scenes, and before anyone realized it, it was already 11:30 PM.
Ian couldn’t help stealing nces at Ynda–sometimes standing, sometimes sitting–clearly having a hard time keeping his cool as he watched her from across the set.
After Ynda finally finished chatting with Simone, she headed straight forn’s dressing room.
Since his scenes were all set forte at night, the moment she stepped inside, Ian didn’t hesitate–he shut the door, pinned her against it, and kissed her like he’d been dying to all day.
“Did
you
do that on purpose?” Ian murmured in a low voice, not bothering to hide his frustration.
11:04 Wed, Sep 24 <b>J. </b>
<b>93 </b>
55 vouchers
‘Seriously, she waited until the middle of the night to show up?‘ Ian thought, a mix of annoyance and longing swirling inside him.