Chapter 1026

He swung open the rear door with a deferential gesture, revealing an elderly woman in modest attire who carefully stepped out.

From his vantage point nearby, Jack observed the tableau unfold with bated breath. Who was this unassuming elderly woman? Her advanced age and simple dress contradicted every expectation of Sadie’s typical high-powered business associates. Could this be some long-lost relative of Sadie’s? But why orchestrate such elaborate security measures to transport an old woman?

Questions multiplied in Jack’s mind like cells dividing, each spawning more uncertainties.

As Samuel ushered the woman briskly toward the elevator, Jack calculated his window of opportunity to trail them undetected. Suddenly, the whisper of approaching footsteps shattered his concentration.

Jack whirled around to find his vehicle encircled by stone-faced bodyguards, their presence materializing as if from thin air. His cover had been blown!

Terror seized Jack’s heart, causing it to stutter painfully in his chest. The bodyguards moved with the coordinated swiftness of striking vipers. One hulking figure wrenched open the car door and simultaneously clamped a vise-like hand over Jack’s mouth, silencing any potential outcry.

Before a sound could escape his throat, Jack found himself violently extracted from the driver’s seat, his body helpless against the bodyguards’ professional efficiency.

Across town at the hospital, Sadie perched on the edge of her bed, her distant gaze fixed on the world beyond the window.

A slight twitch disturbed her otherwise smooth brow as an inexplicable sense of foreboding crept up her spine. As if summoned by her intuition, her phone trilled to life the very next moment. Samuel’s name illuminated the screen.

She swiped to answer, bringing the device to her ear with practiced composure. “Hello,” she greeted, her voice betraying nothing.

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Samuel’s deferential tone filtered through the connection, crisp and formal. “Ms. Hudson, I’ve secured our guest at Rosehill Apartments as instructed.” He paused, uncertainty coloring his normally confident tone. “However, we’ve encountered an… unexpected complication.”

Sadie had anticipated that smooth execution was too much to hope for in this delicate operation.

“Elaborate,” she commanded, steel underlying her calm.

Samuel drew a breath before delivering his report with professional precision. “We found Mr. Noel’s assistant, Jack, shadowing our convoy. His surveillance was unmistakable. We’ve detained him for now.” He paused before carefully adding, “Your orders regarding him, Ms. Hudson?”

Why would Noah dispatch Jack to trail Samuel’s movements? What game was Noah playing now?noveldrama

Sadie’s mind still grappled with these questions when the hospital room door swung open. Noah himself stood in the doorway, his features schooled into an unreadable mask.

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