Betrayed Then Back For Blood (Briar Jennings) novel Chapter 243

Ruben’s voice was steady, but his tone was cold. “Briar, I heard from Larry that you’re bringing Ashton home tomorrow?”

Briar glanced at Ashton and nodded. “Yes. We’re flying out tonight and will arrive around three or four tomorrow afternoon.”

On the other end of the line, Ruben paused for a few seconds before replying, “Got it. Travel safely.”

After Ruben hung up, Ashton asked Briar, “Why do I feel like your uncles have already torn me to shreds several times, and I haven’t even arrived yet?”

Briar chuckled. “What? Scared? Are you still going to dare propose in front of my uncles?”

Ashton pinched Briar’s smug cheek. “What’s there to be afraid of? A little challenge like this won’t stop me.”

Briar just smiled and said nothing. ‘A little challenge?”

What lay before Ashton was no small challenge, but two formidable forces.

Before she turned 18, her uncles wouldn’t even let her date. Now, not only had Ashton whisked her away, but he also wanted to marry her. Her uncles were probably at home sharpening their knives.

Everything was ready. They were just waiting for their direct flight to Qathana that night.

Just before they were about to leave, Briar was tagged in her private group chat. She opened the WhatsApp group and saw it was a message from Louie Gallagher, the admin of their exclusive three–person chat.

Louie: [Briar, I heard you’re coming back to Qathana?]

Louie Gallagher was the most powerful fighter at the DDC Vanguard Base and the leader of the elite instructors at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base. His whereabouts were always a mystery, and he rarely appeared in the group chat.

For him to break his usual silence and message first meant something big was about to happen.

Briar answered honestly: [Yeah, I’m taking my boyfriend to meet my family.]

After she sent the message, Louie hadn’t replied yet, but it drew out another lurker from the group.

[Boyfriend? You mean Ashton, the youngest billionaire in Dasmieca? Briar, aren’t you afraid your two uncles will tear him apart if you take him home now?]

Briar: [It’s not that serious, is it? He seems well–prepared.]

Louie: [When you get back to Qathana, find a chance to return to the base. I have something to tell you.]

Briar: [Got it.]

12:54 Sat, Sep 20

Chapter 243

The group

Ian.

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chat quickly fell silent. Briar put her phone away and, when Ashton wasn’t looking, shot a look at

Ian hurried over. “Briar, what’s up?”

Briar crossed her arms and looked at Ian. “Did you leak the news to the base that we’re returning to Qathana?”

Ian’s cheerful expression faltered, and he asked guiltily, “Yeah, wh… what’s wrong?”

“Who did you tell?” Briar asked.

Ian said, “I didn’t tell anyone. I just… I just mentioned in our instructors‘ group chat that you were returning to Qathana…”

Briar was speechless.

Ian was one of the five main instructors at the DDC Vanguard Base. Their instructors‘ group chat included the only female instructor, Estella Farley. Estella was best friends with Mollie Campbell, the wife of the head elite instructor, Louie, and they told each other everything.

In other words, if Mollie knew she was returning to Qathana, that meant Louie knew as well.

No wonder Louie had specifically tagged her in the group chat. Considering the upcoming annual mercenary training at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base, Briar thought with resignation, ‘Louie is using this as an opportunity to drag me back for some grunt work!‘

Briar glanced at Ashton walking ahead of her. ‘What excuse could I come up with for disappearing for half a month without arousing his suspicion?‘ she thought.

Sensing her gaze, Ashton turned around. With one hand in his pocket, he reached out to her. Once she put her hand in his, he took it and tucked it into his coat pocket. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Nervous?”

Briar chuckled, tracing his palm with her index finger. “How could I be? I’m not the one who’ll be in trouble, so why would I be nervous?”

Ashton tightened his grip on the fingers that were unknowingly teasing him in his palm. “Let’s make a bet. 1 bet your two uncles won’t give me a hard time tomorrow; they’ll even see me off with a smile.”

Briar scoffed. “Ashton, it’s good to be confident, but overconfidence often backfires.”

Ashton had just stolen their precious niece, and he expected her two uncles to see him off with a smile.

“So, let’s make a bet. If you win, you can name any condition.” Ashton’s eyes held a captivating glint.

Briar agreed without hesitation. “Deal! If I lose, you can name a condition too, and I won’t back out.”

They boarded the plane, and by the time they landed at a private airstrip in Qathana, both were still convinced the other would lose.

*****

12:55 Sat, Sep 20

Chapter 243

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More than a decade of wealth accumulation had placed the Grant family on the list of global billionaires.

They commanded a vast business empire in northern Qathana. While the Grant family’s industries were not as all–encompassing as the Wade family’s, they had almost completely monopolized the entertainment industry, one of their later ventures.

So, the Grant family had settled in a villa complex in the most prosperous commercial center in the north.

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