anwhile...
Red approached Betty’s ho carefully, spotting a man standing on the front doorstep. Several other Dominion mbers were scattered around the area. So were people he recognized, stationed in different divisions across Dominion.
"Red!"
He paused at the call. Turning his head, he saw a man jogging toward him from one of the parked cars.
"Hey, man!" The man stopped in front of him, beaming. "Good to see you!"
Red frowned as he assessed the tall, lean man dressed in a neat black suit.
He knew him.
They had joined Dominion around the sa ti and trained in the sa batch. The man had even been part of their original crew... until he transferred to another division.
A division notorious for opposing Lucian whenever the opportunity arose.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing here, Drake?" Red asked, glancing at the others who had stopped a few steps behind him. "Entering the master’s residence like this?"
Drake smiled.
"Ah, don’t be like that. I know you didn’t like my decision back then, but there’s no need to look at like I’m your enemy."
"Trust ." Drake nodded. "I’m not soone who turned my back on the master or on our crew just because I chose a different side. To , you’re still my friend."
"Shut up." Red’s eyes glinted as he glanced at Drake’s colleagues. "Stop with the nonsense, especially when your people already have their hands on their guns."
Drake paused and forced a smile.
Turning to the n around them, he motioned for them to relax before facing Red again, the smile slowly disappearing from his face.
"Red, I know this looks bad, but it’s not," Drake explained. "We just want to bring the Madam to the mainland to make sure she’s safe."
"That’s the order we’re executing!" he added with a brighter tone. "As long as you don’t resist, there won’t be any problems."
"Resist, huh?" Red scoffed and shifted his attention to the front door.
His eyes narrowed at the man standing rigidly before it.
Just like Drake, he knew him.
The man standing there in the sa black suit was one of the top graduates from their training program.
Now, he held authority rivaling Gustav’s under a different mber of the High Chamber.
Tinie.
Just as Red took a step forward, he paused when the front door slowly opened.
The lines on his face deepened the mont he saw the person walking out.
There stood a woman wearing a bathrobe.
Her hair was wrapped in a towel, and a facial mask covered most of her face.
What the hell was she doing before this?
Betty looked as though she had been enjoying the best pampering session of her life when all of this unfolded.
To Red’s absolute shock, while Tinie was speaking to her, Betty suddenly raised her hand and smacked him across the cheek.
"What the—" Red gasped in horror.
Was she actually that violent?
Thinking back to his team’s previous encounters with Betty, Red grimaced.
While she had never hit any of them, she had certainly been forceful... and a little an.
He had assud it was because of her emotions at the ti.
Apparently not.
Maybe Betty had really let her promotion go to her head.
Just as Red was making assumptions, Betty suddenly spoke.
"How dare you co here and ruin my pamper ti?" she hissed. "? The Madam of Dominion? How dare you?"
"Huh?"
Red stared at her in confusion.
It took only a second for the realization to strike as he noticed the expressions on everyone else’s faces.
Right.I don’t think these guys know the Madam.
And even if they did, they hadn’t interacted with Ashley enough to realize that the woman standing before them wasn’t her.
Red whipped his head toward Betty, his eyes lighting up as he finally understood why she had co out looking like that.
Not to ntion Ashley’s reputation.
It might have changed among those close to her, but for the rest of Dominion, many still held the sa old impression.
Tinie slowly turned toward Red before facing Betty again.
"I apologize, Madam." Tinie lowered his head. "However, the High Chamber has ordered that you accompany us for your safety."
"Hah!" Betty scoffed. "The nerve!"
Thankfully, her entire face was hidden beneath the facial mask, and the oversized bathrobe concealed her body.
Otherwise, everyone would have noticed that she was trembling uncontrollably.
To hide the shaking in her hands, she crossed her arms.
"And what if I don’t want to?" she asked.
Tinie remained calm and polite. "Then I was ordered to do whatever is necessary to ensure you are removed from danger."
You are the danger!
That was what Betty desperately wanted to scream.
"Madam!"
Suddenly, Betty heard soone call from outside the property.
Lifting her head, she spotted Red waving at her.
Red!
But her brows furrowed upon seeing the people blocking his path.
She frowned. "Why can’t he get in here?"
Tinie glanced at her before signaling the guards. The mont the n stepped aside, Red scoffed.
Still, he wasted no ti and jogged over.
"What are you doing here?" Red demanded, stopping beside Tinie. "Acting like you’re arresting a criminal? Do you not know who the person is before you?"
Tinie drew a deep breath.
"The High Chamber wants to bring the Madam to the mainland to ensure her safety while the Black Dragon remains in critical condition."
He shifted his eyes from Red back to Betty.
"Tell her that we are here to execute that order by any ans necessary."
Red swallowed slightly before sneaking a glance at Betty. Seeing that her disguise was working, he quietly moved closer.
"Madam, it’s best if we go with them for now," he said. "For your protection."
Betty bit the inside of her cheek. She glanced at Red, wondering whether they had stalled long enough. But dragging this out further could compromise her disguise.
"Fine!" She clicked her tongue and shoved Tinie aside. "Out of my way!"
Red’s face twitched.
Betty was doing a frighteningly good job impersonating Ashley.
As they started moving, Tinie suddenly spoke.
"The young master—"
"Don’t ask where the boy is," Betty cut him off, looking back over her shoulder. "I don’t know, and I don’t care. He’s probably with his father. Wherever he is."
With that, she waved dismissively and continued walking.
"And don’t bother looking for my other bodyguards. I kicked them out a long ti ago."
Tinie frowned and turned to Red for confirmation.
Slightly surprised that Betty had also assud his crew was gone with Ashley, Red cleared his throat.
"I hate her to the bone." He leaned toward Tinie and nodded, emphasizing every word. "But soone had to keep an eye on her. Don’t worry. If she acts up, I’ll sedate her."
After saying that, he patted Tinie on the shoulder and followed Betty toward the car.
The mont they climbed inside and watched everyone begin moving out, both of them released a long sigh.
Well, that worked... For now.
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