As the evening shadows lengthened, James paced the second floor of Minton Casino, ncing at his wristwatch. It was twenty minutes past their eight o''clock meet-up time, and there was still no sign of Sophie. James frowned slightly. Sophie was neverte. Could something havee up?


    He scanned the casino floor below, and just then, Sophie walked in. Her stunning wine-red gown made her easy to spot in the crowd.


    However, James also noticed a few shadowy figures lurking in the corners, their eyes fixed on Sophie. They were clearly tailing her.


    Sophie''s eyes met James'', subtly signaling towards the people watching him. He got the message immediately.


    Maintaining a fa?ade of calm, Sophie made her way up to the second floor. She stopped right in front of James, her face a mixture of resolve and hesitation.


    "I didn''t think you''d actuallye," James said.


    Odie''s words echoed in Sophie''s mind. ''Tonight, when James seeks you out, go to him, but follow my instructions.'' ''This is ourtest product, a high-purity powder that''s incredibly addictive with just a tiny dose.'' ''If you don''t do as I say, you know the consequences.''Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Sophie?" James'' voice snapped her back to the present.


    She forced a smile. "I''m here as promised. What did Mr. Burke want to talk about?"


    "Nothing much. Just that someone learned I wasing to Summerfield and paid me a hefty sum to deliver a message."


    Suddenly, James took off his wristwatch and ced it on Sophie''s wrist. It was a puzzling move, but James didn''t look up, simply saying, "He said, he''s here."


    At that moment, a loud crash came from outside, and a group of people in riot gear stormed in.


    14.44 (


    Panic ensued. People scrambled everywhere, those on the second floor rushing downstairs in a frenzy.


    James grabbed Sophie''s wrist and pulled her along. "Run!"


    Shots fired towards the ceiling, silencing the crowd and adding to the chaos. The group tailing Sophie lost her in the confusion.


    "Tell Mr. Odie! We''ve lost her!"


    "Okay!"


    Amidst the growing gunfire, several people hurriedly contacted Odie. On the other end, Odie''s expression darkened.


    "Boss, is there trouble at the casino?" Jonah asked.


    "Colby''s here," Odie said, a cruel smile spreading across his face. He hadn''t expected Colby to daree to Summerfield, especially with such arge entourage, and without him knowing a single thing beforehand.


    Csio


    "Bring everyone! Head to the casino now!" The content ison


    "Right!"


    Suddenly, the heart of Summerfield descended into chaos die''s men blocked off roads, and dozens of cars raced towards Minton Casino,


    Under the cover of night, James whisked Sophie away to the seaport. Once there, the ce was, deste and eerily quiet. Odie hadn''t arranged for anyone at the seaport, and a private boat awaited them at the shore.


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