Chapter 1161:

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Ian remained seated beside Gilmore’s corpse, his hollow gaze fixed on the still body. After a long moment, he bent down and dragged out a cracked black case from beneath the bed. Nestled inside was a partially shattered reagent.

“Gilmore, this better give me one last shot at turning things around.”

Curling his fingers around the reagent, he lifted it slowly. A cold blue glow spilled across his face, warping his already unstable expression into something almost unrecognizable.

Without another word, he rose to his feet, pulled on a black baseball cap, and strode out of the basement in a hurry.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Holt Group, Eaton lounged back in his swivel chair, his sharp eyes settling on Conroy across from him. “I honestly didn’t expect a visit from you today, Mr. Russell. We’ve barely had any dealings before, so what exactly brings you here?”

“I was hoping we could talk business.” Conroy took his time, his tone measured. “I know your family has deep roots in real estate. I’ve been considering expanding into that field myself. What’s your take, Mr. Holt?”

“Real estate hasn’t exactly been thriving these past few years. Are you sure that’s the direction you want to move in? Or is this just an excuse to get close to me?” Leaning forward, Eaton said, “I don’t know what rumors have reached your ears, but I’m a law-abiding man. Don’t believe me? Put someone on me. Watch me day and night. I can handle any investigation.”

A low laugh slipped from Conroy. “I haven’t accused you of anything yet. Why so defensive? Now you’ve got me curious. Have you been hiding something?”

Before Eaton could answer, the phone resting on the table buzzed sharply.

At the sight of the caller ID, Eaton’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly. He rose from his seat and looked at Conroy. “If you truly came here to discuss cooperation, then I’m happy to continue the conversation. Unfortunately, something urgent just came up. You can go over the details with my secretary first.”

𝖬𝗈𝗌t 𝘳𝗲a𝗱 𝗍h𝗶𝘀 𝗐ее𝗸 𝘰𝗇 𝘨𝖺𝗅𝘯𝗼𝘃e𝗅s.cоm

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his phone and strode out of the office.

Left sitting alone, Conroy narrowed his eyes slightly. “His defenses are higher than I expected.”

Stepping out of the office, Eaton answered the call at once. “What happened? Is something wrong with my sister?”

“Miss Holt hasn’t eaten in two days and won’t open the door. If this keeps up, I’m worried something bad will happen.”

“I’m coming right now.”

A faint frown settled on Eaton’s face. Throwing one last glance toward the office, he motioned for his secretary to come over. “Don’t let him leave yet.”

Without wasting another second, he strode out of the company and drove straight to the resort.

The moment he arrived, he headed directly for Jessie’s room. Standing outside the firmly locked door, he stared at it grimly, his expression turning darker by the second. “Smash it open. I want to know exactly what she’s doing in there.”

The bodyguard slammed his boot against the door several times before the lock finally gave way with a violent crack.

Stepping inside, Eaton immediately spotted Jessie curled up on the bed, her complexion ghostly pale.

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