Chapter 485:
She turned her gaze to Elaine, her stare growing cool. Without a hint of hesitation, she lifted a finger. “Then get rid of her. She’s wrecking my coffee break.”
Elaine stumbled back a few steps as the guards approached. Her voice pitched higher. “You can’t be serious! I’m a VIP here! Mr. Martinez, you know how much traffic I bring in!” She jabbed a finger at herself. “All those celebrities stopping by during tours? That’s because of me!”
Rylie tapped her nails on the table, her lips curling into a faint smile. “Sounds like you’ve got the wrong idea.” She pointed to herself and said, “This place? It’s mine now.”
Craig already knew what kind of person could pull off a silent transaction like that—anonymous, off-the-grid, yet powerful enough to contact him directly. He gave a respectful nod. “Miss Owen owns the café now,” he said. “Why are you still here?” He gave a lazy wave.
The guards grabbed Elaine without hesitation.
They hauled her down the steps and tossed her outside like she weighed nothing. Her clean, pressed outfit picked up dust the second she hit the pavement.
The sudden turn of events left her stunned. Strangers stared as she clutched her handbag to shield her face. She rushed into the black MPV waiting at the curb, slammed the door, and yelled, “Drive!” Rylie, still at her table, had a clear view of it all.
The car door opened, and a pair of clean, graceful hands reached out and pulled Elaine inside. The profile she saw was faint, but striking. He looked like someone from a famous idol group.
Rylie looked away and stood up. She slowly made her way toward the screen at the back of the room.
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She walked around the embroidered divider, covered in birds and blossoms, and stopped when she saw him. He sat by the window. His shirt was slightly open at the collar, letting the last of the golden sunlight spill in through the wooden lattice. Shadows broke across his face, tracing the line of his jaw and the scar that peeked from beneath the fabric.
Brad looked up. There was something unreadable in his eyes. The way he smiled made it hard to tell whether he was teasing or serious.
His voice came low and smooth, touched with playfulness. “So, are you feeling satisfied now?”
The café was a gift. From him. Rylie crossed the space and took the chair across from him. He poured her a cup of coffee without saying a word. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
You couldn’t just go on the dark web and buy things like this — unless you had the right kind of access. And Brad clearly did. He had enough reach to snap up a ten-million-dollar property and get the documents delivered minutes later. That said more than she could ask out loud.
Wasn’t he supposed to be some admiral, keeping the country safe? Then what was he doing mixed up in something like this?
Rylie had questions about him, but she couldn’t ask directly. Asking would mean exposing herself.
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