Chapter 395
Chapter 395:
At dawn the following day, she wasted no time coordinating a full upgrade—an automatic alarm wired directly to the safe and a discreet pinhole camera hidden in the master bedroom.
She didn’t step out until she had run the mobile app again and again, watching the feed cycle smoothly and confirming that every corner of the room was under constant surveillance. Only then did a fragile sense of calm settle in her chest.
The instant she reached the company, her phone rang. Brayden’s name flashed across the screen.
“What happened back there?” he asked quietly, fatigue dragging at his voice. “I only just found out something went wrong at home p>
“Everything’s under control now. I’ve tightened security around our villa, and I’m confident nothing else will happen before you get back,” Gracie replied steadily.
Judging the flight time in her head, she realized Brayden had probably just touched down. Even worn to the bone, he still couldn’t stop worrying about her.
“You should focus on your work overseas,” Gracie added softly, her tone deliberate and reassuring. “Leave things here to me p>
“Alright,” Brayden answered, his voice rough with exhaustion. “If anything at all happens, call me. I’ll come back immediately p>
Night had already settled over the city by the time Brayden’s plane touched down. After ending the call, his jaw tightened, the severity in his expression impossible to miss.
Standing at his side, Charlie tried to steady the moment. “Clive’s watching the villa. Everything’s under control. You don’t need to keep stressing about it p>
Instead of relaxing, Brayden turned slowly toward him, eyes sharp. “Doesn’t this strike you as strange?” His voice dropped. “Four hours have passed since the break-in, and neither of us has heard a single word from Clive p>
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The realization hit Charlie all at once, his pupils contracting as unease crept up his spine.
The update had come from the lead bodyguard the moment they touched down, delivered in clipped, professional tones.
Clive, meanwhile, had gone completely silent—no messages, no callbacks, nothing at all.
“I’ll get Clive on the line right now,” Charlie said, already reaching for his phone.
But Brayden caught his wrist and shook his head once. “Gracie won’t have lowered her guard. After last night’s failure, whoever made the move has already alerted everyone in the estate. They won’t dare try again so soon,” he said calmly. “Let’s wrap this up now—and then we head back immediately p>
Charlie hesitated, unease creasing his brow. “It’s well past midnight. Showing up unannounced at this hour won’t sit well with them p>
Yet a faint smile curved at Brayden’s lips. “If the offer is rich enough, no one takes offense,” he said evenly. “Money makes even the boldest people agreeable—they’ll fall in line with our plans p>
Already moving, he headed down the corridor. “Come on. Let’s leave now and catch the first flight back tomorrow morning p>
Back at home, Gracie leaned over the lab bench, peering through the microscope as pale light reflected in her tense eyes. Her brows knit tighter with every adjustment of the lens.
After a long stretch of silence, she exhaled, straightened slowly, and turned to the people waiting behind her. “This batch didn’t work p>
A stunned voice broke the quiet. “All of them? Not even the slightest breakthrough p>
The moment her words landed, a hush rippled through the room, and the team’s earlier confidence visibly sagged.
Brushing the fine dust from her palms, she lifted her gaze and said evenly, “None of you are new to a lab. Every breakthrough is stacked on the backs of countless failures. Nothing meaningful happens overnight—you earn it by understanding what went wrong each time p>
Lately, their string of easy wins had quietly convinced them that progress was supposed to be smooth and guaranteed. That kind of complacency would only sabotage them in the long run.
At the same time, a secretary slipped into an office at the Holt Group headquarters, setting two steaming cups of coffee neatly on the desk.
From behind the polished surface, Eaton glanced at Theo and let out a low, amused chuckle.
“How did you suddenly find time for this today? Shouldn’t you be buried in the lab at this hour p>
“I wasn’t built like a machine—I needed a breather.” Theo’s lips curved into an easy smile as he added, “I figured I’d drop by, talk for a bit, and clear my head p>
Lifting his coffee, he gave it a lazy, careless swirl before asking, “So—did you think about that proposal I brought up last time p>