Chapter 296

Chapter 296:

Alexander’s face hardened. “You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.” Stefan had never been more certain of anything in his life. “Rose is making her move tonight.”

Without hesitation, Alexander tapped his earpiece. “Jason, potential explosives in the building. Lock down all service areas immediately. Full sweep, starting with support columns and infrastructure.” He turned back to Stefan. “Where exactly did you see this?”

Stefan described the location, watching as Alexander relayed the information to his security team. Within moments, dark-suited men were discreetly moving toward service doors around the ballroom perimeter.

“We need to evacuate,” Stefan said.

Alexander shook his head. “Not yet. If we cause a panic, Rose wins. We need to find the devices first, confirm they’re real.” He checked his watch. “Camille is about to give her keynote speech. Keep this quiet until we know more.”

“And if they are real?” Stefan pressed.

“Then we have evacuation protocols ready.” Alexander’s expression was grim. “Thank you for the alert. Stay close in case you recognize anyone else suspicious.”

Alexander moved back into the crowd, his posture casual but his movements purposeful. Stefan watched him gather his security team leaders for quiet instructions, all while maintaining the appearance that nothing was wrong.

On the stage, the master of ceremonies approached the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back to the stage the Executive Director of the Phoenix Foundation, Ms. Camille Kane, who will deliver tonight’s keynote address.”

Rose and Mikhail met in the basement corridor as planned. His face showed satisfaction—he had placed all three devices successfully.

“Any problems?” Rose asked.

“None.” His thick accent wrapped around the word. “All set for the big boom.”

Rose checked her watch. “Thirty-four minutes until detonation. We need to be well clear.”

She handed him the security guard’s radio. “Keep this. We’ll know if they discover the devices.”

As they turned toward the service exit, the radio crackled to life. “All security personnel. Code Bravo. Repeat, Code Bravo. Immediate sweep of all service areas. Potential suspicious packages.”

Rose and Mikhail exchanged alarmed looks. Someone had spotted them.

“We go now,” Mikhail said urgently. “Different exits.”

Rose nodded. “Meet at the backup location in one hour.”

She could hear footsteps coming from multiple directions now. Security would have every exit covered soon.

“What about the devices?” Mikhail asked.

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