Chapter 551

Chapter 551:

The only person unperturbed was Egan, head of the Marquez family, whose face betrayed no emotion.

When he entered the hall, Ashton’s gaze quickly met Egan’s, then shifted to the large cake at the center. He moved toward it, a sense of alarm growing within him.

Earlier, during the celebration, the noise from the crowd had drowned out any possible warning signs.

Now, standing close to the cake, Ashton’s sharp hearing detected a soft, rhythmic ticking—a sound akin to a clock’s. A cold shiver ran through Ashton; his fears seemed justified. The cake wasn’t just poisoned—it could also be hiding a powerful bomb.

Even Ashton, who had faced countless crises, became serious at the thought.

How had this deadly device made it into the banquet hall? The event was the police director’s birthday celebration, with tight security and careful police supervision.

Each item had been supposed to pass through a thorough police check before entry. How, then, had such a dangerous object been smuggled in?

What baffled Ashton the most was why the bomb hadn’t detonated yet. Earlier, with so many key figures from Staville gathered around the cake, a detonation could have wreaked havoc on the city’s leadership.

Even with such a perfect opportunity, the bomb remained inactive. Was it possible the culprit was waiting for just the right moment?

Egan, blending into the back of the crowd, kept a watchful eye on Ashton from afar.

He noticed Ashton’s confusion and allowed a sly smile to form, hidden from view.

Indeed, Egan was biding his time, looking to cast the blame squarely on Ashton’s shoulders.

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Fraser had given strict instructions: the bomb should only explode when Ashton made contact with the cake.

With each step, Ashton drew nearer to the cake.

Suddenly, Ashton sensed something was off. He remembered that Egan’s group had earlier proposed that he and Rayden should cut the cake together.

That plan had been interrupted by Luther, preventing Ashton from touching the cake at all.

This delay suggested the plot required his direct contact with the cake.

Realizing this, Ashton swiftly turned to locate Egan, who had now slipped further back into the crowd.

This movement from Egan could mean only one thing: he was about to act.

Ashton’s guess was correct. An ominous glint flashed in Egan’s eye when he saw Ashton’s hand approach the cake, signaling his readiness to trigger the bomb.

If the bomb went off, it would likely kill or injure everyone present, including Egan, and definitely Ashton, who was standing right next to the cake.

Once the chaos unfolded into a terror attack, Egan planned to use the spies the Dark Night Organization had planted in the government to ensure all blame fell on Ashton.

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