Chapter 668
Chapter 668:
The people of Staville, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing above their heads, had narrowly escaped disaster. The threat was now nothing more than a shadow that had faded away with the dawn. For the everyday citizens, this hidden menace had seemed little more than a faint whisper, unlikely to touch their lives. But had Fraser’s plan succeeded, it would have been a catastrophe for Staville’s leaders—a nightmare in broad daylight.
With the threat snuffed out, Staville’s senior officials arranged a small yet significant celebration, inviting Ashton to join them in marking this victory. Despite the banquet’s modest scale, it drew all of Staville’s senior officials, including the mayor and council members who hadn’t been part of the arrest operation. Aware of the esteemed gathering, Ashton couldn’t refuse the invitation.
At the banquet, Ashton became the focus of attention, the man of the hour. Officials swarmed around him as soon as he stepped in, one after another expressing their gratitude with heartfelt admiration.
“Mr. Baldwin, we owe you a debt of gratitude! If not for your swift action, we might not be here toasting this triumph tonight!”
“I regret that I couldn’t be more help, but please remember, Mr. Baldwin, if you ever find yourself in a tight spot here in Staville, I’ll do everything I can to support you!”
Ashton responded to each thanks with a courteous, though slightly distant, smile.
Alisha, who was also invited in recognition of her role in the mission, noticed a subtle weariness behind his smile. Once the crowd dispersed and people began mingling, Alisha seized the moment and approached Ashton, tapping him on the shoulder.
“Hey! Got a free minute now?” she asked, grinning.
Ashton raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you followed me!” In truth, he’d already seen her arrive but hadn’t had the chance to greet her amid the crowd, so he played along.
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With a roll of her eyes, Alisha quipped, “I did my part, you know, just not as much as you did. Anyway, no one’s greeting you now, and I’m bored to death. Want to go for a walk outside?”
Sensing that Alisha had picked up on his unease, Ashton nodded, and they slipped out of the hall together, stepping into the quiet night outside the hotel.
Since the banquet had brought in Staville’s elite, the hotel grounds had been closed to the public, leaving the area silent and still.
Once they were alone, Alisha finally spoke her mind. “Hey, Ashton, are you still upset about Fraser slipping through your fingers the other day?”
Ashton let out a sigh, nodding. “It’s not just Fraser. There’s also Red Jack—he’s like a ghost haunting my steps. He knows he can’t take me on directly, so he keeps targeting those close to me, trying to rattle my resolve. If he keeps this up, he might actually pull something off. So, while I managed to spoil Fraser’s plot, both he and Red Jack got away. To me, it’s still a bitter loss.”
Alisha chuckled softly and said, “But everyone’s safe now, thanks to you! Isn’t that a victory in itself?”
Ashton’s gaze dropped, and he murmured, “But I didn’t catch Fraser or Red Jack.”
She gave him a gentle shake of the head. “There will be time to think about that later. You succeeded here and now. Even if you did catch them, you’d just start worrying about the next threat looming over the horizon. Why make it harder than it has to be?”
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