Chapter 108: Chapter 108 Heading To Battle Without A Plan

Feeling the pressure inside the office rise sharply, the special assistant felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in his throat before continuing his report carefully.

"No, sir... but after searching through the forest, the investigators used tracking dogs and managed to uncover a few clues," he said cautiously. "They found a large, bloodied rock near the edge of a steep cliff."

"After running tests, the blood was confirmed to belong to the missing girl, Clarissa. The investigators concluded that the abductor may have used the rock to strike her in the head in order to neutralize her before taking her away... there was a significant amount of blood at the scene..."

Before he could even finish speaking—

Smack!

Apollo’s palm slammed heavily against the desk, the sharp sound echoing violently throughout the office. The special assistant instantly fell silent, not daring to utter another word.

Apollo’s expression darkened terribly as anger surged uncontrollably inside him. Even the missing girl, Clarissa, had left behind traces, evidence that allowed investigators to piece together speculations and deductions about what had happened to her.

Yet Ashley... Ashley had absolutely nothing. No traces. No clues. No existence. It was as if she had been completely erased from the world before appearing in front of them. The more Apollo thought about it, the more suffocating the frustration inside him became.

And judging from the terrifying pressure radiating from his body, the special assistant knew exactly why Apollo was furious at this moment.

"Leave..." Apollo ordered in a low, raspy voice, his hand slowly curling into a tight fist.

The special assistant immediately moved without hesitation. He carefully placed the thin folder containing his findings on the edge of the desk before pushing it closer toward Apollo.

However, just as he was about to turn away, his eyes landed on the spot where Apollo had slammed his palm earlier.

Cracks had spread across the surface of the solid desk.

The assistant’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at the fractured wood, the damage looking as though the entire desk might split apart at any moment under Apollo’s sheer strength.

A chill instantly ran down his spine, and fear crept through his entire body. He quickly lowered his head and hurried out of the office as if something terrifying was chasing after him.

Even so, he did not forget his duties. The moment he stepped outside, he immediately made a call to arrange for the replacement of Apollo’s office desk. After all, this was far from the first time such a thing had happened.

Despite that, he still could not fully get used to witnessing it. Fortunately, the company had long prepared several replacement desks and office furniture in storage specifically for situations when Apollo lost his temper and accidentally destroyed the appliances in his office.

After his special assistant left, Apollo leaned heavily against his leather chair and slowly turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window behind him. His sharp gaze rested on the bustling city below, yet his mind was clearly elsewhere.

Countless thoughts churned inside his head, causing his emotions to fluctuate violently like a roller coaster. Frustration, anger, helplessness, and worry tangled together inside him, making the atmosphere around him unusually oppressive.

「Meanwhile, back on Ashlye’s side...」

Ashley and Gage had already arrived at the hotel and were currently inside Ashley’s room. Gage stood near the small table, looking at her expectantly as he tried to ask for their itinerary and plans moving forward.

"Huh? I didn’t prepare one..." Ashley answered honestly, blinking at her brother with a blank and innocent expression.

For a moment, silence filled the room. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After all, Ashley had never intended to strictly follow a detailed plan from the start. They were simply going with the flow and reacting according to whatever situation arose. There was no exact script or arrangement prepared beforehand.

However, hearing her answer caused Gage’s eye to twitch slightly. A deep sense of helplessness suddenly washed over him as he stared at his sister.

"You didn’t prepare one?" Gage asked, unable to hide the confusion in his voice as he looked at Ashley. "I thought you already had a way to help our eldest brother?"

"Well, I said I have a way, but that doesn’t mean I already have a concrete plan," Ashley replied matter-of-factly, sounding far calmer than he was.

She casually sat down on the sofa, completely unbothered by the situation. "I still need to find a way to get into their circle first before I can even attempt to negotiate with them."

Hearing her explanation made Gage stare at her speechlessly for a moment. The confidence she carried earlier had made him believe she had already arranged everything step by step in her mind.

Yet now, he realized Ashley was simply adapting to circumstances as they came, relying entirely on her instincts and ability to respond on the spot. Somehow, that both impressed and worried him at the same time.

Looking at his serious-looking sister, Gage honestly did not know whether he should laugh or cry anymore. It was painfully obvious now that he had been completely led around by the nose by Ashley from the very beginning, yet the most unbelievable part was that he still had no idea where all of her confidence was even coming from.

Despite having no actual plan prepared, she still acted as though everything was already under control, and somehow, he had unconsciously followed along with her pace.

"Then what do you plan to do first?" Gage finally asked, lifting a hand to massage his aching temple as a wave of helplessness washed over him.

"Hmmm..." Ashley hummed thoughtfully before straightening her posture slightly. "First, I have to set some rules between us."

She spoke with an unusually serious expression, her clear eyes filled with sincerity as she looked directly at him. However, instead of becoming nervous, Gage merely felt even more helpless inside.

After all, no matter how serious Ashley looked right now, in his eyes, she was still just a young woman. What kind of outrageous demand could she possibly make? Because of that, although he nodded along, he did not truly take her words too seriously.

Seeing him nod in agreement, Ashley’s grin instantly widened, looking far too pleased with herself. "Alright, first," she began while raising a finger, "you just quietly follow me around, and you are absolutely not allowed to become a hindrance."

Hearing that, Gage immediately felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Somehow, her words made it sound as though he was nothing more than dead weight dragging her down. Still, he chose not to interrupt and simply waited for her to continue speaking.

"Second, you can only follow my commands," Ashley continued with a serious expression. "And third... no matter what you see, you are not allowed to ask questions."

This time, Gage’s brows twitched slightly.

Ashley, however, remained completely calm as she laid out her conditions. Truthfully, if she had been given a choice before leaving, she would have preferred bringing the bodyguards instead of her brother.

At the very least, trained bodyguards were much easier to manage. If she ordered them to stay quiet, remain low-profile, and avoid asking unnecessary questions, they would obediently follow her instructions as long as her safety was guaranteed.