Chapter 300
The car left Jinston and hit the highway. After a four-hour drive, they reached the resort in Gioriham. By noon, the car pulled up outside the resort. The resort boasted a vast expanse of meticulously landscaped grounds.
Fountains and swimming pools were artfully arranged amidst blooming flowers, with mountains, water features, and woods blending in perfect harmony. The entire place radiated refined elegance.
Zinnia and Maisie got out of the car first, while Nathan and Emily followed to help with their luggage.
“Ms. Jenkins, Ms. Moore, please come inside. Lunch is ready for you,” the resort manager came out to greet them, leading a team of staff members.
The resort had been cleared out exclusively for Maisie and Zinnia’s visit. Hidden among the crowd, someone’s eyes flashed with murderous intent as Zinnia and the others approached.
In that instant, Zinnia felt the gaze of a venomous snake upon her. Yet her expression remained perfectly calm.
Without missing a beat, Maisie quietly moved closer and linked arms with her, silently comforting Zinnia.
Zinnia and Maisie walked ahead. Nathan, Emily, and Stephen trailed behind them, blending in as their entourage. From the shadows, someone watched them enter.
“This resort is vast and secluded, with woods at the back—perfect for our plan. Once it’s done, we slip away through the forest,” the scar-faced man tapped his earpiece and relayed the intel.
Maisie halted abruptly.
“Is something wrong?” the manager asked nervously.
“You don’t need to follow us. Go prepare our rooms.” Maisie turned to look at Nathan, Emily, and Stephen.
“Understood,” the three replied in unison.
A staff member then escorted them to their rooms. A man, blending in with the staff crowd, narrowed his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the person in the middle of the trio. Instinctively, he started to follow.
“Zamir, Ms. Jenkins and Ms. Moore are already leaving. Get moving. These two are VIPs. What’s up with you today? You’ve been zoning out all morning. If the manager catches you, do you still want this job or not?" a colleague called out, stopping him in his tracks.
Zamir frowned, glancing between the group that had followed the staff around the corner and the two girls ahead.
His gaze locked onto Zinnia as he thought, "As long as Zinnia is here, if that man really is Nathan, he won’t leave."
The resort staff escorted Zinnia and Maisie into the private dining room that had been prepared in advance.
Upon entering the room, Maisie gently pulled Zinnia down into a seat beside her and then gracefully waved off the respectfully waiting manager and staff. “You may leave now. We’ll dine by ourselves.”
“Understood,” the manager replied respectfully before leading the staff out.
The man lingering at the rear moved with deliberate slowness and hunched slightly as he carefully closed the private room door behind him. Through the closing door, he could still hear Zinnia’s voice from inside.
“Wow, there’s so much delicious food, Marsie. I’ve been studying at home every day lately, and I feel like my brain’s turning to mush,” Zinnia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight as she looked at the table full of fragrant dishes.
Maisie chuckled, “Hang in there. All this hard work now is for your future success. Study hard, and soon you’ll be carrying me to victory — restore your injured weak back and let you do all the work."
Hearing the two inside babble like idiots, Zamir curled his lips in a mocking sneer.
Just like Donald said, 'brains of rocks, only care about food,’ he thought. ‘Total airheads. Won’t even need to break a sweat dealing with them.'
'She hadn’t left the house for a while. We figured she must’ve noticed us and was deliberately keeping her distance. Turns out, all this time, she was just off studying. Nothing matters more than hitting the books. How kiddish!'
Zamir immediately felt the pressure melt away.
The door clicked shut behind him, and Zamir lost all interest in whatever the two girls inside were saying. He turned away, scanning the wide lobby where security guards patrolled in crisscross patterns, and then slipped into the restroom to avoid being seen.
With a sneer, Zamir spoke into his earpiece, “Boss, the two girls look brain-dead—just a couple of book-dumb kids. Zinnia’s been holed up at home this whole time, probably just cramming for exams. Looks like this job’s easier than we figured.”
“Stay sharp. Zinnia was trained by Nathan—she’s bound to have some tricks up her sleeve,” Jerry’s icy warning crackled in the earpiece.
“What about Nathan? You must keep close tabs on him,” Jerry snapped before Zamir could respond. “Those two girls are no threat, but if Nathan’s with them, we’ll need to be extra careful with this job.”
Zamir pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a slow drag.
He muttered into his earpiece, “Boss, I just got a good look at that guy. He’s nothing like Nathan—not the face, not the demeanor, not even the build. Just some regular guy. Maybe we got the wrong guy?”
Zamir frowned deeply as he recalled the man he’d just seen.
That guy wore an ordinary gray suit and had an equally plain face—decent-looking, perhaps, but nowhere near Nathan’s breathtaking handsomeness. Nor did he have even a hint of that noble, icy demeanor Nathan was known for, and his build was just average.
“You idiot!” Jerry snapped. “When will you get it through your thick skull? Do you really think Nathan would just tell you his identity? The fact that nothing about him matches is exactly what makes it suspicious.”
Jerry was furious on the other end of the line. He cursed inwardly, 'Damn, how do I end up with such an idiot under me? Zamir’s completely brainless. If he wasn’t so damn fluent in Laystoland language, I’d never have planted him in the resort.’
Zamir shot back defiantly, “Boss, with Nathan’s status, he’d take orders from anyone? Why would someone like him even bother disguising himself just to throw us off?”
Zamir thought from his own perspective and didn’t believe Nathan’d ever stoop to taking orders from anyone.
“Just keep tabs on them and report back to us. Don’t get involved in anything else. This afternoon, find a way to lure them up the mountain—then we strike.” Jerry’s voice turned chillingly vicious—he was completely done with this idiot.
'If it weren’t for the fact that only these damn idiots managed to escape, I’d never be stuck working with them,' Jerry cursed inside.
If those guys hadn’t been out on assignment and dodged that inferno, they’d all be roasted corpses in that blaze too.
After the door of the private dining room clicked shut, a hidden door inside slid open, revealing Nathan.
Now that the outsiders were gone, Nathan no longer needed to hide his true self. Even with an unremarkable face, he radiated a quiet, commanding presence—his noble, icy aura impossible to disguise. He strode over and took a seat beside Zinnia.
Zinnia greeted him, and then Maisie said, “Nathan, someone has infiltrated the resort. Looks like they’re planning to make their move against us here.”
Nathan gave a slight nod. “Yeah, they won’t make their move this afternoon. Most likely tonight. We’ll spend the night here and finish them.”