Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Bzzzz
The drive back to Harrison’s main headquarters was completely silent.
The SUV moved smoothly through the downtown traffic, passing the bright city lights before pulling into the secure underground garage.
When the elevator doors opened into the executive floor, the tense, suffocating atmosphere from the safe house finally relaxed a little bit.
The office was quiet, and the familiar scent of clean air and coffee helped ground Julius’s racing mind.
Julius walked over to the side of the room, taking a deep breath as he looked out at the city.
He rubbed his tired face with both hands, trying to shake off the exhaustion.
Then, he turned around to face the tall man standing by the large desk.
"Harrison," Julius said, his voice steady. "I want to return to work today."
Harrison stopped removing his dark jacket.
His hand froze on the front of his shirt, and his dark eyes narrowed instantly as he looked across the room. "No. You are staying here where I can see you."
"Harrison, please listen to me," Julius said, taking a few steps closer.
He didn’t want to fight, but he needed to be firm. "I have already left my company unattended for too long. I cannot continue hiding in dark rooms forever. The employees need their manager, and the accounts need to be signed."
Harrison tossed his jacket onto a nearby chair, his large frame looking completely imposing.
"There is a shadow group tracking your every move, Julius. They just sent a threat to your personal phone. Going back to your office is a terrible idea."
"I built that company with my own hands," Julius argued, his chest rising and falling as his emotions pushed through.
"I worked day and night to keep it afloat after everything fell apart. I can’t just abandon it because things are getting scary. If I stop living my life, then Arthur and whoever sent that text have already won."
Harrison remained completely silent.
He walked behind his desk, leaning his hands on the table, staring down at the floor.
Everywhere became silent, no word was said.
Julius took a soft breath and stepped even closer, until he was standing right across from the desk.
He softened his voice, letting his defenses down completely.
"I know I’ve made mistakes," Julius whispered, looking directly into Harrison’s dark eyes. "I know I’ve put myself in danger, and I know it drives you crazy. But trust me one more time, Harrison. Please."
Harrison closed his eyes for a brief second.
When he opened them, the coldness had melted into a look of deep, protective frustration.
He let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Fine," Harrison finally agreed, his voice a low rumble. "But only because I know arguing with you is completely impossible."
A small, genuine smile broke across Julius’s face.
The relief was visible in his posture. "Thank you. I’m going to go to the washroom and change into some clean clothes before I head out."
Harrison nodded quietly, watching Julius walk out of the main office.
The moment the door clicked shut behind Julius, Anna immediately stepped forward from the corner of the room.
She had been standing by the wall, and her face was full of deep concern.
"Sir, are you really letting him go?" Anna asked quickly, her voice tight. "The safe house was just compromised. Letting him walk into a public office building right now is incredibly dangerous."
Harrison slowly raised an eyebrow, a cold, mocking look crossing his face. "Do you honestly think I am an idiot, Anna?"
Without waiting for her reply, Harrison reached into his pocket, pulled out his secure phone, and hit a speed-dial button.
He placed the phone to his ear, waiting for two seconds before a rough voice answered on the other end.
"Daniel," Harrison spoke into the line, his tone full of authority. "Deploy fifteen guards right now. I want eyes on Julius every single second he is away from this building."
On the other side of the city, sitting in the underground medical room, Daniel adjusted his phone against his ear. "Do you want him to know they are there, boss?"
"No," Harrison commanded. "He doesn’t need to know anything about it. Keep them completely hidden in the background. If a single fly lands on him, I want a full report on my desk within a minute. Keep him safe."
"Consider it done," Daniel replied seriously. "My best tracker teams are already moving to his office perimeter."
Harrison ended the call and tossed the phone onto the desk.
He looked back up at Anna, who was standing there holding a folder in her hands.
"Is there something else?" Harrison asked.
Anna bit her lower lip, looking uncomfortable. "Sir... there is another issue from our holding facility."
"What is it?"
"The men guarding Helen and her father just sent a report," Anna explained, looking down at her screen. "They said the father’s medical condition is getting much worse. He is extremely sick, Harrison. The guards aren’t sure his body can survive much longer under the strain."
Harrison leaned back in his large chair, his fingers tapping slowly against the armrest as he thought about the situation.
If the old man died while locked up in one of his private facilities, it would draw unnecessary police attention and create a massive mess that Arthur could use against them.
"Release them," Harrison said calmly.
Anna’s eyes widened in surprise. "Sir? What if they go talking to Arthur’s lawyers?"
"If he dies in our custody, it becomes a major problem we do not need right now," Harrison reasoned, his voice flat.
"Release both of them today. Let them go back to their own house. When the time comes and we have the drive, we will deal with them properly and legally. For now, let them be someone else’s burden."
Anna nodded slowly, her fingers moving quickly across her screen to send the release order to the guards. "Understood. I will have the transport team drop them off at the local hospital."
Once the order was sent, Anna didn’t leave the room.
She stood by the edge of the desk, her fingers tightly gripping the sides of her folder.
For a brief moment, she looked unusually nervous, her eyes darting away from Harrison’s face.
"Sir... about the drive..." Anna started, her voice dropping into a hesitant whisper.
Harrison slowly lifted his eyes, his gaze instantly turning sharp and intense. "What about it?"
Anna cleared her throat, trying to keep her composure. "When we finally find it... are you really planning to hand all the evidence over to the authorities? Everything inside it?"
The entire office became completely quiet.
The room went still, with just the low hum of the air conditioning in the background.
Harrison studied her facial expression very carefully.
Anna had been with his team for a long time, and she rarely questioned his long-term goals, especially not with this kind of nervous hesitation.
"Why are you asking that, Anna?" Harrison asked, his voice smooth but dangerous.
Anna quickly shook her head, a small, forced smile appearing on her face as she took a half-step back. "No real reason, sir. I was just thinking about the timeline. Whoever sent that anonymous text message wants the drive badly. If we give it to the police, that shadow group might make us targets forever out of revenge."
Harrison didn’t respond to her explanation.
He just kept his dark eyes locked on her, letting the silence grow heavy.
Before he could question her further, the phone on his desk gave a sharp, loud vibration.
Bzzzz.
A message flashed on the screen.
Harrison reached out and picked up the device.
The moment his eyes scanned the short sentence on the screen, his jaw dropped, and his eyes widened in pure astonishment.
For the first time in a very long time, genuine shock was written all over Harrison’s face.
Anna immediately noticed the sudden change in his posture.
She stepped closer to the desk, her own face turning tense. "Sir... what happened? What does it say?"
Harrison slowly lowered the phone, his hand trembling just a fraction before his fingers tightened into a hard fist.
When he spoke, his voice was completely cold, stripping all the warmth from the room.
"They found something."
