Yale's breathing hitched. "I remember the case. It shocked the whole nation when the heir to the Lonsdale empire died in a car crash. But the police ruled it a traffic accident. What does that have to do with me? I really don't follow."
He stared intensely at X's specialized mask. "Why do you keep asking about this over and over again?"
"Stop talking! Stop talking!"
Joanna, limping on a sprained ankle, finally caught up. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and she was out of her mind with terror. She grabbed Baldwin's arm and wailed, "We have to leave! Baldwin! We have to go now!"
Seeing her manic state, Baldwin was caught completely off guard. He grabbed her arms. "What's wrong? Why are you panicking like this? Pull yourself together!"
"The live stream... they're live-streaming! A global broadcast!"
Joanna's voice pitched into a shrill, unrecognizable shriek. Her fingers dug viciously into Baldwin's arm as she trembled like a leaf in a hurricane. "My phone! It popped up on my phone! You... you're both on it! The whole world is watching!"
Her words detonated like a bomb in the dead silence of the cavern.
The blood instantly drained from Baldwin's face. His mind went entirely blank, leaving only a deafening ringing in his ears.
He rigidly scanned the cavern walls, noting the seemingly natural rock formations, the inconspicuous bumps in the corners, and the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
A bone-deep chill shot up from the soles of his feet and flooded his entire body!
Baldwin turned to X, his voice trembling with sheer terror. "This... this is a joke, right?"
He would rather believe Joanna had lost her mind than accept that his treasonous groveling had just been broadcast to the entire world!
The moment Joanna screamed 'live stream,' Yale's pupils shrank to pinpricks. A torrent of utter dread and absolute, humiliated rage surged straight to his head!
No! This was never a negotiation! From the very beginning, this was a trap!
"A live broadcast?! How does this benefit you?! You had a massive fortune right in front of you! Why would you throw it away?! Can the government really give you a better deal?!" Yale's body shook violently with fury and fear. He simply couldn't comprehend why X would choose a mutually destructive tactic that exposed both sides.
Faced with his fury, X remained perfectly calm. She raised a hand. Long, pale fingers gripped the edge of the cold metal mask and slowly lifted it away from her face.
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