Chapter 600: Finding Reese

Nearby, Blake, who had been listening, cleared his throat and quickly called someone, telling them to pull back.

But Blake wasn’t clueless. He had planned the whole thing. He wanted to see how Bianca would react, to find out if she knew where Reese was or if she was hiding something.

Seeing how calm Bianca stayed, he figured she didn’t know anything. At least, not yet.

“Blake’s right next to me. He’s already called his team, so they should be leaving soon,” Bianca said smoothly, knowing he could hear her. “Reese should be okay, but we still haven’t found her. If she shows up at the office, let me know right away.”

“Got it. I’ll ask Brandon to help. He’s got connections.”

Diana glanced at Brandon, who was lounging nearby.

“Brandon! Stop wasting time and get moving!”

His lazy voice came through the phone. “Yeah, yeah, I’m on it. But really, what’s the big deal? Didn’t Reese tweet something? The internet’s always blowing things out of proportion. People are crazy.”

“Bianca, he’s on it. I’ll keep you updated,” Diana said casually, as if it was nothing, ignoring how she used to get annoyed just being around Brandon.

Funny enough, Brandon wasn’t her employee; he was the client. Yet here he was, doing what she told him without a word of complaint.

“Thanks. Stay in touch,” Bianca said, then ended the call just as Blake wrapped up his own.

“It’s handled,” she told him first.

Blake gave a small nod and ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake off the stress. “I heard. Thanks. And… sorry. I already gave the manager an earful, but they’re feeling the heat. Half the guests threatened to check out this morning.”

“It’s fine. Comes with the job,” Bianca replied, then tilted her head, finally voicing the thought that had been bothering her. “Blake, Reese getting drunk isn’t really a big deal. But somehow it’s turned into this huge mess. Don’t you think that’s... strange?”

Blake shifted uncontrollably, and a flicker of anxiety crossed his face before he quickly pushed it down. “It’s the media. Always chasing clicks. I’m looking into it too. Honestly, I was just as surprised as you when the reporters showed up this morning. Someone’s behind this.”

Someone. But who?

Bianca didn’t question him. To her, Blake was still the same kind-hearted boy she’d known for years. The one who always wore his heart on his sleeve. But the rumors she’d been hearing lately kept creeping into her mind.

“Blake… have you made any enemies recently?”

The question hung in the air.

For weeks, business circles in Edenfield had been buzzing. People were saying Blake had used harsh tactics to take control of the Lawson Group. He forced out shareholders who didn’t agree with him.

Bianca didn’t want to believe it. That wasn’t the Blake she knew.

“Everyone’s talking about the Lawson Group’s party,” she said. “With someone like Brenda McGee from Universal Pictures there, it almost feels planned. Like someone wanted a scandal. Whoever did this clearly wants to hurt the Lawson Group.”

Blake’s jaw tightened. A bitter smile flickered on his lips before he quickly hid it. This was his own plan. He had set it up to damage Dave’s image and hurt Phoenix Entertainment. But it had backfired, and now the Lawson Hotel was taking the hit.

If his uncles weren’t already on his side, they’d be tearing him apart for this. They’d say it was reckless to host the party at the hotel without tighter security.

“Yes, it’s definitely malicious,” he said. “I handled every part of that party myself, and still, this happened. The backlash is going to be brutal. My family won’t let it go. You said you’d help me, Bianca. I’m still learning the ropes here. This mess could ruin everything.”

He let out a long sigh. He couldn’t tell her the truth. All he could do was take the blame and make it seem like someone else had set him up. Maybe someone inside the Lawson Group didn’t want him in charge.

“I’ve just taken over. A lot of people aren’t happy about it. I wouldn't be shocked if one of them planned everything to make me look bad.”

Bianca nodded. She had always felt that Blake’s takeover of the Lawson Group went too smoothly.

Years of experience taught her to look deeper, especially when it came to Dave’s second uncle, Rupert, who was ruthless when it came to power. He would do anything to get what he wanted.

If it weren’t for the solid bond she had with Dave, she might have ended up as just another piece in Rupert’s game. Even Lucas had been caught in one of his traps.

Fighting within the family businesses was bound to happen sooner or later.

“Now that I see it this way, it all starts to make sense. But the other side’s moves aren’t exactly clever. They tried to drag Dave’s name through the mud first, and that didn’t work. Now they’re using online rumors and dragging Reese into it, hoping to cause trouble between the Evans Group and the Lawson Group. It’s obvious they’re targeting you, the new CEO.”

Her tone softened with concern. “Dave’s been through this kind of thing before. Maybe you should talk to him. He might have some advice.”

Blake’s face tightened. Frustration and regret burden him. He had been confident, too confident. And now he realized how badly he’d misjudged things.

“My dad’s brothers have always treated me well. Or at least, they acted like it. I honestly don’t know who’s doing this.”

Not wanting to stay on the topic, Blake shifted his focus back to Reese.

“We need to find her fast. We can’t let this drag on,” Blake said, his fists clenched. “I have to know who’s behind all of this.”

Meanwhile, in the Sapphire Hotel suite, the towel had finally been taken off Reese’s mouth.

Dave stood between Wyatt and Zane, both of them were silent and alert. Outside the door, secret bodyguards stayed on high alert.

Wyatt was still trying to process Zane’s sudden return. He was happy to see him but kept his questions to himself. There were more important things to deal with right now.

The suite was locked down, and no one was allowed to come.

Reese sat stiffly, nervous, and her eyes stared back at Dave, who sat across from her. She used to have no hard feelings toward him. But after hearing about Blake, all she could see was someone fake, a wolf in disguise.

Without Bianca there to calm her, her heart pounded. Fear crept higher with each second. She had no idea what Dave was planning, but she was sure of one thing: he wasn’t going to let her go that easily. The thought made her shiver. Her hands shook.