Chapter 1496: Decoy base

Meanwhile...

Jonathan stayed seated in the living area of his villa, his arms resting on his legs, his head hung low. His back trembled as he wiped his eyes.

But then, low and short chuckles escaped him, growing into a wave of laughter.

"Hahaha!" he laughed and laughed, wiping his eyes again. "Ah... that hurt my stomach — pfft—!"

Another round of laughter echoed through the villa. It filled the air, adding an eerie note considering two lovers had just broken up.

Jonathan leaned back comfortably on the couch, shaking his head as a lingering chuckle escaped him.

"Ahh... I could’ve made it in the acting industry." His mouth stretched into a smirk, his voice laced with pride.

"She really is so simple," he mused, thinking of the ever-smart and reserved Cassandra. "Did she really think after everything I’ve done, I’d just let her go that easily?"

Cassandra wasn’t easy to manipulate at first. She had her own issues—big ones. Gaining her trust had taken time, but it was all worth it. Once he broke down the barrier she’d built to protect herself, everything else had come easily.

A few carefully planted comments, a convincing act—just enough for her to pick up on and relate to her own traumas without him needing to spell anything out.

Helping her carry out her plans to drive away Nina, only to steer Finn right toward her...

All of it had been part of his plan.

Everything was designed to make a young, successful, and brilliant woman like Cassandra dim her own light.

"I’ll let you go, just as you wished," he whispered, followed by an amused chuckle. "Though, I hope you don’t blame me when you realize it is I who is letting you live."

Another wave of laughter echoed in the villa—until his phone rang.

He paused, glanced at the screen, and picked it up. "What is it?" he asked sharply.

"Boss, that woman got away."

The smile vanished from Jonathan’s face. "Why am I even surprised? You useless—"

"We almost had her, boss! But then this guy showed up!"

"Who?" Jonathan frowned.

"We’re still figuring that out. We’re pulling up information now."

"Tch." Jonathan clicked his tongue, leaning back. "Did they see you?"

"We don’t think so. But... we missed a shot."

"A shot?" he repeated, his tone sharpening. "Was I not clear when I said to bring her to me alive?!"

"But boss, if we don’t try to weaken her, she’ll keep coming at us! We already tranquilized her—nothing. The bitch is still fighting, and hard. And that guy? He came out of nowhere and went wild. We accidentally shot him, but he still made it to the police station. Our men had to retreat."

Jonathan hissed through his teeth, glaring at his phone. But he didn’t dwell on it.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Send me the file. I want to know who it was."

"We just got it, boss," the man replied. "Sending it now."

DING!

Jonathan checked his phone. There was an attached file—the "evidence" he’d been waiting for. He watched the short clip. Then his breath hitched.

"That..." He clenched his teeth and went back to the call. "Hey. Leave the traces behind."

"What?"

"That’s damn Hugo Bennet!" he roared, gripping the phone tightly. "Just do it, or you’re all dead! I’ll kill you myself before you run your mouths."

He ended the call in frustration. His earlier amusement vanished, replaced by dread. Staring at the paused clip, he swallowed hard.

"It’s alright," he whispered, quickly typing a message to someone else:

[Do it.]

That was all he sent to the private number. He tried to calm himself, arms resting on his legs again. A glint flickered in his eyes.

"Hugo Bennet..." he whispered, narrowing his gaze. "Why is he with the head of Homeland Security?"

A storm of thoughts whirled in his mind. This wouldn’t end well. Once this reached Penny’s ears, she wouldn’t sit still. And Penny was the least of his concerns.

Who truly worried him... was Zoren.

"He wouldn’t... do anything, would he?" Jonathan wondered aloud. "Him knowing about the past is still a massive question mark."

Not long ago, Zoren had hinted at remembering their first life. But Jonathan wasn’t a fool. Zoren might just be playing along with Dean’s childish act and going with the flow at Pierson Corporation—but Jonathan had seen enough.

Despite his busy schedule, Jonathan paid attention. Especially to Zoren.

Aside from what Zoren had said in that parking lot, there was no sign he remembered their first life. Jonathan leaned toward the idea that Penny must’ve told him. How Penny knew despite being dead when she got married was a give away.

Finn and Penny had been meeting often lately.

It wouldn’t be surprising if they’d exchanged information. Still, Jonathan wasn’t overly concerned—Penny didn’t know all the crucial details. She’d been in prison.

And Finn? He had died too early to know what happened afterward.

"This is a good opportunity," he told himself, nodding. "Let’s see if Zoren Pierson... will act."

If he didn’t, Jonathan was eager to see who would.

After all, he had a different plan.

Bzt...

His phone vibrated again. Recognizing the contact, he picked up without hesitation.

"Boss..." It was the same voice from earlier—this time tinged with horror.

Jonathan instinctively held his breath. "What?"

"Our decoy base..." The man trailed off, eyes wide as he stared into the distance. "...It’s on fire."

From a redevelopment area nearby, the man watched as flames devoured the old building. The fire was big enough to lit up the night. Firefighters scrambled to control it, police officers cordoning off the area.

Jonathan’s breath hitched.

That’s fast, he thought, gulping. Who... who’s behind it?

Penny?

Zoren?

Someone else?

Either way, he didn’t linger on the thought.

"Get out of there," he ordered under his breath. "And lay low."

"Yes—huh?" The man turned to leave, but paused. Something was in his hoodie pocket.

He pulled it out and frowned deeply. "Boss..."

"What now?"

"They... they know it’s a decoy base," the man whispered, frozen in place as he read the note in his hand.

He didn’t know how it got there, but whoever left it clearly knew he was involved.

"They left me a note. It says: Next time, they’ll burn the real base—with everyone in it."

The man looked around in panic. But no one nearby seemed suspicious—just firefighters and police.

"Just get out of there," Jonathan snapped. "Now."

"Yes, sir."