“What?”
Sebastian was visibly stunned after hearing Tyler’s report. Viper had confessed–he had been acting under someone’s orders. And that someone was
Abel.
Thinking back to Abel, the so–called friend of Yates who first interacted with Caitlin at the restaurant… Could that have been intentional from the beginning?
From the moment Abel appeared, things started going wrong–like the chaos at Yates‘ movie premiere. Was it all orchestrated by him?
Could it be that his real goal had always been to drag Yates down?
Outwardly, Abel had played the role of a caring, loyal friend. When Yates was in trouble, he had appeared helpful and supportive. But now, look the realization was chilling.
After pacing for a moment, Sebastian turned sharply. “Abel was at Yates‘ dinner last night too, wasn’t he?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah, I believe so.”
Only now did Sebastian recall Abel being present at the party, mingling like everyone else. But during that unforgettable moment when Yates knelt to propose to Caitlin–Abel had witnessed everything. Would he use that scene as leverage?
A cold light flickered in Sebastian’s eyes. “Don’t alert him. Keep him under close surveillance. Get solid evidence first.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And monitor the internet. Make sure no gossip about Yates and Caitlin leaks out.”
Sebastian could already imagine the backlash if those clips went public. All the effort Caitlin had put into restoring Yates‘ image would go down the
drain.
People’s judgment alone could bury them both.
“Understood.”
After Tyler left, Sebastian thought for a moment, then picked up his phone and dialed Yates.
The call connected quickly. “Hey?”
“What are you up to?” Sebastian asked.
“I’m heading to the racetrack. Thought I’d take the car for a spin.”
“With who?”
“Abel. We made plans earlier. Haven’t raced in forever–figured I’d get some laps in. You wanna come?”
Sebastian’s heart tightened at the mention of racing. He hadn’t forgotten the time someone sabotaged his car during a race, landing him in a coma with multiple fractures. He’d nearly died.
And now, with Abel’s true intentions exposed, there was no way he’d give that man a shot at hurting his brother.
“I’m coming. Don’t start without me. I haven’t raced in a while either.”
“Awesome, we’ll wait for you.”
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Chapter 483
After hanging up, Sebastian’s expression turned serious. He left the office without another word.
At a private apartment.
Abel was buttoning up his crisp white shirt. After the party last night, he’d spent the night with Zora. Now he was getting ready to leave.
Zora rolled over in bed and looked at him lazily. “Heading out already?”
“I’ve got something important to take care of. I’m meeting Yates for a race.”
There was a cold glint behind Abel’s calm expression, his smirk betraying something far more sinister.
Zora perked up at the mention of Yates. She recalled the videos Abel had shown her. “I’ve been struggling to find a real weakness in Caitlin. The you, I’ve finally got something.
“Yates kneeling to confess his love, hugging her, even kissing her–those clips are gold. If they go public, the two of them will be completely destroyed.
“Don’t release anything yet,” Abel warned. “Wait until I’m done with him. Then you can leak whatever you want.”
He had à plan. Take out Yates first, then vanish. By the time the gossip exploded online, no one would be able to trace it back to him.
“I get it. Strike when it matters most. I’ll hold the blackmail material until the right moment.”
Zora wasn’t stupid. She’d learned that Caitlin, Sebastian, and Yates were all being considered for this year’s Humanitarian of the Year award–and would likely appear at the upcoming ceremony.
Releasing the scandal then would be like dropping a bomb in front of the whole world.
Just thinking about it made her giddy with anticipation.
At New York’s largest racing track.
When Yates arrived, Abel was already there, dressed in
green and white racing suit, standing by his car and adjusting the settings.
“Sorry I’m late. Something came up,” Yates said as he approached, extending his hand for a shake and a quick bro hug.
“No worries. I didn’t wait long,” Abel replied with his usual mild smile.
“I’m gonna go suit up,” Yates said, patting his shoulder.
“Sure.”
Abel gave a friendly wave,
but the moment Yates turned away, his smile vanished–replaced by a chilling smirk.
Soon, Yates returned, looking sharp in his red and white racing suit, practically glowing with energy.
“All set, Abel!”
Racing had always been one of Yates‘ favorite hobbies. He and Sebastian used to frequent the track all the time–until Sebastian’s horrific crash.
Ever since that accident, they hadn’t come back.
“Let’s get started,” Abel said.
“We’ll have to wait a bit,” Yates replied, checking his watch. “Sebastian’s on his way. We’ll race together
2/3
09:22 Mon, 18 Aug
Chapter 483
Abel frowned. “Mr. Vanderbilt’s joining us?”
“Yeah!”
“Didn’t he crash once? And he’s still racing?”
“Yep. But he’s fully recovered now. I’m actually excited to see him back on the track. You have no idea how cool he looks behind the wheel.”
Yates grinned like a true fanboy.
“Oh… well, I look forward to seeing that,” Abel replied, masking his irritation.
Moments later, Yates rolled out his custom race car and parked it on the track. The pit crew began final checks.
Just as they were wrapping up, a deep rumble echoed from the direction of the club’s entrance, drawing everyone’s attention.
Yates looked up and lit up. “That’s Sebastian!”
A silver–and–black race car barreled into the lot like a beast unleashed, kicking up a storm of dust behind it.
The roar of the engine grew louder as it ripped across the asphalt, then executed a perfect drift and came to a flawless stop on the track.
The driver’s door opened.
Out stepped Sebastian in a sleek black–and–white racing suit. His expression was grim, his aura so intense it seemed to crush the air around him.
He looked like a king returning to his domain.
Dominant. Unshakable. Unstoppable.
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