At this point, he felt like a soldier running low on ammunition. If Gideon decided to keep talking, he wasn’t sure he had enough bullets left to shoot down every argument the man would throw his way.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the same bodyguards who had guarded them in the room earlier emerged from the building. A black car soon rolled out from around the corner, and one of the bodyguards stepped forward to open the door for them.

Ashley, Gage, and the others got in, and shortly afterward, another vehicle pulled up. The remaining bodyguards boarded it, clearly forming an escort convoy.

So this was what Mr. Lowe meant by sending them to their destination.

Whether he was genuinely looking after them or discreetly keeping an eye on them, Ashley couldn’t tell. In the end, she decided not to dwell on it. After all, the moment she sat down and started discussing business with Mr. Lowe, she had already placed half her neck on his chopping block.

If he truly meant her harm, there was little she could do about it now. Regretting it at this point would be pointless.

However, once she stopped worrying about Mr. Lowe, she quickly became aware of a far more immediate problem.

She was sandwiched between Gage and Gideon in the back seat.

Gideon’s assistant occupied the passenger seat, while one of Mr. Lowe’s men took the wheel. Although Gage no longer seemed angry with her, the oppressive aura radiating from Gideon beside her was impossible to ignore.

Ashley swore she could feel every hair on her body standing on end.

The atmosphere inside the car grew increasingly suffocating with each passing second. It felt as though the temperature had dropped several degrees, and even breathing became a little difficult.

The worst part was that she had absolutely no idea what Gideon was upset about, much less what she could say to break the awkward silence hanging over them.

As if he could read Ashley’s mind, Gage silently pulled out his phone instead of speaking. He opened their chat window and quickly typed a message.

"Don’t mind him. He’s always like this. Maybe he’s reached menopause ahead of schedule."

A second later, a sticker popped up beneath the text, a grumpy-looking wolf sitting stiffly while someone patted its head.

Gage had started collecting wolf stickers after noticing how often Ashley used them. At first, it was merely to make their conversations more lively, but before he knew it, he had accumulated an entire folder dedicated to wolves.

Feeling her phone vibrate, Ashley immediately lowered her gaze to the screen and opened the message.

What she didn’t know was that Gideon had inadvertently caught sight of it as well.

Of course, he would never admit that he had glanced at someone else’s phone screen. As such, he could only swallow his anger, clench his jaw, and silently suffer through Gage’s shameless slander.

Meanwhile, Ashley had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing. The image of Gideon going through menopause was simply too absurd. Although she had heard that hormonal changes could make people more irritable and prone to mood swings, she still couldn’t connect such a phenomenon to the cold and imposing man sitting beside her.

Still, Gage’s message worked wonders.

After reading it, Ashley stopped worrying about Gideon’s dark mood altogether.

Not long afterward, Gideon’s assistant provided the location where they had left the car. The drive was short, and before long, they arrived at the road where it was parked.

However, the moment their vehicle turned the corner, Ashley noticed something was wrong.

Even before stepping out, they could see a large crowd gathered ahead. People were surrounding the area, craning their necks and pointing toward something in the distance. It was obvious that some sort of commotion had broken out.

The lighthearted mood instantly vanished.

Ashley exchanged glances with Gage and Gideon before quickly stepping out of the car alongside them and Gideon’s assistant to see what had happened.

Since the crowd was too thick for her to see what was happening ahead, Ashley approached one of the older aunties standing near the back and lightly tapped her shoulder.

"Auntie, what’s going on?" she asked curiously. "Why are there so many people gathered here?"

The older woman looked Ashley up and down. Seeing such a stunning young woman whom she had never seen around the neighborhood before, she immediately guessed that Ashley was an outsider. Still, she was more than happy to explain.

"Oh, there was a nice car parked over there," the woman said, pointing toward the center of the crowd. "A few of the local hoodlums took a liking to it and wanted to mess with it. But there was this kid guarding the car, and he refused to back down. The poor child got beaten black and blue for it."

The woman’s face darkened as she continued.

"The other children got scared and ran to call their parents for help. When the parents arrived and saw what had happened to the boy, they naturally got into a fight with those hoodlums. Things were already chaotic when someone accidentally touched the car."

She gestured animatedly with her hands.

"The next thing everyone knew, the car started blaring its alarm. It was so loud that it nearly scared everyone half to death. Not long after that, a police car showed up."

The woman snorted.

"Apparently, the kid had warned them beforehand that the car’s alarm would go off and that the owner would be alerted if anyone touched it. He even said the police might come. But who would believe a child? Everyone thought he was bluffing."

She shook her head, amused by the absurdity of the situation.

"Well, when the police actually arrived, everyone started pointing fingers at one another. Nobody wanted to admit they had touched the car, especially since there aren’t any surveillance cameras around here. Now both sides are arguing, each claiming the other is responsible, and the police can’t determine who’s telling the truth."

The woman glanced toward the center of the commotion and clicked her tongue.

"So now it’s turned into a giant shouting match, and the police are just standing there watching both sides argue themselves hoarse."

After understanding what had happened, Ashley immediately wanted to make her way to the center of the commotion. Unfortunately, the crowd was so dense that squeezing through on her own would have been nearly impossible.

Fortunately, the bodyguards Mr. Lowe had assigned to them were not there merely for decoration.

The moment they noticed Ashley moving forward, they sprang into action without needing a single instruction. Using their imposing physiques, they formed a wall of flesh and muscle, forcefully but professionally parting the crowd to create a clear path for her.

Ashley shot them an appreciative glance before following the opening they had made.

Gage and Gideon walked at her sides, while Gideon’s assistant remained a step behind them. Several of Mr. Lowe’s bodyguards followed closely at the rear, ready to intervene if necessary. They had no intention of starting a fight, but their presence alone was enough to project power and intimidation.

And it worked.