Chapter 271:
Deciding to put her doubts aside, she focused on the task ahead. The political landscape in Claelia was complex, and one wrong move could be catastrophic. This time, she was there as a soldier, and she couldnât afford the same liberties as in the past.
Once the plane landed, Fritz hurriedly departed, too frightened to stay any longer.
Harlee waited until she was the last passenger left before she rose and exited.
Outside the airport, Kareem waited by a discreet van.
Harlee walked over swiftly, opened the passenger door, and climbed inside.
To lighten the mood, she joked, âKareem, your choice of vehicles is quite unique.â
As she spoke, she lowered the window. Simultaneously, a luxury car nearby rolled down its window.
Harlee turned to speak to Kareem, not noticing that the man in the luxury car was Rhys.
Rhysâ eyes widened slightly as he caught Harleeâs profile.
His heart raced. Was it her? He quickly leaned out the window for a closer look, but the van had already started moving.
He motioned for his driver to slow down, but the van made a turn and vanished from view.
Rhys settled back in his seat with a bitter laugh. It had only been a week, and it seemed he was already imagining Harlee everywhere.
He sighed, pulling out his phone.
After hesitating for a moment, he dialed Harleeâs number.
LаÏÑÑÏ chÉÏÏÑrs ιn gðªlðovÑls.ð¸ð¶ð¶
The call didnât connect.
âThe number you have dialed is currently unavailableâ¦â Another disconnection.
Rhys was tempted to initiate a search but restrained himself as the words âvanished without a traceâ echoed in his thoughts.
His expression grew troubled. It seemed he needed to conclude his business in Claelia swiftly and return to clear things up with her face-to-face.
Meanwhile, after her light-hearted comment, Harlee quickly shifted her focus to more serious matters.
âKareem, could you fill me in on the Shakica family situation you mentioned earlier?â Harlee had crossed paths with the Shakica family before. They were mysterious, ruthless, and ranked as the most powerful mafia family in Claelia.
Kareemâs expression grew grim, his anger barely contained.
âJust a few days ago, our troops in Claelia reported an incident.
A man suddenly murdered Aaron, a key figure working for the Shakica family.
After eliminating Aaron, this man tried to take over all of Aaronâs territories and influence in Claelia. The Shakica family was enraged, suspecting our soldiers were protecting this guy, which emboldened him. In response, the Shakica family sent their people to stir up chaos at the border. The Claelian military seized the opportunity, making the situation even more unstable. Itâs been non-stop trouble ever since. Our forces managed to eliminate one of their high-ranking officers, only to find out he was a spy the Shakica family had embedded in the military.â
.
.
.