Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 2293

The bodyguard, who was his head of security, nodded grimly. "That's right, sir. It was stolen. The thieves were a woman and a man working together."

A flash of cold fury passed through Ezekiel's eyes, though his expression remained calm.

"I'm sorry, but I have to excuse myself," he said hurriedly to Mikayla before striding away from the scene.

Mikayla stared in stunned silence. She could not believe he was just leaving like that. She had not even given her name or introduced herself properly, and she certainly had not achieved her goal.

She gritted her teeth in frustration, absolutely furious. Some bastard had caused trouble behind the scenes, and now she was the one who ended up suffering for it.

Ezekiel's sudden departure left the other guests sighing in disappointment. With the star of the evening gone, the night's mingling was officially over.

Mikayla returned to Isabelle's side, looking completely dejected. She said flatly, "Let's go."

Hearing the defeated tone in her voice, Isabelle smiled and asked, "Mikayla, what's wrong? You look really upset."

Mikayla replied coldly, "It's nothing. I just wonder what kind of emergency Ezekiel had to deal with."

Isabelle secretly chuckled. She knew exactly what had happened, but she had no intention of telling Mikayla!

…

Back in his suite, Ezekiel stormed into the master bedroom and immediately clenched his jaw. "With all of you here, you couldn't stop a couple of thieves?"

Kyrie's face darkened. "Keep searching and hurry up about it!"

However, Ezekiel raised his hand dismissively. "Don't bother. Holtrien's military is useless, so I'll handle this myself. If you can't recover what I've lost, considering how valuable it is, your military will compensate me."

Kyrie frowned. "That's going too far! It's your stuff. Your men were supposed to watch it... And now that it's gone, you're blaming us? If anyone's to blame, shouldn't it be your own men?"

Ezekiel laughed coldly. "I came to Holtrien in good faith to discuss business, and I lost my property on your turf. Shouldn't your military be responsible for that? Or are you admitting that you are completely useless and can't even handle basic security? Are all the Hardings just a bunch of idiots?!"

Kyrie's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot as he roared, "Watch your damn mouth! Don't think I won't take you down right here and now. You're some Soryan piece of trash trying to act tough in Holtrien. Who the hell gave you that kind of nerve?"

Ezekiel smiled coldly. "You've got quite the temper, don't you? Tell you what… Since I'm feeling generous, if you're not satisfied, we can settle this with a little sparring match. As it happens, I came here partly hoping to experience what the Holtrien military has to offer!"